[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ometimes people ask if I am bummed to not win last year’s Minneapolis Park & Rec Board race and my answer is always a resounding No. Five seats flipped and my Big Ideas won, along with a new majority ready to implement the same goals. A personal favorite, the Triangle Improvement Plan, was fully and […]
A reader recently wrote to our local paper suggesting that bicycle riders should pay for their share of the roads they use. I quite agree. I think all users should pay their fair share. I’m a strong believer in personal responsibility and that we should each pay for what we use. This makes for […]
One of the biggest challenges in our current transportation system is the way our streets are designed. In many parts of our communities, the only safe option for people to get around town is to drive a car, raising costs and limiting options for businesses, families, and the community as a whole. Last year, St […]
Since the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) first recommended the City of Minneapolis pass a “Complete Streets” policy in 2011, the city has been slow to actually pass and institutionalize it. I’m happy to announce that things are moving again! I attended an informal gathering to review the as-of-yet not public policy draft where the general consensus was, “A good start.” Admittedly, it […]
I was up bright and early Tuesday morning — actually it was DARK and early — to join a group of Highland Park residents in a demonstration of the state’s pedestrian crossing law at a mid-block crosswalk on Montreal Avenue. The roadway has recently been reconfigured, reducing the number of traffic lanes from four to three, […]
Last Friday I wrote about walking in Saint Paul with a focus on safety. Today, I want to share some thoughts on the pleasures and benefits of walking as I have experienced it. I’ll also talk briefly about how a Saint Paul Pedestrian Plan might help get more people walking. Until recently, most of my explorations have been […]
In the last couple of years, I have begun walking pretty much every day. I walk to go to nearby meetings or to buy fresh produce, bread or fish. I walk to the bus or the Green Line to reach more distant destinations. I walk for exercise aiming to reach 10,000 steps a day, and […]
When I first heard about the fatal Green Line crash at Snelling Avenue Station last Thursday morning, I was shocked and dismayed. And as additional reports gave the name of the victim–Lynne Thomas–and focused on how highly she was valued for the role she played as receptionist at the Minnesota Senate research department, I became even more upset and saddened. Finally, I […]
While many streets.mn writers focus on the pleasures and challenges of bicycling in the Twin Cities, I bring the same kind of passion to walking. So I was delighted to open up my Sunday New York Times and find a special issue of the NYT Magazine devoted to Walking New York. The issue presents many perspectives on walking in New York, […]
The third in a series of videos I produced for the Knight Foundation featuring Gil Penalosa of 8-80 Cities. BIKEABILITY means designing cities to attract more bikes and fewer cars. There are many reasons to do it, including fighting gridlock and obesity. But many cities are going about it the wrong way, according to Penalosa, by “investing in the […]