By Steve Clark, Bicycling and Walking Program Manager

If final outcomes are related to a) strong community support, b) smart design (presented by renowned authorities), and c) the involvement of elected officials who aren’t afraid to champion a cause, then we all can count on a new Riverside Avenue two years from now that will become the model for a livable, complete street.

At least that seemed to be the feeling of most of the people who left an open meeting last week hosted by the African Development Center and sponsored by the West Bank CDC, West Bank Business Association, Seward Neighborhood Group, Seward Redesign, Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, and Transit for Livable Communities. The meeting was moderated by Katya Pilling of Seward Redesign, who promised to keep people up to date and provide the notes from the meeting as well as conceptual drawings from the consultants.

The room was packed-- standing room only. Among those who politely allowed others to sit were Jon Wertjes and Don Elwood of Minneapolis Public Works, and Joe Bernard of Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development. Like others, they came to hear what community members and two national experts, Michael Ronkin and Michael Moule, had to say about the City’s plans for reconstruction of Riverside Avenue. The two Michaels—Ronkin and Moule-- were invited by Bike Walk Twin Cities to review the plans and experience the corridor first hand, by walking, bicycling, driving, and observing traffic at key intersections.

First, it was clear that both consultants were impressed with many of the design features the City had developed, including:

• Generous curb extensions at key locations to reduce crossing distances
• Maintaining the current “road diet” configuration of two or three lanes instead of four, to allow for bike lanes,
• Addition of several “pork chop islands” for some right turn slip lanes.

Everyone agreed that these treatments would make it easier for people to walk or move in wheelchairs along and across Riverside Avenue.

But the consultants, along with everyone who voiced an opinion in the room, were puzzled by a two block gap showing no bike lanes (from 20th to Cedar Ave) and advocated for a continuous facility that could then connect to 4th Street leading to the Brian Coyle Community Center.  There are many important destination points beyond 20th Ave S., including new bike lanes on 19th Ave S. that will soon be completed with BWTC funding.

Michael Ronkin urged people to rethink how we design roads. He suggested that we go beyond “Complete Streets” to embrace “Green Streets”. He advocated for “designing streets from the outside in” beginning with people using sidewalks, then bicyclists, then the transit user. “While capacity (movement of cars) has to be considered, it should not always outweigh the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians,” Ronkin said.

Michael Moule, whose background includes serving as the Traffic Engineer for Asheville, North Carolina, led the bikeway design discussion with slides of both European style Cycle Tracks and more conventional bike lanes. While favoring one or more ways to make bike lanes more prominent, safe and usable (wider, doubled up, colorized and raised) he did not recommend the Cycle Tracks because of the number of right turning movements. “This might not be the best place to try a Cycle Track,” said Moule, “as it would require special bike signals in many locations. There would be more delays for both motorists and bicyclists.”

Still, as it was pointed out by a few people after the meeting, separated facilities may very well be the best way to encourage more people to try bicycling.  Trade-offs? Yes, but according to Lars Gemoze of Copenhagen notes, a single Cycle Track carries 22,000 bicyclists in that City, that’s more capacity than what we generally think we need 4 lanes to achieve when it comes to cars!
Editors Note: The presentations of the two Michaels will soon be available on the Bike Walk Twin Cities web site.