University Avenue, one of the highest traffic roads adjacent to the University of Minnesota, is due for repaving in 2018, opening a limited time opportunity to incorporate an upgrade to the current one-way bike lane. The Minneapolis Protected Bikeway Master Plan identifies the section between 1st Avenue NE to Oak Avenue as the potential location for a new one-way or two-way protected bike lane to serve these communities.

University Avenue services all main entrances to the University of Minnesota East campus for commuters from Marcy Holmes, Dinkytown and Como neighborhoods, or in other words: a generous proportion of campus-goers and would-be campus bikers. UMN advocates have voiced support for the two-lane strategy over a single lane due to the high frequency of wrong way bikers opposing the one-way flow of University Ave, inviting collisions and unnerving both cyclist and driver.

In 2016, Hennepin County plans to reconstruct the intersection of Franklin/Cedar/and Minnehaha. Currently, the intersection sits as the second most dangerous in the city and has crash rates 2 ½ times the “critical rate”. As part of a repavement project, the county has proposed several initiatives to make the intersection safer for cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Currently, the intersection provides practically no safe way for pedestrians and cyclists to maneuver crossing, as the three streets intersect one another in a disconnected manner.

The first-ever Minneapolis planter protected bikeway may be installed next year on 3rd Avenue S Downtown! It's part of a broader plan to redesign 3rd Avenue as a greener, safer connection for biking and walking.

Protected bikeways can make a big difference for people on bikes, on foot, and even in cars, and it's important to let your Council Member know why protected bikeways like 3rd Avenue matter to you!