Proof of Concept: the Effects of Paint

New Bike Lanes!

New bike lanes! This stretch of road feels totally different.

On my bike commute Wednesday morning, I reached the bottom of Lowry Hill to find a surprise — new bike lanes! It’s on a stretch of road just west of the Walker that I’ve always found awkwardly wide.  Is it two lanes?  One wide lane and parking?

Magically, now it was clear what to do, and I found myself being sucked into the new bike lane.

About 30 yards later, I was disappointed that they suddenly ended.

Confusion...

And, the lanes end. Confusion for all…

As a new Streets.MN writer, I was inspired to stop and take a picture. That’s when I realized that whether they disappear into thin air or not, I LOVE the new bike lanes.

While standing there, a car came towards me, in the right-hand driving lane, but much more slowly than cars of the past.  Even better, when she got to the end of the newly defined lanes, the paint created a corner that is VERY sharp and a bit confusing.  She braked before slowly turning the newly tight corner onto the next narrower section of Kenwood Parkway.

About Janne Flisrand

Janne Flisrand spends her time thinking about how people interact with the space around them. Why do they (or don't they) walk or bike or shop somewhere? How do spaces feel? Why do people sit here and not there? Why bus instead of bike, bike instead of drive? What sorts of spaces build community, and what sorts kill it? Can spaces build civic trust and engagement?

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4 thoughts on “Proof of Concept: the Effects of Paint

  1. Bill LindekeBill Lindeke

    I was at a meeting just yesterday with a couple bike lane detractors, and you’re absolutely right: a bit of paint can make a difference.

    Slogan should be, “Bike Lanes: Much Better than Nothing.”

  2. spiderleggreen

    Does it continue over in front of the walker? I’m thinking they ended it there is because they want you to hop on that bike side walk.

    1. Janne Flisrand Post author

      I can now confirm that the bike lanes do continue over in front of the Walker (Vineland Place) up to that nightmarish Hennepin/Lyndale intersection — and (in theory) across onto 15th. However, they didn’t include it at the pork chops in the middle of that big intersection, so the scariest part of that crossing is just as scary as ever.

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