Steve Brandt had a nice piece this a.m. about the city's $17 million
plan to reopen Nicollet Ave. at the K-Mart/Lake St. blockage
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/694179.html
Last Wednesday, 10th ward council aide Allan Bernard gave the Kingfield
Neighborhood Association the word that this was going through. I'll
admit, it was no surprise, since the city has been working on it for
years.
Allan added that it's the city's plan to turn Blaisdell Ave. and 1st
Ave. into two-ways (both are one way until 40th St.). The idea, I guess,
is to turn those into more residential streets and get traffic onto
Nicollet.
I support re-opening Nicollet. When we bought our house one block west
of Nicollet seven years ago, we expected the street to re-open, and
traffic is what major arterials are for. (Bike lanes are possibilities
for Blaisdell & 1st.) With the neighbors' ok, I'm fine with turning
Blaisdell and 1st in two-way (I live far enough south that Blaisdell is
already 2-way).
Anyway...I am worried about one thing. Has planning been done to
accommodate traffic - and deploy reasonable traffic calming - on
Nicollet once it's reopened? Allan implied this sort of stuff was being
done after the development deal gets made.
That seems backwards to me - all of us in the 'hoods affected by
Nicollet's re-opening should have helped think about traffic effects
before the development contract gets signed.
There's a group called Citizens for a Sensible South Nicollet Plan that
has been working on a coordinated streetscape, but I'm talking about
real grassroots involvement to get everyone thinking about making
Nicollet-area traffic circulate calmly and reasonably. Things like
coordinated streetlights, visual ways of calming traffic (narrow lanes),
anything to maximize livability and reasonable traffic flow.
I hate the idea that livability comes last in these deals. Again, I
support the project.. If I missed this, I'll gladly be enlightened.
David Brauer
King Field - Ward 10
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