Hi, I just opined on Eric Roper’s June 22nd Lyndale bike lane piece. I started to watch a video that he performed the other day. Infuriating. That’s how I ended up reading the “article”.
I just cancelled my subscription to the Star Tribune. This is not reporting, this is entirely opinion. An ableist-bodied white man in his prime riding his bike down “treacherous” Lyndale Ave instead of using the safe and dedicated Bryant Ave 600 feet to the west is leaving me gob smacked.
What all studies have failed to examine is the what (commute, exercise, leisure, training), where (work, destination like restaurant shopping, parks), and who are riding (single riders, family, amateur/professional cyclists, friends out for a ride). These two-way single tracks appear to be only for one style of rider-commuters. This will not bring people TO the neighborhood, plus it will be a distracted drive for anyone interested in stopping to visit the shops.
I say we put it to a vote.
Ella Ritzman, Minneapolis
Vacantsea- that is awesome you have figured out your bike commute. It is ableist to assume everyone can bike. I cannot safely bike with vision on only one eye, same as Councilmember Sorenson. Adding a bike lane on Lyndale seems redundant since most other avenues have already accommodated bikers. A main concern of mine is whether constricting and slowing traffic causes emergency vehicles to take longer to arrive at their destination. Has this been studied??
Not everyone can afford or safely drive a car. It is ableist & classist to assume everyone can get around by car or even afford one!
Cities should ensure residents have the freedom to get around via whatever modes work for us and our trips. I’m a mom of two elementary aged kids and we bike for most trips, relying on infrastructure like Bryant south of Lake (north of Lake is not safe) to get around with less fear of being killed on the way to school, to get groceries, or to my kids’ sports. My retired neighbor relies on an electric trike to get around as she cannot safely drive.
I’m looking forward to the change and I’m glad our community is trying to do something. Don’t know how to say this any other way. But our addiction to cars and driving is a huge reason we are dealing with the heat wave and wildfires this week. This was all preventable. Today in Minnesota, emissions from transportation (e.g., cars) is the number one source. Imagine had people been advocating and voting for transit, walkability, and cycling infrastructure for the past several decades instead of prioritizing cars, which is what we did. Will the design on Lyndale fix everything? Of course not. But we have to do what we can. I’m so sick and tired of people acting like this isn’t a problem. Oh, and by the way, Bryant is not exactly great north of Lake. And for those of us who live on the east side of Lyndale, it’s not super convenient. I and many of my neighbors will use it.