Bicycle Infrastructure

Roads - Rails - Sidewalks - Bikeways
SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby SurlyLHT » October 23rd, 2017, 9:19 am

Are the new Pelham and St. Anthony bike lanes in St Paul connected at all or are they separate projects? Also, update on the Stillwater bike trails. The trail goes out of Stillwater toward the new bridge and is gravel for a block before meeting the new bridge. The trail across the bridge is very nice and at least last weekend was very crowded with pedestrians. I rode it partly into Wisconsin and got bored, but it should be very nice when the loop is complete.

EOst
Capella Tower
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby EOst » October 23rd, 2017, 9:39 am

Separate projects. They would connect via the Greenway extension, if that were ever built.

You can wiggle on low-traffic streets from Pelham over to Prior (where the St. Anthony section begins) via Beverly Rd, the sidewalk at the NE corner of the Country Club, then St. Anthony (the quiet section closed off at Cretin), Cleveland, and Gilbert. Like so:

Image

It's not a great route, but there really aren't a lot of great routes through the Mid-Cities Industrial Area.

grant1simons2
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby grant1simons2 » October 23rd, 2017, 9:46 am

This is the route I find myself taking sometimes in St. Paul. Do not recommend. People do not stop turning right off of 94.

seanrichardryan
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby seanrichardryan » October 23rd, 2017, 9:51 am

We're trying to fix that! UPDC transpo comm will be requesting changes for the entire cretin ave corridor including that shitty wide radius turn.
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

EOst
Capella Tower
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby EOst » October 23rd, 2017, 10:27 am

Yeah, the Cretin/94 intersection is easily the most dangerous part of that route. It still might be better than Marshall, though, depending on where you're headed.

Serafina
Block E
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Re: RE: Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby Serafina » October 23rd, 2017, 9:02 pm

We're trying to fix that! UPDC transpo comm will be requesting changes for the entire cretin ave corridor including that shitty wide radius turn.
That would be lovely. I bike there a lot to get to the Merriam Park library with the kids and always feel so horribly vulnerable crossing Cretin. But other than that bit, it's better than Marshall.

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Tiller
Foshay Tower
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby Tiller » November 1st, 2017, 3:46 pm

It was nice seeing those protected bike lanes appear since I was last on Pelham a couple weeks (a month?) ago.

Multimodal
US Bank Plaza
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby Multimodal » November 3rd, 2017, 12:47 am

Nice Ride and Our Streets are having a conversation (with Nice Ride issuing an RFP) about dockless bike share: https://www.facebook.com/events/132580497275622/
Finalists’ vision for the future of bikeshare:

https://www.facebook.com/events/143045536332360/

SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby SurlyLHT » November 3rd, 2017, 6:34 am

Given recent events in NYC. Where do you all think we should put some decorative barriers to prevent cars from going down bike paths. I see the Greenway as an obvious place, and I'm sure there are other locations. The problem to me is that places like Lake Calhoun or along the river would be very difficult to protect.

amiller92
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby amiller92 » November 3rd, 2017, 8:29 am

I don't think we really need any changes based on recent events in NYC, which are low probability and frequency and much less of an issue than everyday bad driving.

That said, it's kind of amazing there aren't more frequent cars on the Greenway, and the at-grade crossings at James, Irving and Humboldt, 5th, 28th, Minnehaha, and 26th-30th all probably need bollards (real ones, not plastic sticks) to keep cars out.

dajazz
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby dajazz » November 3rd, 2017, 9:26 am

I'd be in favor of some bollards just to ensure a drunk driver doesn't do something.

EOst
Capella Tower
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby EOst » November 3rd, 2017, 11:52 am

I think there are a lot more incidents of people driving on the Greenway than ever get reported. But I agree that stopping catastrophic incidents like the one in NYC is a lower priority than just making our streets safer from everyday calamities.
Finalists’ vision for the future of bikeshare:

https://www.facebook.com/events/143045536332360/
Guaranteed to be an interesting event!

MNdible
is great.
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby MNdible » November 3rd, 2017, 12:29 pm

Don't police cars and snow plows need access into the Greenway? I've always assumed that's why there aren't bollards already.

amiller92
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby amiller92 » November 3rd, 2017, 12:50 pm

They can be retractable.

ETA: Not sure why a police car would ever really be required, but it is the prevailing presumption that police should always be driving everywhere. Regardless, first responders need to be able to respond to emergencies.

Silophant
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby Silophant » November 3rd, 2017, 12:56 pm

The entrances to the Cedar Lake Trail from downtown have retractable bollards. It seems to work at those locations.
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SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby SurlyLHT » November 3rd, 2017, 2:42 pm

I've seen a car on the Greenway and have heard of people driving on the Gateway trail in St. Paul. Sometimes I think it's just high schoolers or etc doing it for a thrill.

SkyScraperKid

Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby SkyScraperKid » November 3rd, 2017, 8:18 pm

I seen police and utility vehicles on the greenway before, they need access and cars randomly driving in the greenway has never really been an issue before. Maybe once the Midway rail line is built then it might be different.

seanrichardryan
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby seanrichardryan » November 4th, 2017, 7:10 pm

Blowhard of the week award goes to Doug Berdie-

http://www.startribune.com/lane-brained ... 455040683/
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

Anondson
IDS Center
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby Anondson » November 4th, 2017, 10:11 pm

But Doug is a semi-retired researcher. Just happened to avoid all research on the topic.

MNdible
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Re: Bicycle Infrastructure

Postby MNdible » November 6th, 2017, 2:26 pm

I'll just note that lots of people I talk to are frustrated when sitting through multiple light cycles at 35th and Blaisdell since that was restriped for the protected bike lane there.

Initially, I thought this was something that could be taken care of by better timing these lights, but either nobody has taken the time to do so, or that's not enough to fix the problem. Another potential fix might be lengthening the left turn lanes, as they seem to be undersized. But it's bothersome that nobody at the City of Minneapolis seems to care a bit about the problems that this rebuild have created.

And, yes, people (real Minneapolis residents!) are, in fact, really quite frustrated by the changes that have been made. I know there's a build-it-and-they-will-come theory to these bike lanes, but the frustration is magnified by the fact that the use of the bike lanes doesn't seem meaningfully different from the "before" condition.

Maybe consider that it raises some real legitimate concerns before dismissing it outright.


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