Is your community bike-friendly?
Posted at 5:00 AM on June 9, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(31 Comments)
Filed under: Culture
Today is Bike Walk to Work Day in the Twin Cities, part of Minnesota Bike Walk Week. A proclamation from the governor notes that Minneapolis has been named the Number One bike-friendly city in the nation. Today's Question: Is your community bike-friendly?
Comments (31)
I used to ride to school everyday while living in San Francisco. It is was the most bicycle friendly city. I had to ride defensively... against car doors and traffic, but I loved every minute. I didn't ride as much when I lived in Minneapolis mostly because I felt the car drivers weren't as used to seeing bicyclists. In CA they were aware, in MN they were not. It's the noticing of bicyclists that made me safe, not the bike lanes. When you expect us, you look for us.
"Since you live there too, these must be your attributes also."
Somebody flunked basic logic. That's the kind of spurious reasoning, so rampant in America these days, that leads people to believe the all the ideological bullshit that curretnly passes for political discourse. The above quoted statement is like someone in South Carolina saying, "If you live in Minnesota you must be one of those flaming liberals that Tim Pawlenty heroically stood up to during his two terms as governor."
@ Steve the Cynic
The community I live in is unfriendly to lots of things: bikes, change, challenge, new ideas, alternate lifestyles, independent thinking, learning from history, . . . .
Since you live there too, these must be your attributes also. But I digress.
The town I live in is bike friendly in a sense that all the streets have sidewalks and has little traffic off the two main roads. But in reality, one couldn't live here without a car since everything is so spread out in rural Minn. Bikes as an alternative to motorized transportation are useless. Unless you don't own a house, live, work and shop in a one-square mile area and have no desire to venture beyond.
I'd rather ride a horse.
Sounds like Steve the Cynic lives in my community.
For two years I have rode my bike to work anywhere from 3-5 days a week from March until November. Only one time I can remember a person in a car harass me, "Get on the sidewalk you _____!" Other than that I have had cars cut me off when passing me but nothing dangerous. Personally, I feel very defensive on my bike and am hyper vigilant. Everyday I ride to work I put my life on the line but it is worth it because it gives me a sense of freedom and ties me to nature. I wish we could accept that biking is not only for leisure but also a means of transportation. Also, I don't understand the arguments about making people who bike pay extra money because we don't buy as much gas and thus don't pay a gas tax? It is my guess that most of those comments are made by Republicans - who are notorious for not wanting to raise taxes. BUT they assume that most cyclists are liberal and don't care if the government raises taxes on that select population. Basically it is inconsistent with their philosophy. When it boils down, we need to respect life and people on bike are vulnerable.
League of American Bicyclist designation of a city as "bike'friendly" seems to require little or no more than a city buying a membership in the organization and using tax-payer dollars to pay someone to oversee bike-friendliness in their city. The City of Apple Valley is a recent addition to bike-friendly designated cities and I rode through the government center parking lot today and it was full of cars so I'm assuming employees drove to work today on Bike Walk to Work Week instead of enjoying the bike friendliness they used our tax dollars to pay for. If it were a weekend and they could get overtime pay for it I'm sure they'd participate. That event is this Sunday. It takes more than a fancy little logo to be considered bike friendly. It takes actively enforcing abuses of motorists towards bicyclists and ensuring the routes for bicyclists are safe and of course a grant or stimulus money to pay for it. No, my city of Apple Valley is not bike friendly despite its designation as such. It's being used as another campaign event for the current mayor.
With the current state of our roads its a stretch to say yes. When riding my bike I can't look at those minefields of crater sized potholes in my path and characterize the situation as friendly.
