[Mpls] (no subject)

[Jeremy Brezovan]

>Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 11:52:22 -0500
>From: "Steve Brandt" <sbrandt at startribune.com>
>Subject: [Mpls] An idea for MN or Mpls
>
>Wizard or somebody complained over the weekend about people riding the 
>wrong way
>on the one-way bike lanes in her neighborhood.  I'd like to see better cop
>enforcement of the directions of the lanes, and also more aggressive 
>tagging of
>cabs and delivery trucks and even cop cars that think they can use the bike 
>lane
>for parking.  Riders going the wrong way often force bikers following the
>correct direction out into traffic lanes.  It happens a lot on the 
>Portland/Park
>lanes and also downtown, where most of the riders are old enough to know 
>better. It would help in the city repainted the directional arrows each 
>time that it
>stripes the lanes. 
>

This is a great idea and all, but before we start enforcing the direction of 
the bike lanes it would be helpful to iron out some of the inconsistencies 
and kinks.

For example, when I'm travelling north out of downtown on the Hennepin 
lanes, my lane disappears at Washington and only a southbound lane remains. 
This means that if I want to cross the Hennepin bridge to get home, I can 
either continue down the bike lane the wrong way or I can cross three busy 
lanes of traffic and then stick to the curb for a couple of blocks until I 
get to the bridge, and cross back. (This is assuming that I want to be a 
good rider and not use the sidewalks before reaching the bridge.)

What would you do in this situation? I choose to go the wrong way down the 
bike lane for two blocks and simply be mindful of bicyclists going the 
correct direction. Crossing heavy traffic twice--and especially in that 
area--is just asking to be hit by one of the inattentive or aggressive 
drivers others have mentioned here.

Jeremy Brezovan
Saint Anthony East

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