Turns out it may be even worse than previously rumored.

A few points:

This is a reasonably good article, with some gaps. The main gap is really surrounding the concept of Complete Streets, and I’m not strictly certain that’s on the author [...]]]>

Shouts out to @reubencollins on ze Twitter for tweeting this article about people looking to have the resurfacing project on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul include bike lanes.

This is a reasonably good article, with some gaps. The main gap is really surrounding the concept of Complete Streets, and I’m not strictly certain that’s on the author so much as the people he spoke to for the piece.

Would adding bike lane striping be cheapest during a resurfacing project? Certainly. Do cyclists lack reasonable North-South choices to get through the Saintly City? Ohmyyes. Is slapping some paint lines going to make most of Snelling Avenue a Complete Street? OhmyNO.

The article does mention a few reasons why — first, Snelling is a truck route. There is a limited ability to narrow the lanes and maintain the status of the road as a truck route. And, much as cyclists lack north-south options through the city, so do trucks. Snelling Avenue is a key arterial route for trucks, and connects to many local businesses that need trucks to be able to reach them. Most of the north-south streets aren’t truck routes, and have significant direct residential frontage — people who would oppose their north-south streets becoming truck routes, and people who have less need for trucks to be able to get into their neighborhood than many of the businesses with Snelling Avenue frontage.

There are also a large number of uncontrolled intersections. The merges off the Pierce Butler Route and Como Avenue come to mind, where cars have about 3 feet to merge and the curve is not entirely blind but certainly not unobstructed.

Another key consideration is the parking situation. Snelling has a lot of on-street parking, and a lot of driveways. If the on-street parking is maintained, parked cars + abundant driveways equals out to crummy visibility for cyclists coming through. Dropping some of the parking reduces this visibility issue, and makes room for bike lane striping. However, it almost ensures local businesses to mobilize heavily against such a plan. Much of the city is unlikely to get involved in a parking removal project right now, given the many challenges in the Central Corridor, parking included. (Check the closing quote in this article about Central Corridor parking. Oy vey.)

It’s nearly impossible to argue that Snelling doesn’t need traffic calming. It does. A lot of traffic calming, in fact. Bike lanes can be a part of a traffic calming strategy. But just slapping some bike lanes down does not equate to a Complete Street, or to making Snelling an attractive roadway on which to bike. For that matter, bike lanes won’t do much to promote pedestrian safety.

Doing this project correctly could be a very good thing. Just painting in some bike lanes is not a correct approach to the problem that is Snelling Avenue, and won’t do a lot to encourage alternative mode share through much of the corridor. I have high doubts that the public meetings will do much to really address the totality of the situation, because to actually address the real issues will be very expensive, and require a lot of people to cooperate. After all, this is St. Paul, where there are still fights about simple changes to Jefferson Avenue that are unlikely to impact most residents or users. To make Snelling safe for, well, anyone not in an armored tank will require changes that will impact everyone.

They both have a point, and miss one, in my opinion.

It’s a very good point that most of the info disseminated by bicycle advocates about cycling in the snow really orients [...]]]>

The excellent Copehnagenize has an excellent post on how most posts on cycling in winter complicate the issue and emphasize subculture instead of mainstreaming the notion.

They both have a point, and miss one, in my opinion.

It’s a very good point that most of the info disseminated by bicycle advocates about cycling in the snow really orients to lifestyle cyclists and not people who ride bikes. At the same time, even somewhere like Minneapolis, riding in the snow isn’t yet considered normal, and all the gung-ho promotion of it as normal is not going to win over most people. In addition, even when you deal with a bikeway like the Midtown Greenway, which is plowed regularly, the relative normalcy of cycling in winter is also influenced by how a city approaches snow/ice removal in general, and how a city’s drivers approach cyclists in general.

In winter, in Minneapolis, drivers are less likely to look for and expect cyclists than they are normally. This is just a truth.

In winter, snow removal practices influence cycling possibilities more than usual. Snow removal focuses on major routes first, which are often not ideal bike routes, especially in snow. The artery streets that get priority are often faster, with limited shoulder/bike facility, and even if plowed to the curb, end up a little narrower than usual.

I try to avoid the cyclist elitist approach, but there are places that there is reason to emphasize certain approaches. Yes, they’re right that if “dressing in layers” is news to you, you’re likely to be dead before the end of your first Minnesota winter. But issues like how to handle in snow, how black ice mucks with bike handling, why maybe the bike you have in your garage ISN’T a good idea in some conditions (the idea of riding my Giant OCR1 on ice? Oh dear god no!), how route selection may need to vary in snow… all real. All legitimate in cities that don’t take cyclists for granted, and whose infrastructure is a hodge-podge of accommodation and suitability at the BEST of times, let alone when said streets and accommodations need to be plowed and salted.