Yes, Minnesota is ranked as the 4th most Bicycle Friendly state and awarded a Silver level by the League of American Bicyclists. Minneapolis has been ranked as Gold, Rochester as Bronze and Apple Valley, Mankato and Rosemount were given Honorable Mention. The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota Link has set a goal of being the most Bicycle Friendly State by 2015. To get there we will have to improve education of bicyclists and motorists, do a better job of enforcing the laws for both, aggressively promote the individual, community, environmental and economic benefits of bicycling and work harder to create safe and well integrated bicycling networks throughout the state. We're headed in the right direction but bicyclists need to keep the pressure on.
Oh, and since many of these posts are addressing both motorists and cyclists behavior, I'd like to add one thing: bikers could treat other bikers better.
When passing, one should announce it, typically with a 'passing on your left' or just 'on your left' or 'passing'. I see cyclists decked out in the best gear and official apparel not do this, proving that you can look like a professional cyclist but still ride like an insensitive amateur.
I'm reluctant to say yes, how about not sure. I live in Minneapolis, and as an avid cyclist I have mixed feelings about its #1 bike-friendly designation.
While the dedicated bike trail system is great and the paths a joy to ride on, the regular streets required to get to them or just anywhere could be more 'friendly'. Bike lanes on roads are scarce or key access roads sometimes have little or no shoulder width, and we all know the pothole situation. The latter can be an annoyance for a car driver but they're an injurious hazard for a cyclist.
In Brooklyn Park it seems to be a big mix. It's not very biker friendly in the southern half, unless you ride on the sidewalks (which you're not supposed to do). Then, there is the north side, where all the newer developments are. It has the slow, "middle income family with young children at a theme park" feel to it. For commuting, not so much.
Up here in Elk River, the city really is, or has the potential to be, very bike friendly. As long as budget plans continue to move ahead. There are some nice bike paths and more planned. We have a very nice mountain bike park.
But like most of the post here, the car drivers are the issue. This prevalent “me first, get out of my way” attitude has got to halt. You see that attitude at every 4 way stop whether in a car or on a bike. It’s scary. And those with the “me first” attitude point at the bike not stopping and use it as an excuse to maintain that attitude. The bike blows the stop sign because if they didn’t they would probably not get across because few will give them their turn. You learn early to be aggressive back to the cars to force them to recognize you, or you stay home.
It boils down to an education issue. And probably is just so deep seeded in human biology there will never be the utopia of courteous drivers. There are some interesting experiments being done in the Netherlands and German where city planners are removing all traffic controls. Even signs and sidewalks are eliminated in some cases. The physiological effect on drivers is that they slow down and become much more courteous out of necessity. The result has been not only a decrease in accidents, but traffic flows smoother and commute times are reduced for everyone, bikes and cars.
Ugh - I wish it was! We live in Wayzata, on the far side of the Grays Bay Bridge. When they rebuilt that a few years ago, they did a nice job but Bushaway road, while scenic, is far too narrow for kids to bike. The result? The family can't access downtown Wayzata and its ice cream parlors, shopping and restaurants, not to mention the Luce Line Trail! There's been a move to widen the street, but its come up against fierce opposition concerned that they'll turn it from a beautiful, winding byway to an ugly, faceless thoroughfare. Can't say I blame them - towns tend to screw up everything they touch in the name of progress.
@Greg
My bet? Distracted driving. I can't count the number of four way stops, red lights, ect that I've seen someone blowing through with a phone glued to the side of their face.
St. Paul has some very good East-West dedicated bike routes, but it lacks North-South routes. I reside in the North End and it's somewhat of a challenge to feel save while traveling from the northern boarder of the city (near Roseville) if your destination is south of I-94. A bike bridge on Chattsworth to go over Pierce Butler would be wonderful-- and Chattsworth has a bike/ped path over I-94. And it would be conveniet to those who like to bike around Como Park.
Robert writes
"Perhaps a more interesting question would be: Why are some Twin Cities bikers not friendly?"
Or flip that around: Why are some Twin Cities drivers willing to play with bikers' lives by driving multi-ton vehicles too close to bikers?
My community is bike-friendly & continues to improve. Bravo Minneapolis!
