Bicycling in Minneapolis

Hennepin County releases draft 2040 bicycle transportation plan
Public comment period runs through Dec 5

Hennepin County and Three Rivers Park District have worked together on updating a county-wide plan that reflects the growing use of bicycling in the region. The Hennepin County 2040 Bicycle Transportation Plan emphasizes a safe and comfortable system that encourages “interested but concerned” bicyclists to bike for everyday trips. The draft plan would add 536 miles of bike lanes, protected bike lanes, cycle tracks, trails and shoulders to the existing 651-mile system. It reflects input gathered from more than 2,700 people, as well as cities and other stakeholders. Now the county and park district are seeking public comments on the plan before a revised version is brought before the county board of commissioners for approval early next year. The public comment period begins Monday, October 6 and runs through Friday, December 5.

There are several options for reviewing and providing comments on the bicycle plan. It is posted at hennepin.us/bikeplan, where copies can also be downloaded, and printed copies are available at all 41 locations within the Hennepin County library system.

The plan will also be presented at open houses and other public events during the comment period:

Public open houses

•   October 15, 4-6:30 pm at the Hennepin County Library — Minneapolis Central, Minneapolis
•   October 21, 5-7:30 pm at Fish Lake Regional Park, Maple Grove
•   November 5, 5-7:30 pm at Hennepin County Library — Wayzata, Wayzata
•   November 13, 5-7:30 pm at Hennepin County Library — Brookdale, Brooklyn Center

Other public events

•   October 11, 8 am-noon at the Autumn Woods Classic at Elm Creek Park Reserve, Maple Grove
•   October 18, 8-11 am, Richfield Farmers Market at Veteran’s Memorial Park, Richfield
•   October 20, 12:30-4 pm Workplace Bicycle Commuter Forum at Quality Bicycle Products, Bloomington
•   October 25, 8-11 am, Hopkins Farmers Market, Hopkins

36th Street Protected Bike Lane Public Meeting May 6

There will be a public meeting will be held for the 36th St Protected Bike and Pedestrian path on May 6 from 6-7 pm at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, 3450 Irving Ave S in the Terrace Room (north side of building). The project goal is to provide bicycle and pedestrian accommodations between East Calhoun Pkwy and Bryant Ave S.

Construction is set to begin Summer 2014.
More details on the project can be found on the project website page.

Minneapolis 2013 Bike Tour

Sunday, September 15, 2013
Start and finish at 4500 Kenwood Pkwy, Minneapolis
View the 2013 bike route

Online registration closes on Wednesday, September 11
The recreational bike tour for all ages and abilities spans the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway System. Proceeds from the 2013 Minneapolis BikeTour will benefit bike safety and education events for Minneapolis youth as well as bike trail improvement projects throughout the system.

For more information and to register, click on the Minneapolis Bike Tour website.

7th Annual Bicyclist and Pedestrian Count

Minneapolis Public Works is gearing up to conduct its 7th Annual Bicyclist and Pedestrian Count and you can help! Volunteers will be asked to count the number of bicyclists and pedestrians at several locations around the city. The main days for counting will be September 10-12. Most counts are conducted from 4:00-6:00 p.m., although there are shifts throughout the day at select locations.

The City of Minneapolis conducts bicyclist and pedestrian counts in order to understand the impact of non-motorized travel on streets, sidewalks, and paths. Accurate counts enable the City to plan and build for bicyclists and pedestrians, while tracking changes in traffic.

If you are interested in volunteering, register online or contact Simon Blenski at simon.blenski@minneapolismn.gov or612-616-7345. To learn more, please visit the City's count page to view traffic flow maps and past count reports.

New Bicyclist and Driver Campaign

With summer comes a growing number of people taking to the streets and trails on bikes. Whether you are biking, driving or doing both, the City of Minneapolis wants to remind everyone about bicycle safety. Four new transit shelter posters will help educate bicyclists and drivers on how to safely share the road and avoid common, preventable crashes. The posters will be up through June at 27 transit shelters around Minneapolis in areas of town where bicycle traffic is high and bicycle-related crashes are more frequent. Electronic versions of all our posters are available online.

The posters remind bicyclists and drivers that:

Safety starts with all of us - Data shows that bicyclists and drivers are equally responsible for bicycle-vehicle crashes in Minneapolis.
Bicyclists need to follow traffic laws and ride predictably - One in three bicycle crashes in Minneapolis involves a bicyclist running a red light, riding against traffic, or failing to yield the right of way.
Drivers need to slow down and look for bicyclists, especially when turning - 40 percent of bicycle-vehicle crashes in Minneapolis involve a driver not seeing or yielding to a bicyclist.
Bicycling in Minneapolis is actually getting safer – As more people use bicycles for transportation, bicycle-vehicle crashes have not increased.

Click here to view the complete Dept of Public Works report.

Funding for the campaign comes from the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program, a Federal grant aimed at increasing walking and bicycling. Design Works, an in-house design firm at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, designed the poster layout. The illustrations were done by local artist, Bill Rebholz.

More information about the campaign is online at www.minneapolismn.gov/bicycles

Register Your Bike With MPD

Every year, thousands of bikes are lost or stolen in Minneapolis. Many are recovered but due to a lack of identification, few are returned to their owners.

The Minneapolis Police Dept (MPD) has created an free and easy, online way to register your bicycle. You will need to include your bike's serial number, a description of the bike, including make and model, and your contact information.

Click on this link to register your bike and in the event it is lost or stolen, and recovered by the City, it can be returned to you quickly!

Biking Season Has Begun

Minneapolis has been voted at the top for biking cities in the country with 167 miles of bikeways.

In 2011, 37 miles were added along with new bike markings on the roads. The City has produced two new videos to help road users understand these markings so both bikes and cars can safely use the same streets. Learn more about biking in Minneapolis.