September 22 is World Car-Free Day

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 60% of Minneapolis workers drove alone to work in 2015. Move Minneapolis, an organization that promotes sustainable transportation in downtown Minneapolis, would like to raise public awareness of other, more environmentally-friendly options through an annual celebration of World Car-Free Day. Single occupant drivers are encouraged to consider carpooling, walking, biking, or taking public transportation on September 22. Visit http://moveminneapolis.org/car-free-day/ to take the pledge to not drive alone that day and register for a prize drawing.

World Car-Free Day is observed in 1.500 cities in more than 40 countries. Council Member Kevin Reich will be presenting a resolution at the September 20th City Council meeting designating that September 2 henceforth be World Car-Free Day in the City of Minneapolis

Third Avenue Bikeway is Open for Business

This September Council Member Reich, Mayor Hodges, bicycle advocates and City officials celebrated the opening of the Third Avenue Bikeway. This north-south bicycle connector represents an important piece of the City of Minneapolis' bicycle infrastructure, offering a safer and more direct route between Northeast and South Minneapolis. A protected Third Avenue Bikeway is identified in the Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan.

The completed project will include new protected bike lanes between 1st Street S and 16th Street E, as well as landscaping and pedestrian improvements for the length of the corridor.

Eastside Bike to Work Day

Numerous community members joined CMs Frey and Reich to bike through NE and SE neighborhoods to downtown Minneapolis.

Hitting the Road with Pillsbury Pedal Power

This past April Council Member Kevin Reich and Minneapolis School Board President Jenny Arneson had the opportunity to join Pillsbury Pedal Power leaders and students on one of their regular rides.

Pillsbury Pedal Power won a Public Health Hero Award in 2014. Pedal Power students learn how to ride and maintain their bicycles and how to maneuver safely on a variety of routes. Leaders and instructors Mark Trumper, Susan Tuck and Leroy Leftwich also offer important education about healthy eating, hydration and other aspects of an active lifestyle. The students in this program combine bicycling fun with a number of community service projects, including such events as a Boom Island clean up.

Friday, May 20: Bike to Work with Your Council Member

Minneapolis Bike Week is May 16 - 22. Visit http://www.mplsbikeweek.org/ to learn more about the many events and activities planned across the City of Minneapolis for the week.

Council Member Reich and Council Member Frey will be leading a ride to downtown Minneapolis on Friday, May 20, to mark "Bike to Work" day. All are invited to join them as they wend their way through Northeast and Southeast neighborhoods and then across the Stone Arch Bridge and into downtown Minneapolis. The ride will end at Government Plaza where the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition is hosting a celebration that includes a short program and free coffee and snacks.

The Eastside Ride with CMs Reich and Frey will be departing from the Nice Ride station at 22nd Avenue NE and Central Avenue at 7:45 a.m. All are welcome!

2016 Parklet Program Now Accepting Applications

A parklet is a temporary space in the street dedicated for public use. Parklets were first piloted Minneapolis in 2014 and the Parklet program was introduced citywide in 2015.

Parklets are an innovative and cost effective way to add public gathering space to public streets. Parklets are streetscape enhancements, providing an economical solution for increased public open space. They provide amenities like seating, plantings, bike parking and public art. While parklets are typically funded and maintained by neighboring businesses, residents and community organizations, they are publicly accessible and open to all. Parklets are located in the parking lane adjacent to the curb designed as an extension of the sidewalk. Advertising and other commercial activities are not permitted in the parklet. The Central Avenue parklet pictured at right was sponsored by Sen Yai Sen Lek restaurant.

Click HERE to learn more about parklets and the application process.

Shoreham Yards Velodrome Proposal Recap

A six-day international bicycle race got underway at the

Minneapolis Auditorium in 1936. Star Tribune photo from 

Minnesota Historical Society archives

In the 1920s and ‘30s Minneapolis was a regular stop on the Six Day bicycle racing circuit, with races held at the old Minneapolis Auditorium. MN Cycling Center (MNCC) would like to return the city to its cycling glory days, with a proposal for an indoor velodrome and event center located on 18 acres in Shoreham Yards, adjacent to Central Avenue NE.