Perhaps a more interesting question would be: Why are some Twin Cities bikers not friendly? There seems to be a culture of aggression among some, not all, Twin Cities bikers, which manifests itself in the assumption that road rules don't apply to them. Numerous times I have observed aggressive bikers violating basic road rules and laws that apply to pedestrians on the sidewalk and motorized vehicles on paved roads. What a strange phenomenon for modest midwesterners.
Tai Koma - yeah it happens - and it s pretty dangersous for the biker - besides being stupid. Whe you are "traffic" whether biek ro car - behave like traffic. But, on the other side , I've been hit twice by drivers who chose to ignore that a bike could be legally in the left turn lane waiting to turn at a green light.
How they missed seeing a guy in a blaze orange jacket with a black and green helmet with blinking lights is beyond me.
that is a 3 part question. (1) are their traffic modifications that support bike ridership on streets. - YES and NO- Sidestreets are wide - but main arterials have added traffic lanes in what used to be parking, shoulders & bypass lanes. (2) Drivers aren't necessarily from my community - and often - assume bikers are "inapprorpriately riding" on the arterial streets. I've gotten some pretty rude and harassing behavior from car drivers. (3) Parking and security are ambiguous. I don't expect that every last business or community add bike parking - but It would certainly help if there were more useful structures to lock a bike to. Using sign posts, parking meeters and telephone poles near the curb can interfere with the cars/passengers getting in-out of vehicles and in winter are often buried in plow drifts. There doens't need to be a 1 year revolution - but .... there does need to be a way for the biking community to inform businesses in a friendly and perhaps partnering way to create facilities and acceptance of bikers as customer-friends.
I am a bicycle commuter in Saint Paul. I would have to say that in parts of the city, things are quite bike friendly. Summit, Grand, Minnehaha, the parkways, and a few other areas are very nice. Wide lanes, courteous drivers are usually plentiful. But other areas, such as Snelling, Rice, Dale avenues, and the edges of downtown Saint Paul can be seriously hairy. No bike lanes, no shoulder in areas, no sidewalk, and high car speeds make some parts of the city downright suicidal! Minneapolis seems, to me at least, to be better than Saint Paul. And some of the suburbs also have some nice parkways.
The real problem with cycling in the Twin Cities comes down to one word: respect! Respect for the law, and respect for each other. Whether you are on two wheels or four (or on two legs, for that matter) we must ALL respect the laws. We all KNOW the laws, and if we all followed them, we would become very predictable. Predictability creates order.
Drivers need to respect bikers. There are more and more bikers on the roads these days and you need to respect us and treat us as any other vehicle on the road. Give us our three feet, even if it means getting to work 5 seconds later. Please remember that you inattention or feeling of righteousness can kill a cyclist, who is a person with the same hopes and dreams as you, and has people that love them.
Cyclists need to respect the drivers. Being right does not protect you from being killed. Also, cyclists: if want more respect from the drivers, follow the law! When you blow a red light (which you would not do in a car, I'd bet) you make all cyclists look bad. It's no wonder they honk at us (and much worse - I have the scars to prove it. Literally.)
I would also like to see more enforcement on cyclists by the police. I have seen bikers run a red right in front of a cop and gotten no more than a lazy "Hey, don't do that." From the cop's window.
If we all follow the rules and respect each other, we can all enjoy our commute safely. Thank you.
Community? What community? I live in a geographically defined collection of individuals who resent taking any responsibility for the common good as an infringement on their liberty.
I think we're asking the wrong question when it comes to this issue.
I think we should ask 'Are our communities car, bike, and public transportation COEXISTENCE friendly?'
It's a shared responsibility, but it's all too often framed as 'Those mean old cars won't share the road' versus 'Those stupid bikes want equal rights but won't share equal responsibilities, like actually stopping at stop signs.'
And bicyclists, I beg you: stop passing cars that are turning when you're coming up from behind them.
