Sunday Summary - October 13, 2019

As part of its year end work, the streets.mn Board is reviewing 2019 efforts and developing priorities for 2020. We’d appreciate your help, too, as readers of streets.mn. Click over to our board priorities survey by Saturday, October 19 to tell us how well you think we met goals and what needs attention and improvement next year.

Big action

Lou Miranda asks What Does Greta Thunberg Want? The short answer is: Action. Unfortunately, “Leaders, at every level of government, don’t seem to understand this. Or, they are unwilling to commit the political capital to make it happen. Greta Thunberg wants change, and politicians are resistant to change because change upsets people, especially people with a lot of time on their hands; people who complain and people who vote.” The post reviews all levels of government and finds some good stuff more locally, but it’s not fast enough. Commenters show a range of opinions from agreeing wholeheartedly to wanting to limit government regulation in their lives.

Greta Thunberg

Bikes do more than you think

How I Use My Bike by Lindsey Aster Silas is a photo-rich post about how she uses her bike – her primary mode of transportation – to do all the things she needs it to do in all weather. Especially taking friends along:

I originally got a bike trailer so I could bike with my dog, Rosie. I’ve since upgraded to a nicer, dog-specific trailer. She also runs alongside the bike sometimes depending on the distance.

Order and chaos; good and evil

Pedestrian Infrastructure Alignment Chart from Pine Salica provides a D & D inspired photo-matrix (and accompanying description) of pedestrian infrastructure from lawful good to chaotic evil:

Facts: Minneapolis Violent Crime Average Citywide, Up 69 Percent in Downtown West Over 11 Years from Conrad Zbikowski assesses crime rates against population increases in the area and articulates a vision for the future, “My take, as a Downtown resident, is that we need to approach this challenge with a “safety beyond policing” mentality. The city can invest in youth outreach and homeless outreach without increasing police staffing levels. We can also make real progress on a better solution to bar close that increases safety for the public and police.”

The future, maybe

Where the Sidewalk Ends: What Comes Next for Indian Mounds Park by Cole Hanson tells us about an event this summer among neighbors, native communities, and Saint Paul officials, “The goal was to explore the current Reconstruction and Cultural Landscape Study being done in the park and how best to fit the needs of both the residents of the East Side while honoring the wishes of the American Indian communities whose ancestors are buried there.”

A Vision for the Dan Patch Corridor from Eric Ecklund follows up on his post last year about regional rail by narrowing the scope to look at one possible rail corridor from Minneapolis to Northfield. The post gives the history of the Dan Patch line, the legislative gag order, and some community perspective, and then provides this vision: “The Dan Patch Corridor would be a hybrid between light rail and commuter rail; a regional rail service, which is all-day service in both directions serving several suburban stations in addition to Downtown Minneapolis and Northfield (and could be extended as far south as Albert Lea). Trains every half hour during peak time in peak direction and hourly at all other times is an appropriate frequency for this type of corridor.”