Word on the Streets

FAQ' Answered

We surveyed Coalition volunteers last November to find out about what questions you had about the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition. Some of them were hard, so it took a while to track down the answers - but here is a sampling from the first ever Coalition Volunteer FAQ:

Why should I get involved with this organization? If I do help, how will that positively impact bicycling in Minneapolis?

The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition advocates for a city where bicycling is encouraged and everyone feels comfortable riding a bike. We work on specific issues, like improving unsafe conditions on specific trails or bike lanes. We work on big campaigns, like Bikeways for Everyone working to get 30 miles of protected bikeways installed in Minneapolis by 2020. We help people understand the bike policy positions of candidates, raise awareness of bike-related issues, and organize events to encourage more people to get out and ride. We have a long list of successes, and are working to add more. If you want to have an impact on how it feels to bike around Minneapolis, this is your chance. Your time (and donations) will increase our capacity and make Minneapolis an even better place to ride a bike.

Who is the point person for each work group and how can I learn more or volunteer with a group?

The Coalition Key Contacts spreadsheet will help you find key volunteers, group-leads, and staff members by work group.

How is the Coalition organized?

Here is how the parts fit together: Organizational Chart

Who do I get in contact with if I want to blog?

Contact our communications committee at [email protected] if you would like to post on our blog, Facebook or Twitter. (Learn more here.)

What expertise do I need to be a volunteer leader for the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition?

None! You need a willingness to help out a great cause, commitment to following through on what you say you’ll do (and it’s OK to say no if you can’t do it), to agree to our core values, and to be able to communicate with and lead other Coalition volunteers.

Where do we get/Who has tabling supplies?

All of our tabling supplies can be found at the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition office. Just remember to return those items to the office in a timely manner, if you end up taking them to an event (these resources are shared with all of our work groups and initiatives).

Is there a list of potential volunteers I can contact to help with an event?

There is a volunteer list, and if you draft a short, specific, engaging request for volunteers and find an image to include, send it to [email protected] and we'll send it out. Follow these tips in your request.

Who can I ask for information about the Coalition's 501(c)3 number?

Contact any of the staff in the office for 501(c)3 information. Ethan Fawley - [email protected] OR Malik Holt - [email protected]

Who do I contact regarding different questions?

[email protected] -- to volunteer or if you are a current volunteer that is looking to do something different OR address a problem.

[email protected] -- anything and everything Open Streets related.

[email protected] -- for any media inquiries.

You can find staff e-mails on this page of our website.

work groups include:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

To subscribe to any of these workgroup lists, send an email to (GroupName)[email protected]. For example, to join the outreach/events group, send an email to [email protected]

How do I report a bike issue?

Go to the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition website, and click on the yellow “Report a Bike Issue’ tab. To begin, click on the GREY ‘Report a Bike Issue’ tab. Take a picture of the disturbance if you can. Issues submitted here are sent to Minneapolis 311 through SeeClickFix.

What is the history of the Coalition (when/why did it start, who started it, how has it grown)?

In December of 2009, 20 people interested in being part of more effective advocacy around biking met inside of the West Bank Social Club. One idea was to create a nonprofit bicycle advocacy group which would engage thousands of bicycle supporters across the city to help make Minneapolis even better for biking. The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition was born.

Since then, our organization has helped win bike lanes on more than a dozen streets, hosted Open Streets events, installed hundreds of new bike racks across the city, and worked with the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County on bike-friendly policies and plans. With the support of hundreds of volunteers, activists, and numerous partners, we’ve come a long way from that December day. All of this progress was made without any paid staff or consultants up until 2013.

What other bike organizations do we work with?

Check out our Bicycle-Related Organizations page, to find out which organizations we partner with in the area. P.S. this is also a part of our digital Volunteer Pamphlet, which has a lot more information about volunteer opportunities, other events and opportunities we offer, and some of our biggest accomplishments.

What do Board Members do? What are the qualifications for Board Members? Why would someone want to be a Board Member? What does the Board do?