Jason Lardy, president of MNCC, presented the non-profit’s vision for a bike-oriented sports center at a community meeting at Columbia Manor on Oct. 8. In addition to an indoor velodrome, a BMX track, event center, outdoor plaza incorporating the historic Roundhouse and retail spaces would be part of the overall concept. The organization sees the location at Shoreham Yards, in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis, as an ideal location to attract youth to their educational programming as well as to draw upon the history of transportation centered in that area. The large turnout of 70+ people for the meeting offered some indication of the interest this proposal has generated.

Lardy and his partners expect that the facility would carry a price tag in the neighborhood of $40 million and that if the plan moves forward, construction would be completed in 2017. They have not yet entered into negotiations with property owner Canadian Pacific, but wanted to present the idea to the public to gauge the community’s interest and potential questions and concerns first. For further information about MNCC and their proposal, visit www.mncyclingcenter.org.

New Bicycle & Pedestrian Connection in Northeast Minneapolis

A new trail crossing at New Brighton Blvd NE & Stinson Blvd NE became operational Friday, September 13th. This new crossing connects the Diagonal Trail (east of the intersection) to Minneapolis’ larger bicycle and pedestrian network and key NE Minneapolis destinations (west of the intersection).

This complex intersection required a unique solution to create a better connection for biking and walking. The solution is a more direct crossing through the middle of the intersection that is approximately 1/3 of the distance of previous routes (Figure 1). This dedicated bicycle and pedestrian crossing includes a pedestrian signal complete with countdown timer, and pending Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approval the crossing will soon include a bicycle signal, similar in appearance to the bicycle signal at 5th St NE & Broadway St NE.

How does this new crossing affect me?

Bicyclists and Pedestrians
To use the new crossing you must push the pedestrian button located on the signal post for this crossing, to make your presence known. The walk signal will not turn on unless you push the pedestrian button. You MUST WAIT for the walk signal to turn on and then proceed with caution using the new crossing.

Drivers
When the traffic signal is displaying the walk signal for bicyclists and pedestrians using the new crossing, drivers will have a red light at all legs of the intersection, with one exception – cars traveling north-bound on Stinson waiting to turn left onto southwest-bound New Brighton will receive a green left turn arrow at the same time bicyclists and pedestrians are using the new crossing (Figure 2).

When driving north-bound or south-bound on Stinson Blvd NE and preparing to turn right onto southwest-bound or northeast-bound New Brighton you will see a new sign posted. This sign reads “Turning Vehicles STOP for Pedestrians” (Figure 3).

You MUST STOP completely for all red lights when preparing to turn right, and must stop for pedestrians and bicyclists using the new crossing. You MUST STOP for pedestrians and bicyclists using the adjacent crosswalks when preparing to turn on green lights.

All Users
Always behave predictably and follow the rules of the road.

1st Ward Community Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8: Shoreham Yards

You’re Invited to a 1^st Ward Community Meeting To discuss a development proposal for Shoreham Yards

Tuesday, October 8, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.Columbia Manor, 3300 Central Avenue NE

The MN Cycling Center has expressed serious interest in making Shoreham Yards the home of their proposed multi-purpose velodrome, sports facility and event center. They are exploring the site where the Roundhouse is located, adjacent to Central Avenue. We hope you will plan to attend and meet with representatives from MN Cycling Center to learn more about their plans and their organization’s mission. All are welcome to this family-friendly event and a light meal will be served. Please RSVP to 612-673-2201 or kevin.reich@minneapolismn.gov.

Message from Council Member Kevin Reich

In May of this year Bicycling magazine named Minneapolis America’s best bike city. They singled out our more than 120 miles of bikeways, many bike amenities and strong, vibrant bicycling community as key factors in their designation.

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.