Thank you, Annie, for persuing this.
>From Jon Wertjes by way of Annie Young:
>>Regarding your question below - the bike trail is being removed for the
>>Hiawatha LRT construction. I should note that the LRT project will replace
>>and improve the bike trail. After construction is completed there will be a
>>new paved off-street trail from 28th Street (Midtown Greenway) to 11th
>>Avenue (just east of the Dome).
[RN] I'm confused. Is the Greenway to 11th Avenue trail meant to _replace_
the Cedar-Riverside to 11th Avenue trail or will it be in addition to it?
It's hard to imagine a Greenway to 11th Avenue trail being much use in
Cedar-Riverside, although it might be very practical from the southside.
>>
>>During LRT construction, bicyclists have an existing alternative to get from
>>Cedar-Riverside to Downtown - Near the same railroad corridor at the 15th
>>Avenue/6th Street intersection proceed south (towards I-94) and cross over
>>the tracks. Immediately to your right is an existing sidewalk and path that
>>bridge over I-35W paralleling 5th Street south. This will connect with 11th
>>Avenue about one long block south of your former route. Other alternatives
>>to cross the maze of freeways are Washington and Franklin Avenue.
[RN]The sidewalk path is very narrow. If there one bike and one pedestrian
on the path, it becomes a hassle for one or both of them. Last Sunday
there was something going on in our antique sports facility, which meant
many pedestrians on the path.
The Franklin bridge is significantly out of the way if one is going
downtown. Washington Avenue is not too bad on Sunday afternoons (when I am
likely to be making this particular trip), but I hope all the bicyclists
who try to do it during rush hour on a weekday have good health and
disability insurance. Actually, I see them sometimes and they are usually
on the sidewalk, where we are told not to be. Of course, this is all no
different from how city biking usually is, but it bites to have one very
safe, practical route go away without warning. (Yes, I should have
realized this would be the light rail route, but I didn't make the
connection.) It will presumably be gone for several years during light
rail construction.
Regarding Erik R.'s comment that this was a "temporary bike trail," it had
been in existance for at least five years, probably longer, and there used
to be yellow "bike route" signs on either end of it and I think even a
"bike crossing" sign where it crossed 11th Avenue. Of course, I should
learn to accept that everything in Minneapolis is temporary if it gets in
the way of the Sayles Belton-Cherryhomes-Campbell axis. Maybe there is
some kind of twelve-step program I could join for that.
Rosalind Nelson
Bancroft
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