The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors focuses on governance and oversight of Coalition activities. The Board is comprised of people who are excited about growing the organization. The Board is also responsible for hiring, managing, and evaluating the Executive Director. Board members are expected to do some non-Board-related volunteering with the Coalition with a specific initiative. Board members make governance decisions and perform tasks in the best interest of the Coalition in fitting with the mission, vision, and core values. Being a board member can be a meaningful way to explore how an individual’s experience and expertise can be applied at the governance level.

Thanks for the questions!

Thank you to all of the volunteers and Coalition members for their questions, as well as the various work group members who provided their expertise and knowledge to answer them. If you would like to access this document for prinout or personal use, please visit the Volunteer FAQ page. There were also a few more questions that were very practical, like scheduling, finding venues, tabling logistics, and how to get reimbursed -- if you're looking for that, click through to the Vol.

If there is anything else that you have questions about or would like added to this list, please email [email protected]!

posted by | January 23, 2014

Good news for bicyclists in the Minneapolis City budget for 2014

On December 11, the Minneapolis City Council adopted the City’s budget for 2014, and it’s a great budget for bicyclists.

We keep and expand on past wins, like the creation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator and Open Streets. Next year, the Bike/Ped Coordinator will be able to hire permanent staff to help continue the progress towards a bike-friendlier city.

Last year, the City committed for the first time to provide $50,000 in support for four Open Streets events (things like traffic direction and barricades), as part of accepting a grant from the Partnership for a Healthier America. These four events – that were run by the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition – were such a success that the City has committed $75,000 for six Open Streets events in 2014.

There are also many capital projects that will have a positive effect on bicycling in Minneapolis. Here are just some of them:

$1.4 million in 2014 to (finally!) install lighting on the Hiawatha LRT Trail from 26th St E into downtown.

$200,000 in 2014 and $200,000 in 2015 for the 26th & 28th St protected bike lanes.

$275,000 in 2014 for the Dinkytown Greenway Connection at the intersection of 15th Ave SE and 4th St SE.

$2.3 million in 2014 for improvements to Bridge 9, a bike and pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi and connection to the Dinkytown Greenway.

$2,080,000 in 2014 for the City’s share of the Minnehaha Ave project, which will include buffered bike lanes.

$1.4 million in 2014 and $500,000 in 2015 for the Riverside extension project (4th St S and 15th Ave S) which will include on-street bike lanes.

$50,000 in 2014 for the North by Northeast Bikeway Bridge Connection.

$4.5 million in 2015 and $4.6 million in 2016 for the 26th Ave N project, which includes a protected bikeway.

$3.2 million in 2015 for the section of Minnehaha Ave from 24th to 26th Streets east. There are currently bike lanes on this section, but the pavement quality is very bad, so this will be a significant improvement. There is also a chance to upgrade these bike lanes to something better.

$2.4 million in 2016 for the 40th St Pedestrian & Bicycle Bridge over 35W.

$300,000 in 2018 for the 18th Ave NE Trail Gap.

$5.8 million in 2017 and $1.5 million in 2018 for the reconstruction of 18th Ave NE from Monroe to Johnson St NE. A protected bikeway has been talked about for this project.

$500,000 in 2018 to close the Hiawatha Trail Gap from 28th to 32nd Streets E.

This list doesn’t even include all of the potential protected bikeways and trails that the City will be working on over the next five years. The street resurfacing program will give us opportunities to get good bike facilities installed on many other streets, and many miles of County road projects will offer possibilities for protected bike lanes.

It’s great to see the City’s commitment to bicycling – it will take continued investment to meet the City’s declared goals of installing 30 miles of protected bikeways by 2020 and dramatically increase the number of people riding bikes in Minneapolis.

posted by | January 21, 2014

Franklin Ave SE: Ripe for a Protected Bike Lane?

We are looking east up Franklin Avenue SE from it's intersection with Malcolm Street SE. This is right about when the hill really starts kicking many a bicyclist's butt.

