I was booking it to volunteer at the Special Olympics and this guy just wasn't paying attention to the road. Closest call in a bit, but luckily I anticipated that he was just gonna go for it.
Sorry about my brakes, they're my extra bell right now with how squeaky they are when I slam on them.
I have no idea what he was yelling post-boop and I have no interest in finding out.
And Inb4 someone says it, I know I'm riding far from the curb, the entire point of where I was riding is to force this guy to not pass me. It obviously didn't work, but normally it does, and it still forced him to get pretty far over to punishment pass me, so it is what it is.
We get a second crack at testifying before they vote on this (they vote July 21st, but the next city council meeting is cancelled due to the 4th of July, and you can't comment on things on the agenda the day you comment at ECC).
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This is a chance to refute and respond to the arguments against this project, which mainly revolve around 3 different arguments:
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Loss of Parking
Street is already safe
Nobody bikes on Wooddale
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My recommendation for arguements against these points:
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1: "we'll lose our parking"
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There are really only 2 roads that go from 50th street (the edge of Edina/Minneapolis) to 62nd street (basically highway 62), France Ave and Wooddale Ave.
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The layout of the roads in Edina east of 100 and north of 62 means that there are no viable side roads that could take a rider coming through the Morningside/Linden Hills/Fulton neighborhood and get them to a safe crossing of 62.
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Unless you are a big fan of plopping this bike lane on the (recently upgraded) France Ave, Wooddale is the way to go. Mixing the E Line, France Ave traffic, and a protected bike lane is not what I'd prefer, and I'm sure many of the opposition would agree with me on that.
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Plus, this road goes directly into the trail leading to Rosland Park Bridge (that bridge some trucker slammed his truck into in 2023), which the city is spending multiple millions to upgrade to a ADA and cyclist accessible bridge (the current bridge has stairs and one of those terrible bike gutters on the side). This project will fail to be a good crossing of 62 if there isn't a safe way to get to it!
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We must replace the street parking with these improvements. There is not another place to put it, and a majority of the houses along the corridor have long driveways and multi-car garages.
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Free street parking is not a requirement that Edina is obligated to provide to residents, especially ones that have other place they could potentially park, which does include side-streets. I know people dislike change, and I can understand resident's frustrations, but nobody arguing against this improvement has shown another viable place to put this *because that other place does not exist*.
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2 & 3 "the street is already safe" and "nobody bikes on Wooddale Ave"
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Both of these arguments actually prove why the bike lane is even needed. Wooddale Ave should have a high amount of bike and pedestrian use because of how direct of a connection it is to crossings under 62 (as it connects to bike lanes on Valley View that take you (almost) under 62), and connects walkers to the existing pedestrian bridge over 62.
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Obviously, it doesn't have a lot of ridership given there is barely facilities going south(a marked bike lane that disappears slightly before 62nd and becomes a sharrow), and just a sharrow going north. Why would riders put themselves at risk riding around congestion and zero facilities to keep them safe every day. It's why I stopped commuting via Wooddale!
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Many residents along the corridor point to the lack of ridership and lack of high numbers of crashes (because there absolutely have been pedestrian incidents along this avenue), along with the anecdotal evidence of seeing kids ride their bikes on the sidewalk, as justification for the argument that *nobody will use these bike lanes*.
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I think it proves the opposite, that ridership is depressed by the danger of the road to pedestrian. Kids riding on the sidewalk shows the exact same thing, they don't feel safe and are riding accordingly.
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At the end of the day, you can decide how you want to argue for this project, but I really urge anyone who can show up (in person or remotely) to do so tonight at 7pm!
My least favorite person on the road is someone racing to a red light.
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Legitimately couldn't understand what he was yelling out his window at me, but he was clearly angry to see me in the road.
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He almost immediately got stuck in traffic while I got to zoom away.
