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.

Wikipedia offers a good working definition of bicycle boulevard:

A bicycle boulevard is a low speed street which has been optimized for bicycle traffic. Bicycle boulevards discourage cut-through motor vehicle traffic, but typically allow local [...]]]>

I attended the RiverLake Greenway grand opening last Saturday, helping with an activity site and checking out the new route.

First: What is a Bicycle Boulevard?

Wikipedia offers a good working definition of bicycle boulevard:

A bicycle boulevard is a low speed street which has been optimized for bicycle traffic. Bicycle boulevards discourage cut-through motor vehicle traffic, but typically allow local motor vehicle traffic.

A boulevard can include formal bike lane striping, sharrows, or just traffic-calming to discourage through traffic. The new RiverLake Greenway offers all of the above.

The Route

One thing to know about this Greenway is that the whole route has not been subject to traffic calming. From West River Parkway to Nokomis Avenue, the Greenway follows 42nd Street. This route has long been a popular bike route, with some caveats. Sharrows have been painted along the way, with a few sections of striped bike lane. However, 42nd Street is what it has always been: A residential through-street where trucks are allowed. The street is a major truck route, and the traffic along the way reflects this.

Some snappy new signs have been added along 42nd, including signs at Minnehaha directing cyclists to Minnehaha Falls and Park, as well as the Midtown Greenway — which is a protected bikeway.

Past Nokomis Avenue, the route jogs over to 40th Street, where many more traffic calming measures can be seen.

New concrete barriers direct local traffic off 40th Street onto cross-streets, and eliminate the use of 40th as a through street:

Paint markings on the street, as well as signs, indicate the street’s status as a part of the bicycle boulevard:

Where concrete barriers exist for vehicles, curb cuts allow bicycles to use 40th as a through street. Pedestrians are also accommodated, with the concrete sections allowing refuge when crossing busier streets, like Chicago, Nicollet and Portland.

The Greenway goes through to Kings Highway, where it connects to the Minneapolis Lakes Area paths and bike routes. Users can also turn onto the Portland and Park Avenue bike lanes if those routes are desirable for their final destination.

Via the RiverLake Greenway, many connections can be made to neighborhood businesses, schools, churches and parks.

Community Impact of a Bicycle Boulevard

Some of the neighbors are delighted by the traffic-calming impact on the street. One group decorated their home and set up out front to celebrate the grand opening. I spoke to them for a bit, and they said that the impact on the street was nearly magical — no more drag racing, no more people trying to use 40th as a through street at higher speeds. The boulevard is calming their neighborhood.

I will be a part of the segment, talking about bike laws and bicycle safety. Given my feelings about media coverage of bicycles, this is a moment in which I’m trying to [...]]]>

Tonight’s Good Question with Jason Derusha on WCCO News at 10 will be on the subject of bicycle safety, specifically the laws for bicycle-car interaction.

I will be a part of the segment, talking about bike laws and bicycle safety. Given my feelings about media coverage of bicycles, this is a moment in which I’m trying to do the right thing and make the coverage better. I gave an extended interview, which will be chopped down to fit the segment. Jason will also be talking to a Minneapolis police officer.

I’ll share a recap after it airs.

Minneapolis police are looking to better enforce vehicular and pedestrian laws to help prevent life-changing [...]]]>

The Minneapolis safety record for bicycles is suffering right now. First, a driver jumped a curb near Dinkytown and hit several pedestrians. Today, a right-turning dump truck killed a cyclist near 4th Street and 15th Avenue, again near the U of M.

Minneapolis police are looking to better enforce vehicular and pedestrian laws to help prevent life-changing accidents, but also ask “pedestrians and cyclists to watch out for themselves.”

One of the filthy truths about “sharing the road!” is that most of the responsibility for doing so ends up being assigned to cyclists, rather than it being a more community effort. And it’s hard to say to cyclists that they shouldn’t make these efforts to protect themselves — even with the protection of law, dead is dead, and cyclists are a more vulnerable road user than a car or truck. Complete Streets and other road calming measures are one response to this, as they can prompt more considered driving by heavy vehicle users on roadways.

Today’s accident, while the details are not yet clear, also serve as a reminder to cyclists that roadway facilities like bike lanes are recommendations, but not necessarily edicts. By this, I mean that if there is a safer place on the road for you than between the painted lines, use THAT place and not the bike lane. On streets like 4th Street and University near the University of Minnesota, the roads are 3-5 lanes, one-way, with narrow bike lanes that do not necessarily allow for actions like safe left turns, or dodging broken beer bottles in the gutter. While I’ve not gone out with a tape measure, I am fairly sure the painted bike lanes are narrower (and predate) current AASHTO standards for bike lane width.

Look out for yourself out there, and remember that sharing is really great, but sometimes you do need to control a lane or other part of the roadway for your own safety. You’re a legal user of the road as well, and “sharing” will do you no good if it leads to injury. Use good sense, and be careful out there.

A key piece of the 2011 Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota legislative agenda has been the support of bills to increase careless driving penalties. Cyclists have been encouraged to send messages of support to committee members and to their own legislators, preparing the latter to vote [...]]]>

EDIT: This has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 14, at 1:00 PM.

A key piece of the 2011 Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota legislative agenda has been the support of bills to increase careless driving penalties. Cyclists have been encouraged to send messages of support to committee members and to their own legislators, preparing the latter to vote in favor of these bills when they are available for floor votes. Unfortunately, these bills were tabled in March after several committee hearings.

The bills, however, remain alive at the Capitol. Another hearing — this time on SF 201, which would increase the penalty for causing a death while committing a careless or reckless driving offense to a gross misdemeanor and carry a fine of up to $3,000 and a jail sentence of up to 1 year — is scheduled for today, at 1 PM. The hearing is part of the agenda of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, and the meeting is scheduled to take place in Room 15 of the State Capitol.

It turns out that this bill has some heavy-hitting opposition — chiefly trucking organizations, and budget hawks who fear the expense of additional jail time for guilty individuals. It is important for cyclists and pedestrians to reach out to friends and family to ask them to join their voices to ours for support, and groups like the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota are reaching out to other vulnerable road users — motorcyclists and scooter operators — requesting their support.

Stay tuned. The Bicycle Alliance is on top of this issue, and will be releasing regular updates via their Facebook page — go be a fan.

One project of especial note to bicyclists is the 3-year project to replace the structurally-deficient Lafayette Bridge (US 52) in Saint Paul. The project is [...]]]>

MNDOT has released the list of 2011 major road projects for the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota. All kinds of mayhem will ensue, especially during I94 work between Cretin/Vandalia and Nicollet Avenues.

One project of especial note to bicyclists is the 3-year project to replace the structurally-deficient Lafayette Bridge (US 52) in Saint Paul. The project is expected to add another river crossing for cyclists and pedestrians.

Obviously, many county and local roads are also subject to construction as well, and the projects for those roads are controlled by more local authorities. Cyclists should stay abreast of planned street work near their usual routes.