They don't expect anything to be there because other cars aren't allowed to pass from behind, and pedestrians don't move fast enough to come up on a car by surprise.
I see you do this ALL THE TIME on the U of M campus. Even if it's within your 'rights' because you're in the bike lane, assuming the car has thought to look for a small, fast moving object approaching from the rear is a recipe to get smushed on the pavement.
I live in the Camden area of Minneapolis and have been riding my bike to work in DT Minneapolis for several weeks. I have to say that the bike lanes in North Minneapolis(I take the bike lanes on Lowry Ave and 2nd St N) are fantastic and provide a quick, safe, and efficient way for me to get downtown and back. Also the wide right lanes on Marquette and 2nd Aves in DT give bikers and cars enough room to coexist.
Tips for new bikers: Make yourself as visible as possible and be aware of your surroundings. Just like when you are driving there are always other drivers not paying as much attention as you are.
I find it a mixed bag as I also see the behavior of the bicyclists. I don't think the population has decided if bikes are vehicles or pedestrians. A lot of bicyclists want to be treated like traffic but then run traffic lights and stop signs. The city of St. Louis Park has interpreted state law that the bike paths are not cross walks (which is safer) while Minneapolis treats the paths more like cross walks and all those biker stop signs on the paths get ignored. As a biker and car commuter myself I wish there were more bicycle paths and lanes and that bicyclists would use them whenever possible. Oh and bicyclists I don't care how much spandex you wear, you are not as fast as a car.
In short, if it's still safer to drive a car instead of ride a bike to any destination, I would not consider the city "bike friendly."
For a suburb Mounds View is pretty bike friendly. Having large shoulders on the street helps give bikers and vehicles distance from each other. And they built a path that stretches County Road 10 from one edge of the city to the other. New Brighton, just south of us and what I bike through on my way to work, has a dedicated bike lane on one of it's major thoroughfares Long Lake Road. Now that being said it doesn't have the bike traffic like MPLS does and like all places there are drivers that are unwelcoming of bikes "on their road" and cyclists that don't understand they too need to follow the rules but when it comes to outer city communities I think these two are two of the better ones.
Um...don't get me started. I bike to work at least once a week (11 miles one way). I would probably do it more often, but I'm afraid of getting killed. I can tell you that Minneapolis is friendlier than other cities I've biked in, but I wouldn't describe it as "bike friendly." There's a long way to go. My commute is somewhat safe, but I have at least 4 treacherous intersections to get through. And the drivers here are CLUELESS. I can't count how many times I've nearly been hit by idiots who just roll through stop signs and don't even bother looking in any direction for me, or oncoming traffic, for that matter. Or, don't give me my turn at a 4-way stop, because they don't consider a bike commuter part of traffic. And, ironically, this usually happens at the non-treacherous intersections.
I do most of my riding south of the river in Dakota and Scott counties. Last year I pedaled over 4000 miles. My experience tells me that my local communities are very bike friendly and MN as a whole is bike friendly. It is getting to be a larger part of our tourist economy as well. For evidence of this one needs to look no farther than at the out-state trail development in recent years.
For a very few bicyclists I will give you this advice: You want respect? Special lanes? Obey the law.
The community I live in is unfriendly to lots of things: bikes, change, challenge, new ideas, alternate lifestyles, independent thinking, learning from history, . . . .
Somewhat.
I live in NE Minneapolis. If you wanted to ride your bike somewhere, the residential streets are a good bet. They're very bike friendly because of the low traffic. But if you wanted to ride directly to where you're going on a major street in my area (Central, Lowry or University), you're really taking your life in your own hands. There are no bike lanes and a lot of traffic. Most of it is oblivious to bikes. Bike lanes would be awesome on these roads but I don't know how they do it without widening the roads or causing more traffic congestion.
For a leisure ride, the trail around Columbia Golf course and the Grand Rounds trails on the Pkwy's are nice.
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