It’s great to see our City acknowledged as a bicycling hotspot, but it doesn’t mean the job is done. Much work remains to enhance and increase our bikeways. As an example, 2010 and 2011 promise to be big years for Eastside bicycling. Five bike boulevard projects are coming our way – 5th Street NE and the 5th Street SE Bikeway, 22nd Avenue NE, the 18th Ave NE Bikeway and the President’s Bike Boulevard. These bikeways will employ a variety of curb and pavement changes, including landscaped traffic circles, lane striping, pedestrian lights, curb extensions and speed bumps. There will also be some innovative new technologies employed, such as bicycle counters and a new stoplight with bicycle signals. These projects will add approximately 10 new miles to Minneapolis’ bikeways.
Public input remains an essential piece of developing bicycle plans and policies. A draft of the Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan was released a few weeks ago. This plan establishes goals, objectives, and benchmarks to improve safety and mobility for bicyclists and also increase the number of trips taken by bicycle. It’s available online at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles/bicycle-plans.asp. The first of five public meetings was held at Edison High School on August 30.
If you were unable to attend that meeting, you can still make your voice heard by completing the online survey about the Draft plan at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MinneapolisBicycleMasterPlan.
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