Minneapolis has a mania for killing streets, especially great multi-lane two way traffic streets. They killed Nicollet and now it will cost millions to re-open. Now they want to kill Lyndale and Hennepin. These people need to get a life. Lyndale and Hennepin are Commercial Corridors, the businesses on them are what makes them great and what makes them attractive to live around by the very people who may want to kill them. If the City wants to change streets for change sake, change Portland, Park, Blaisdell and 1st to multi-lane TWO-WAY traffic. This is the "Smart-Growth" option. Then these streets will become great Commercial corridors interspersed with great housing.
The anti-car people need to get real and stop trying to fight until there is a viable alternative to automobiles. I am sorry but bicycles are not a viable option for anyone but the crazy, the militant, or the desperate from now until April each year. Remember riding your bike to work needs to have some work at the "END". Lets be a little more friendly to cars for that reason. Without those commercial nodes and corridors we lose a whole lot of "Work". Large multi-lane commercial corridors are also the old streetcar lines, lets keep them that way until we put the street cars back in. Franklin is a catastrophe since making it one lane. The great urban "Freeways" are the problem. Large one-ways are unfriendly and kill commerce and neighborhoods. They also are a cement ditch draining commerce from our neighborhoods and City. Two-way multi-lane streets create commerce, they are like a wetland compared to a "Ditch. The flow has a chance for a little bit of "nutrients" to settle out. Makes for a better, richer environment. But you do need some water flowing down it! Restricting two-way multi-lane traffic and other "cool planning" non-sense has killed more small towns and commercial corridors than Wal-Mart. In fact I sometimes think Wal-Mart, or some other Malls and "Dales" merchandiser hatched this scheme and paid Planning Departments around the country to implement it. A little cynical perhaps, but it has been so effective you have to believe it was a marketing idea of someone. Of course there are examples of dumb planning that I know are just dumb and not planned, so it being the result of "Dumb" luck is possible. Let's do smart growth not dumb planning. Jim Graham, Ventura Village ----- Original Message ----- From: Alan Shilepsky <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2002 8:54 AM Subject: [Mpls] Hennepin and Lyndale two lane? > I recollect that in the last week's media overwash (here?) there was > mention that Hennepin and Lyndale Avenues south of Franklin Avenue might > be made two lane highways in the next five years. That is, these > roadways would have only one lane of automotive traffic in each > direction. I recollect that bike lanes would take up some of the > created space, and that there was a hope that this throttling down would > cause through traffic to divert onto 35-W. > > Can someone confirm or deny that this is a planned change, and what > agency is responsible for it. As a frequent driver on both those > streets I think it is a terrible idea. > > Alan Shilepsky > Downtown Minneapolis resident who likes to drive to Uptown occasionally > (and occasionally rides the bus) > > > > > _______________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