As I mentioned in my post, Franklin Avenue SE featured prominently in the January 14th meeting of the Engineering Subcommittee. The Minneapolis Public Works staff had recommended it as one of the six resurfacing bike projects. Peter Wagenius, one Mayor Hodges's policy aides, questioned this decision. After much discussion, the subcommitee tasked Wagenius and BAC Member Robin Garwood with gathering more infromation to see whether the resurfacing could be delayed until 2015 to provide the community with more time to implement its hoped-for bike lane on Franklin Ave SE. They were told to report back at the full BAC meeting Wednesday January 22nd.

Wagenius lives in the Prospect Park neighborhood and told the subcommittee that the Prospect Park East River Road Improvement Association (PPERRIA) is advocating for a protected bike lane on Franklin Avenue SE and already has a plan drawn up.

Wagenius argued doing a striped bike lane might make it harder to get a protected bike lane built and also make the community feel shut out of the decision-making process. What the neighborhood really wants is a complete overhaul and greening of the street, he said. Wagenius believes the city should wait to resurface Franklin so the community has a fair shot at winning approval for its design.

Biking Franklin Avenue SE Now

Currently, Franklin Avenue SE has a bike lane only briefly on the eastbound uphill side from the bridge over the Mississippi to Thronton Street SE. Near the bridge on the downhill side, a right turn lane eats up space for a bike lane. Even without a dedicated bike lane, biking isn't too bad between Thronton and Malcolm because the street is wide and no parking is allowed in this section. From Malcolm east the road narrows and the shoulder is lost, leaving bicyclists to share the road with motorists and, in some places, parked cars. This is where it gets especially dicey.

This is where the brief bike lane from the river to Thornton would be if not obscured by slush.

Futhermore, the road is in pretty bad condition which can make the climb up or coast down even more uncomfortable and possibly dangerous.

Bridging The Gap

PPERRIA joined forces with the Saint Anthony Park Community Council (SAPCC) to participate in a project called Bridging The Gap. The project began in 2008 after gaining a grant from the Univesity of Minnesota Good Neighbor Fund. The goal was to better connect the three neighborhoods, which are bisected and cut to pieces by Highway 280 and I94. The group set about gathering input and exploring transit options. After the investigations, the group issued this report in 2009.

Franklin crosses I94 on this bridge. The roadway is wide here and parking is prohibited, leaving ample room for bicyclists. Fitting a bike lane would be easy in this wide section.

The report included a survey of Franklin Avenue SE residents showing that 98% of respondents (48 out of 67 residents responded) said it was acceptable to give up one side of parking. 85% would like to see a dedicated bike lane on Franklin. Just 3% said no change should be made.

The Bridging The Gap report included a street design to be implemented during a complete reconstruction of Franklin Avenue SE. The design calls for a tree-lined boulevard with a bike lane and single sided parking. It didn't appear to me that the bike lane was protected, but prehaps that was to be added later, not in this initial design. It also prossible PPERRIA also has another plan with a protected bike lane.

Decisions, decisions

Protected bike lane or no, PPERRIA has a plan in place for a more bicycle friendly Franklin Avenue SE which might be of use to Minneapolis Public Works. The Bridging The Gap plan seems to envision completely redoing the street. All that was slated in 2014 is a resurfacing. Wagenius said he thinks it's likely PPERRIA has enough support to gain approval for their complete overhaul of the road given enough time.

The full BAC will find out on Wednesday if delaying the Franklin resurfacing is an option. If delay isn't an option, the BAC might find itself in a dilemma. Would we restripe the road as is and bide out time to fight for a complete overhaul? Or would we be able to design a PPERRIA's hoped for street with a solid bike facility in less than a year?

PPERRIA holds their monthly meetings on the fourth Monday of the month, which would be January 27. Meeting are held at Prospect Park United Methodist Church from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m and open to the public.

posted by | January 19, 2014