The subculture can promote winter cycling in ways that don’t stink of subculture. But right now, cycling in winter remains subcultural. And we’d all be lying if we said that riding in winter was just like riding at any other time, or that the behaviors of June translate on a 1-to-1 basis to the behaviors of  January after 3-5″, a clear, a partial melt, and another 2″ fall. Because we’d be lying heinously in ways that if anyone were dumb enough to believe us could cause injury, confusion, and delay.

Should winter cycling be a circle-jerk? No. Does it require some extra thought processes? Hell yeah.

Now, of course, it will move on to the full Senate, where it will be subject to the ongoing Legislative Theatre that all transportation discussion has [...]]]>

In a follow-up to yesterday’s post seeking supportive contacts to Senate Commerce Committee members considering an amendment concerning Complete Streets to be considered today, the Commerce Committee unanimously approved the language.

Now, of course, it will move on to the full Senate, where it will be subject to the ongoing Legislative Theatre that all transportation discussion has been subject to in the recent past. By Legislative Theatre, I am making reference to all recent transportation proposals, counter-proposals, ‘urgent calls for advocacy!,’ regularly scheduled Coburn/Paul amendments, and etc., all of which have resulted in pretty much jack-squat except for some hyperventilation and continued extensions of the old transportation bill.

But it’s nice to have something positive endorsed for a change, even if it won’t come to anything in the current session.

At Interbike in Las Vegas, Saint Paul, Minnesota, was named to the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community list for the first time. They check in with a Bronze designation, which is an excellent first-time recognition for the city.

As a sometime Saint Paul resident, I will testify [...]]]>

Enough about Minneapolis. Let’s talk about Saint Paul, baby.

At Interbike in Las Vegas, Saint Paul, Minnesota, was named to the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community list for the first time. They check in with a Bronze designation, which is an excellent first-time recognition for the city.

As a sometime Saint Paul resident, I will testify to the city’s bikeability. While everyone knows Summit Avenue and the Gateway Trail, the city is also full of hidden gems, like the Battle Creek MTB trails, and the creek-level paved trail. The trails in Hidden Falls and Crosby Farm are often missed by cyclists who know the River Road routes. And let’s not forget the mighty climbs of the city — Ramsey Hill, Ohio, and Springside all come to mind, with the last being the steepest hill in Ramsey County. And can you bike past the House at Pooh Corner in Minneapolis? Nope. Saint Paul, bay-bee. Some of the best rest stops in the city can also be found in the capitol city.

The city’s been working on improving things for cyclists as well — everything from median tests to designating some new bikeways. The Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition has been growing more active as well.

And, in a rare statement, I’ve always been impressed with the knowledge city law enforcement has of bike laws and their enforcement.

I should also mention that La Crosse, Wisconsin, also received designation as a Silver-Level Community, and River Falls received an honorable mention. Hooray for them too. But Saint Paul is home, and I’m glad to see them finally request the recognition they deserve.

This fall, the bike count will take place at 42 locations on September 13 and 14 from [...]]]>

Every fall Bike Walk Twin Cities and Transit for Livable Communities conducts a bicycle/pedestrian count. These counts are a major contributing factor in coming up with modeshare data. It’s also a core reporting element for the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program.

This fall, the bike count will take place at 42 locations on September 13 and 14 from 4:00-6:00 PM. Volunteers are needed to staff these count locations, and, well, count. A map of count locations is available on the Bike Walk website.

Volunteers need to attend a 30-minute training session on September 6, 7, or 8, and also need to have demonstrable counting skills. If you’re available and interested, sign up online to help.

To which I can only say: Seriously?

For those of you paying attention, during the 2011 Minnesota Bicycle Summit, Fridley was given a $110,000 grant from Bike Walk Twin Cities to do just this. At [...]]]>

So, in this week’s news, Fridley is “considering adding bike lanes and sidewalks to three blocks on Main Street near the Northstar Station.”

To which I can only say: Seriously?

For those of you paying attention, during the 2011 Minnesota Bicycle Summit, Fridley was given a $110,000 grant from Bike Walk Twin Cities to do just this. At the time, it was said the city intended to invest $67,000 of its own cash in the project.

Six months later, Fridley is having public meetings to discuss MAYBE doing this?

What a glorious fate for this grant money.

The public meeting will be at 7:30 PM on September 15, in the Fridley City Council Chambers at 6431 University Ave. NE, Fridley, MN 55432. Please show up and join me in saying: WHAT.