This year? The only part of the sidepaths I’ve seen plowed appear to have been cleared by neighboring property owners.

My suspicion, which I have yet to confirm, is this is one way to help deal with budget shortfalls and an anticipated drop in state aid to communities.

Given that Minneapolis is doomed to be especially impacted by the drop in state aid, I wonder if we’re looking at the end of the regular clearance of commuter byways such as the Midtown Greenway?

• A new (or improved?) bridge to the new Gophers Stadium. (The question mark is because I thought Bridge #9 was behind the hospital, which is a fair hike from the new stadium location.)
• Finally finishing the Hiawatha Connection to downtown.
• Finishing the Cedar Lake Trail to the River.
• Adding a posse of bike racks.
• A new bike depot near the Greenway.

In somewhat more dubious excitement, they plan to re-stripe many existing bike lanes. Several of Minneapolis’ designated routes need more than paint to make them meet a standard of ‘not ridiculous relative to common rules of traffic.’ I’m thinking the downtown Hennepin Avenue lane, which goes through the CENTER of the road and thus is head-on to buses in both directions, and the Portland/Park lanes, which have bicycles – the slowest moving vehicles on the road – in the left-hand part of the one-way street, cutting across 3 lanes to make right turns. But, hey, the lanes will have fresh paint!

I’m not sure if the city actively plow those paths as they do the Cedar Lake Trail and the Greenway, seeing as I don’t spend a lot of time in a bike in Minneapolis in winter, and if there’s enough snow to need plowing I’d rather be on skis or snowshoes or making a snow person. All of which should be counted as ‘cross training,’ for the record.

Winter riding is achievable for most people who regularly ride. It may not be the best introduction to bicycle commuting, which is another reason starting in the fall is a better idea. Riding through the winter achieves a fitness that your friends will envy come spring, and despite the initial investment that may be needed in gear, saves considerable money compared to the current price of gas!

To effectively commute in a Minnesota winter, there are some basic requirements:

1. Warm clothes, preferably made of warm-yet-lightweight fibers for ease of movement. Some experimentation ends up necessary, because most people overestimate how much clothing they’ll need while riding. Riding keeps you warm! Bright colors are also a good idea, as always, to increase visibility.
2. Appropriate shoes. While many bikers use clipless pedals and cleated shoes in summer, in winter this can be more problematic. At the very least, a good mountain cleated system is required (like a Crank Brothers Eggbeater, designed to shed mud); else, switching to platform pedals with toe clips allows for a wider range of shoe choice for cold weather and sock-layering purposes.
3. A good lightset – both a front headlight and a rear ‘blinkie.’ I recommend finding lights that can be recharged or use rechargeable batteries for cost-effectiveness. Note that Minnesota Bicycle Law (169.222) requires a white headlight with at least 500 feet of visibility for the front of the bicycle, and a red rear reflector visible from 100-600 feet behind (inclusive).
4. Good reflective additions to the bike. Lightsets provide front-back visibility. Adding marine-grade reflective tape to wheel rims and to pedal cranks helps provide side-on visibility. Because these parts also move (wheels spin, pedal cranks spin), it increases the visibility factor.
5. Appropriate tires. Skinny tires are nice on clean pavement, but who sees that in a Minneapolis winter? Cyclocross tires on road bikes, or knobbier tires on hybrids or mountain bikes, are useful in winter, and easier to change with gloved/cold hands in the event of flats. Some bicycle brakes may need modifications to accept these tires.
6. A route. Keep in mind that a route that works in spring-summer-fall may not work in winter. As it starts to snow, you’ll learn the plowing patterns more quickly. Some roads with sidepaths get sidepath plowing that is often quicker (and more effective) than the roadway plowing, although sidepaths still have their issues from a safety perspective. In Minneapolis, the Midtown Greenway gets plowed all winter. The Gateway Trail, however, gets groomed for XC skiing. Over time, by amassing a variety of routes, you’ll be ready for whatever happens and whatever you discover about the plowing patterns.

I also think, if one isn’t already cycle-commuting, getting started in fall helps with the lung issues. Winter air is colder, and harder on lungs than warm summer air. Developing the capacity and endurance over time, and as the air cools gradually, is better than jumping straight into breathing the cold air straightaway.

I can’t say I disagree. Of all the bicycle/pedestrian transit initiatives to spend $10-12 million on, I’m not overwhelmed by the need for this bridge. I think the completion of the Grand Round parkway system is more interesting, or since we are talking Hennepin County, doing something about the Old Cedar Avenue bridge.

The proposed bridge location can’t be more than a half mile from the Lake Street Bridge. I know some people are going to say that’s a mile out of their way (in each direction for some trips). But it’s a MILE. This isn’t like the Old Cedar Avenue bridge problem, where it creates a fairly significant reroute need.

I realize that when getting grants, you can’t just apply one set of federal funds to random other projects. However, I think you need to look closely at even which projects you’re asking to fund. For $10 million, this was something of a dud.