I probably should have mentioned that they are killing the Hennepin Avenue bike lane with this in mind:
The street is being converted back to two-way traffic and there will be a new shared bike/bus lane going both ways.
Now you’re in the know.
Guerrilla crossing guards on Franklin Avenue.
“We wore brightly colored vests and carried bright yellow flags to alert drivers of pedestrians who needed to cross the street. We also handed out flyers that summarized right of way laws… Even if there isn’t a marked crosswalk, a pedestrian has a right to cross as long as approaching cars are far enough away to easily stop.”
This is good to know.
The last streetcars in Minneapolis were burned in 1954. James Towley (left) presenting check to Fred Ossanna (right) with a burning streetcar behind them (1954). - A History of Minneapolis: Transportation
Twin Cities by Trolley by John W. Diers & Aaron Isaacs
My coworker Tim brought this in for me today and it’s totally blowing my mindgrapes. So many amazing photographs! I’m going to scan and post my favorites soon.
Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop.
Twin Cities Streets For People reports that Minnesota State Legislature is considering adopting something similar to the Idaho Stop into state law, allowing bicyclists to street stop signs like yield signs. To be honest, this is how I, and almost everybody I know, already treats them and it would be great to see this put into motion.
The video above demonstrates why the Idaho Stop is such a good idea (and does so quite nicely).
On the prospects for high speed rail between Minneapolis & Chicago...
Just the possibility of this is blowing my mind. [Star Tribune]
From 1998 to 2008 crime in the MPLS neighborhoods bordering or on the Greenway had crime DROP 50%.
![This is one of the posters I picked up at Saturday night’s Artcrank event. [photo]
It’s called “Get There Together” and it’s by local graphic designer Aleks Stancevic. It’s a London Underground inspired map of the Twin Cities (printed on a beautiful waterproof paper) that puts all the emphasis on bike routes. Awesome work Aleks.
It also reminded me about Cyclopath, a totally amazing bike route wiki-map for getting around the Twin Cities. It’s basically Google Maps for bikes and totally deserves more attention.](http://21.media.tumblr.com/QS49zObYglz7uapn2ZoPFt5Ho1_400.jpg)
This is one of the posters I picked up at Saturday night’s Artcrank event. [photo]
It’s called “Get There Together” and it’s by local graphic designer Aleks Stancevic. It’s a London Underground inspired map of the Twin Cities (printed on a beautiful waterproof paper) that puts all the emphasis on bike routes. Awesome work Aleks.
It also reminded me about Cyclopath, a totally amazing bike route wiki-map for getting around the Twin Cities. It’s basically Google Maps for bikes and totally deserves more attention.
Minneapolis to get bike share program by late 2009
A few bike kiosks might open by the end of 2009, and the full 1,000-bike program is expected to become operational in 2010. Seventy-five bike kiosks would be spread between Uptown, Downtown and the University of Minnesota campus. A seasonal pass would cost about $50, and one day of use would cost about $5. - DTJ
The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council raised Metro Transit bus fare 25 cents last October and are again considering a 50 cent increase. Knowing that these increases will adversely affect the homeless and poor, Joshua Lang, Rich Johnson and Cathy Heying of St. Stephen’s human rights program took to the streets with video cameras and 3 simple questions:
- What’s your name?
- What do you use the bus for?
- How would a fare increase affect your life?
“Video testimonies are the modern signatures,” said Johnson. And politicians are listening:
Despite increasing the fare by a quarter in October and currently weighing another 50-cent hike, the Metropolitan Council now is considering a different, lower-cost approach for nonprofits that serve the jobless and the homeless. The Legislature is, too — a Senate bill introduced last month with enthusiastic, bipartisan support would allow eligible charities to purchase an unlimited number of half-priced bus tickets. Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-60), one of the bill’s authors, said much of the credit for the recent success belongs to Lang and Johnson. The pair say they’ve simply figured out how to be democratic in a technological world. - Downtown Journal
The video above is just a sampling of what they captured. See all 409 voices of dissent here and read more about the fair increase here.
Stimulus on top of stimulus.
Good news: There’s $71 million for the Northstar Corridor commuter rail line and $20 million for the Central Corridor light-rail project.
