What if Hennepin Avenue Had a Roundabout?
A Minneapolis resident and daily pedestrian ponders whether the intersection of Hennepin and 1st Street downtown could be redesigned for all travel modes.
Category: Signals
A Charming Third, or Tilting At Windmills
Welcome to Winter! In addition to the cold and snow, we are in the early parts of the the 2019-2020 Minnesota Legislative Session. Among the many hundreds of bills that have been introduced so far, bicycle-related legislation has been introduced in the House (HF 462) and the Senate (SF 1014). This proposed legislation, which seems […]
One Month Later: A RRFB Crossing Failed
Just over a month after I wrote a post criticizing county traffic engineers for a half-baked attempt at protecting pedestrians and cyclists crossing busy streets, I unfortunately was proven right by a crossing in Anoka County. On November 20 two girls crossing Highway 47 at Pederson Drive in St. Francis were struck at the crosswalk […]
RRFBs: A False Sense of Protection
When Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFBs) started appearing in Bloomington and Edina I thought they would be a huge improvement for pedestrian safety, but having used them numerous times I’ve realized they’re a compromise on safety and neither motorists or pedestrians are the winners. RRFBs are a safety device used at crosswalks in which a […]
A Modest Proposal, Revisited
Last year I made a post proposing modifications to Minnesota bike legislation. In that post I referenced the fact that blinking (flashing) yellow arrows were becoming more common at area intersections. Flashing yellow arrows allow road users at an intersection to turn left when safe to do so even though oncoming traffic has a green signal. The flashing […]
Chart of the Day: 1929 Signal Schedule and Traffic Flow Diagram
Here’s an insane looking chart from streets.mn alumnus David Levinson’s Transportationist blog, showing a “Typical Signal Schedule and Traffic Flow Diagram, North-South across Market Street, San Francisco (1929) [with a] “green wave” set to 10.5 MPH.” Peep your eyes on this! The complex trade-offs that go into something as seemingly simple as how to program […]
Dangerous Intersection: 3rd Ave & 16th St
[This post originally appeared on Our Streets Minneapolis blog as part of highlighting the most dangerous intersections Minneapolis. The author is Jesse Peterson.] The intersection of 3rd Ave and 16th St is a major interchange that users must pass through to access major downtown features. Features such as the convention center, an entrance to I-94, and the […]
Dangerous Intersection: Franklin Ave E and Chicago Ave S
UPDATE: Hennepin County will be updating the curb ramps at Franklin and Chicago as part of their ADA curb ramp project in 2021. The sidewalk bordering Peavey Park will be made ADA compliant as part of a Park board project. In 2017, the City of Minneapolis released its first pedestrian crash study, this study includes […]
Dangerous Intersection: Hennepin & 4th, 5th, & 6th Streets
[This post originally appeared on Our Streets Minneapolis blog as part of highlighting the most dangerous intersections Minneapolis. The author is Paul Jahn.] Below are photos from the intersection of Hennepin Ave and 4th Street N, 5th Street N, and 6th Street N. 4th street is the 17th most dangerous intersection for pedestrian in Minneapolis, 13 reported […]
Dangerous Intersection: Hennepin & Lagoon
[This post originally appeared on Our Streets Minneapolis blog as part of highlighting the most dangerous intersections Minneapolis. The author is Cindy Christian.] When crossing the intersection at Hennepin and Lagoon to go the Walker Library it often feels like “Russian Roulette” because I am never quite sure if the drivers will yield when I […]