On Wednesday, June 2, 2004, at 10:17 AM, Svattheriver at aol.com wrote:
So could we Northsiders make these decisions ourselves without the inevitable meddling of the more gentrified neighborhoods who think they know what's best for us?
It's one thing to stick up for the Northside, it's another to be so
parochial that we can't allow that the whole City should have some
input, perhaps even a larger group.
Of course, I oppose the use of eminent domain if the existing residents and businesses refuse to relocate willingly. But it's Minneapolis, so I fully expect to be disappointed in this regard.
However, as far as the plan goes, anyone whose taxes may be affected by this plan deserves to have input into the plan.
Major Benefits of Plan Implementation 90 acres of new park
While the Park Board can't afford to maintain what they already have. Sounds like a plan to expand Weed Park upriver...
15 milesof bike lanes and recreational trails
Again, where will the $$$ come to maintain this?
This is a very good question. Already this year I have ridden on a
great deal of the city park bikeways and found that they are seriously
undermaintained in most cases. The roads are in much better shape.
5.25 miles of parkway and boulevard
To nowhere...
The existing 2nd Ave stretch from downtown to 44th is hardly a road to
nowhere. I use it every day to commute by bicycle, and many many
others use it by car or bike to get to the Camden neighborhood or highway
94. My concern here is that this nice wide road will be replaced by
parkway and cyclists expected to ride on those sidewalks masquerading
as bikeways.
I have ridden somewhat along various parkways in the City of
Minneapolis this year, and they are vastly inferior to normal roads. I
often end up on the alleged bike path as a result of the poor road
design.
The so-called bikeways are not much of an alternative. They are posted
with a 10 MPH limit, which is a ridiculously low speed for all but
beginners, children, and people who are really just lazing along. The
paths are frequently used by joggers, dog-walkers(!), and others who
are no way moving fast enough to be on a bikeway. Throw in surface
faults that would not last long on the roadway and you have an
extremely non-bike-friendly "bike path".
So serious cyclists ride on the road, which-- in the case of the city
parkways-- is very poorly designed to handle them. The lanes are far
too narrow to fit car and cyclist (legal passing distance is three
feet to the right) and the roads are full of curves, banks, and often
lined with trees that impede sightlines-- further impairing the
ability to pass. In spite of the posted 25 MPH speed limit, none of
the motorists are actually going that slowly. So this makes the problem
even worse. In fact, going downhill a lot of serious cyclists
shouldn't be getting passed at all, as speeds from 20 to 30 MPH are
common.
The rest of the city's streets are great for cycling, by the
way. Frequently the roads are nice and wide and the drivers quite
courteous. The only thing that would make things better is a total ban
on on-street parking. But the parkways are a completely opposite
experience. Here even the best, most polite drivers will have their
mettle tested when it comes to dealing with cyclists.
Contrast the poor engineering of Minneapolis' parkways with that of
St. Paul's, which I had the joy of riding on this past weekend. In
St. Paul they do have the sidewalks/bikeways, but they also have a
nice three or four foot lane on the side of the parkway, specifically
for bikes. Perhaps not all of St. Paul's parkways are this pleasant, I
only rode from the U of MN campus, East Bank to where Highway 5
crosses the river by Fort Snelling, but to see this bike lane in
action was proof (to me) of something I've been wishing Minneapolis
had done.
Our parks are a tremendous asset, so it's unfortunate that the
parkways are so poorly engineered. Any plans for new parkways or for
renovating existing parkways should include bike lane considerations,
especially if there's going to be any change to or reduction in the
surrounding bike-friendly roadways. I would hate to see 2nd Ave N (for
all its big, noisy vehicles and sandy, debris-laden surface areas)
taken away and replaced by parkway similar to that found just between
the river and all the new condo development just north of the Falls.
- Michael Libby, a cyclist in the Cleveland neighborhood,
www.andsoforth.com
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