Hamline Avenue between Selby and University is slated for an emergency overlay starting next week between University to Selby Avenues. The city has the opportunity right now, as part of this expedited repaving project, to re-stripe the road in a configuration that is safer and more efficient than its current configuration
In a 2020 Ramsey County study analyzing 4-lane roads for potential “4-to-3” lane conversions, Hamline ranked 2nd in total crashes and 2nd in crash rate among 23 corridors studied the county, experiencing 337 crashes in 1.1 miles over a five year period. MnDOT research shows these conversions reduce crashes by an average of 46%.
These four-to-three lane conversions have become common and effective for four main reasons:
Anyone who has traveled down Hamline by car, bike, or foot has experienced these issues. Cars experience more accidents. Cyclists avoid the area altogether. Concordia students are literally playing Frogger with their lives where a non-existent crosswalk is desperately needed. Returning to the existing configuration unnecessarily puts everyone’s safety at risk.
The fix is straightforward. At 44 feet wide, Hamline can comfortably fit:
While next week’s project is primarily meant to address Hamline’s notoriously poor road conditions ahead of a potential 2030 reconstruction, we have an opportunity now to transition towards a safer, more efficient configuration. No reconstruction would be needed as the solution is largely a re-striping exercise. Returning to the existing 4-lane configuration is a choice, and a potentially dangerous one. MnDOT’s 46% crash reduction means we could avoid roughly 120 crashes over 4 years until full reconstruction is implemented in 2030.
Many roadways across the county have had these changes made. Maryland Avenue expedited their 4-to-3 conversion in 2017 after a vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian trying to cross the 4-lane road. A case study of this project noted that concerns about traffic impacts did not materialize. I would certainly prefer that the City be proactive to address this today, rather than wait to address this in the wake of another tragedy.
The city is already adding bike lanes on three similar overlay projects in the near future: on Cleveland and Gilbert near I-94, and Grand Avenue between Dale and Ramsey. These are also needed, but on corridors without the urgency that conditions on Hamline Avenue warrant. When I asked the Public Works Director Sean Kershaw why Hamline doesn't qualify for similar upgrades, the answer was that a full reconstruction is planned for 2030 and that a separated bikeway is the long-term vision. I support that, but we have the opportunity now to make the next five years safer by correcting a known dangerous corridor. When a simple and safer interim fix is feasible today, is hard to justify replicating the existing, unsafe 4-lane configuration.
I’ve been in touch with the City about these issues - they are aware of them but are making the decision to replicate the conditions that multiple agencies have determined to be unsafe. I encourage you to reach out to the Director of Public Works Sean Kershaw, Mayor Kaolhy Her, and your Council Members to advocate for an expedited review of this corridor, and demand that we make Hamline Avenue safer for everyone, whether they be on two wheels, four, or on foot.
Director of PW - Sean.Kershaw@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Mayor Kaohly Her - mayor@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Ward 1 - Anika Bowie - ward1@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Ward 3 - Saura Jost - ward3@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Vibrant Lyndale is hosting a community meeting at the VFW(2916 Lyndale Ave South) to give the community a chance to speak to the mayor about what they want from the redesign.
Join us in showing up and clearly showing that neighbors want to see this infrastructure included in the final plan. Going back to the shared use path or removing bike/transit facilities to preserve storage of privately owned automobiles is ridiculous and it shouldn't be allowed unchallenged.
I'll be there and I hope to see you there too! Someone with Livable Lyndale will be bringing posters supporting bike + transit infrastructure in the redesign, so please join us!
Blue line at 32nd and Hiawatha, I saw the fire truck go by about 10 minutes before I took these photos at 7:45.
According to customer service they canceled the bus, and they recommended going to a stop on the other side of 494 that left 5 minutes ago when they recommended it
Transdev strikes again!
Anybody know if there's any plans to repave after this round of utility work on 28th and 26th?
I know some of the construction in the Wedge is good pedestrian stuff (bump outs and what not), but 28th past Lyndale has been pretty treacherous for us recently, and I was driving on 26th the other day watching guys dodge and weave around cones, potholes, covered holes, and all sorts of other crap.
Obviously construction has to happen during the warmer months, but do we have any idea when it's all supposed to be over?
There was still a lot of cops by the Best Buy HQ when I got off the Orange Line at around 9, so I'd avoid 76th street.
