Bicycle lanes on Lake Street is among the design considerations being taken up at present by the planners of the reconstruction project. By planners I mean both staff and the project advisory committee, whose membership represents neighborhood and business associations, city council members and interest groups like the Midtown Greenway Coalition and the Green Institute. The PAC is there to make recommendations back to staff that reflect the "grass roots" contributions of community members. While these recommendations do not automatically become policy, they do carry considerable political weight.
Many modes of transportation and land uses are competing for space in a corridor restricted by the fixed cross section between storefronts on opposite sides of the street. A recent round of open houses illustrated the complexity of reconciling the priorities of commuters, bicyclists, business owners, transit and environmentalists. So far community response, as indicated by 130 respondents to a survey circulated at the open houses, does not rank bicycle lanes as a high priority. Yet no decisions have been made (the advisory committee makes its recommendation on roadway layout in late summer) and there is still time to advocate for bicycles or any other mode of transportation. Anyone living and working on or near Lake Street has representation on the project. As the communications manager, I can tell you that I track this issues list to see what people are thinking. Yet the formal mechanism of providing input remains to go through the advisory committee. We're working on an expanded website that will provide contacts on the committee, all of the documentation that the committee has been presented by staff, meeting dates, recommendations, decisions, AND A MECHANISM FOR ASKING QUESTIONS/MAKING COMMENTS ONLINE. Meantime, I will be happy to let you know who your representatives are, both geographically and ideologically, on the Lake Street advisory committee. Evan Reminick Communications Specialist Lake Street Reconstruction & Streetscaping 123 N. Third Street #808 Minneapolis MN 55401 612-344-1400 voice 612-344-1550 fax www.lakestreet.info -----Original Message----- From: Chris Johnson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2003 9:53 AM To: Mpls Forum Subject: Re: [Mpls] Bikes on Lake Street Phyllis Kahn wrote: > Some time ago there seemed to be some question as to whether bikes might > be prohibited with a new design of Lake St. traffic. (I was never sure > if the issue was prohibition or discouragement). Here is a definitive > answer on the issue. Members can file it for reference if prohibition > ideas surface again. > > TO: Representative Phyllis Kahn > > FROM: John Williams, Legislative Analyst > 651-296-5045 > > RE: Bicycles on Lake Street > > This memo responds to your question as to whether Minneapolis has the > authority to bar bicycles from using Lake Street and require them to use > the Midtown Greenway. The memo goes on to then describe how state law categorically denies any city the ability to restrict bicycles on any roadway except limited-access highways (freeways) and designated pedestrian malls. This is all fine and good, and I thank Ms. Kahn for the information. But as Ms. Kahn herself alluded, even if bicycles are not prohibited by law, they can be greatly discouraged by a bicycle-hostile design. Only the ignorant or those with a death wish would ride a bike in some of the traffic lanes in this city. I'm sure with a little creative design on Lake Street, it can be made even more dangerous and hostile. Chris Johnson Fulton TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ 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 TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ 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
