All posts in the topic Important Bike Legislation... (Short link)
Summary
- There are 4 posts — by 4 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by Robin Garwood at May 22 12:31 UTC
Check out (H.F. No. 4245) submitted by Phyllis Kahn. This is an innovative bill that will help promote bicycling. Let's all get behind this. https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H4245.0.html&session=ls 85 A BIG thanks to Phyllis!
I would encourage our other Seward-area legislators to support this.
But since it was introduced for the 2007-2008 session, I believe it's
dead until re-introduced next session. (And it does make me wonder
why, if the authors were serious about it, it wasn't introduced until
days before the legal end of session.)
On the subject of bikes, though, I believe there are two Seward
streets under consideration for bike lanes. Anyone know which they
are, and what it would mean?
Becca Vargo Daggett
you know, there's even more important bike leg going on - in Wash. D.C.!!!i don't know much about it, but i was watching C-Span coverage live of the U.S. House two days ago, and they were discussing House Res. 305, which would promote "complete streets" among other things, nationally.i don't have time to look into it at the moment, but thought i'd pass it on.peace,carrie anne & baby atreyuneighbor of Seward, in East Phillips--- On Tue, 5/20/08, Becca Vargo Daggett <bx@mac.com> wrote:From: Becca Vargo Daggett <bx@mac.com>Subject: Re: [Seward] Important Bike Legislation...To: "Minneapolis Seward Neighbors Forum" <mpls-seward@forums.e-democracy.org>Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 9:01 PMI would encourage our other Seward-area legislators to support this. But since it was introduced for the 2007-2008 session, I believe it's dead until re-introduced next session. (And it does make me wonder why, if the authors were serious about it, it wasn't introduced until days before the legal end of session.)On the subject of bikes, though, I believe there are two Seward streets under consideration for bike lanes. Anyone know which they are, and what it would mean?Becca Vargo DaggettOn May 20, 2008, at 1:44 PM, Bob Hain wrote:>> Check out (H.F. No. 4245) submitted by Phyllis Kahn. This is an > innovative> bill that will help promote bicycling. Let's all get behind this.>> https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php? > bill=H4245.0.html&session=ls> 85>> A BIG thanks to Phyllis!>>> -- > bob hain> <email obscured>> (612) 626-9800>> bob Hain> Seward, Minneapolis> Info about bob Hain: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/bobhain>> This topic's messages may be viewed at: http://forums.e- > democracy.org/r/topic/2JtpigGgewDk8iyISuwgCm>
My understanding from Rep. Kahn is that she's planning to work on this next year. The reason for the timing is that Rep. Kahn put this forward responding a request that our office made on May 1, in the aftermath of that terrible KSTP "investigative news" piece about cyclists running red lights. It's not for lack of seriousness that this bill was introduced when it was. One of the real benefits of having the bill introduced, even when it's clearly not possible to get it through the legislative process this year, is that it gives our office something concrete and specific to fight to get in the City's legislative agenda. Becca goes on to ask about bike lanes in Seward. There are two different processes underway: a) The Non-Motorized Transportation projects that were funded last year. Seward will see three different projects: bike lanes on Franklin, from the east end of the bridge to Riverside; bike lanes on Riverside from the intersection with Franklin up into the Cedar Riverside neighborhood; and bike lanes extending up Minnehaha from Lake street north. These projects could begin as soon as this year. b) The applications for Non-Motorized Transportation projects that the City has made to Transit for Livable Communities. Our request this year includes an application for 29th Ave S to become a Bike/Walk Street from Franklin south to Minnehaha. We are not certain that this project has been funded - it's in a competitive process with everything else in the City's application and any projects submitted by surrounding communities. As proposed, this project would not include bike lanes, but rather treatments that have been used to great effect in other cities (see Berkeley's Bike Boulevards, for instance: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/transportation/bicycling/bb/WhatisaBicycleBoulevard.html). There's a 'toolbox' of options that we could implement, including clear signage and street markings indicating that bicyclists have right of way on the whole street, limiting stop signs on 29th and instead stopping traffic on cross streets, lowering the speed to 25mph, creating 'bulb-outs' that would reduce the road width to one lane, installing traffic circles at intersections to slow traffic, and even limiting through auto traffic on 29th. Staff have not chosen a 'package' of these components, and our understanding is that the project will be developed in cooperation with the neighborhood. To Carrie Anne's point: the Complete Streets model is definitely on the City's radar, and I expect it to be included in the bike and pedestrian master plans that are in development this year. Robin Garwood Cooper resident Aide to Council Member Cam Gordon