[MH] Don't forget, the Greenway is only a block north of Lake and includes pedestrian walkways and bike lanes, and likely some form of mass transit at some point in the future.
(JC) This attitude is becoming alarmingly prevalant among those who would design Lake without considering bicycles. People tend to forget that accomodating bicycles is a lot easier than accomodating automobiles. Bicycles require only 5' lanes, leaving plenty of room for pedestrians. Bicycles eliminate parking problems. You could fit 15 bicycles into the amount of space occupied by one SUV. Best of all, bikes don't pollute. More bikes will prevent air contamination alerts like the ones we had last summer. Lake Street already has a high volume of bicycle traffic. Bicyclists use Lake Street and the Greenway for different reasons, much like transit riders use local buses and express buses. Many riders prefer Lake because it is a place to see and be seen. It is also more convenient for accessing businesses. The Greenway is better for longer trips and bike commuting. One way to honor this difference would be to dedicate part of Lake Street for "bicycle only" lanes. The county has a chance to make a big difference for our urban environment, if they would take the lead in encouraging alternative transportation on Lake. In a conversation I had with Jim Grube recently at a Lake Street PAC meeting, he said: "Lake Street will be for cars. Lake Street will be for transit and pedestrians. Lake Street will not be for bikes." I am glad that he now seems to have warmed considerably to the idea of accomodating bikes on Lake. Continued support for bikes on Lake from the south minneapolis community will help shape the county's position on this important matter. Jeff Carlson, Whittier __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
