[Mpls] Stop the Dangerous New 40th Street Greenway

[Anderson & Turpin]

I sent this in to the Strib a month ago as a Letter to the Editor.  It wasn't published.  I'd like to see what you people think. Stop the Dangerous New 40th Street Greenway Everyone in Minneapolis should be aware of the proposed new boondoggle called the 40th Street "Greenway." I put "Greenway" in quotes because it is by no means a greenway in the sense of the 29th Street Greenway - which is a bike path surrounded by grass. The 40th Street "Greenway" is apparently called a greenway because they are adding a few plants along the street. The "Greenway" will still have cars on it, and in fact will be more dangerous for bikers than the current 40th Street. It is hard to say what is the purpose of the Greenway, except that it is trendy to have designated bike paths in the city. The designer of the Greenway uses the phrase "New Urbanism," and says that the Greenway is part of a process to make the city more livable. Actually there is nothing wrong with the street right now. I live close to 40th Street, and have frequently biked the several miles down 40th Street to Lake Harriet. There is very little traffic on the street and it is very bicycle friendly. In the area that I live, between I35W and Hiawatha Avenue, they plan to make the following changes to the street: 1) Put in "curb bumpouts," that is, narrow the street alternatively on the North and South sides, and plant some bushes and trees on the ground recovered. 2) Because this makes the street narrower, they will make the street one way. 3) Paint bike stripes on either side of the street. 4) Jog the street to the right or left every few blocks to make it flow in a more serpentine fashion. 5) Put in some bumps every few blocks. Several of the changes above are intended as "traffic calming" measures, to slow down traffic. Instead they will just make traffic more dangerous. There is a natural tendency to speed up on one way streets, since you don't have to watch out for cars coming towards you. The serpentine flow of the street and the new bumps will probably result in cars occasionally skidding off the road, especially when it is icy. Speaking of icy roads, the curb bumpouts will make snow removal a lot more difficult. Even the bike striping will make the road more dangerous, as it encourages high-speed bikers to treat it as their own highway. I've heard some people comment that the Greenway will make the street more family friendly. The opposite is true. I would be comfortable today riding bikes with my 11-year-old son to Lake Harriet on 40th Street, because it is easy to avoid the few cars on the street. I would hesitate about letting him on the new Greenway. The thinner street would make it more difficult to avoid cars, plus the high-speed competition in the bike lanes wouldn't be suitable for kids. It's fine if the city designates 40th Street as an official bikeway across the city, because it is a very nice route to travel. But don't let them use our NRP money to ruin a very nice street in the name of the "New Urbanism." Mark V Anderson Bancroft Ward 8 [EMAIL PROTECTED]