Minneapolis City council has adapted “Protected Bikeway Update to the Bicycle Master Plan,” in June 2015. City Council has already recommended the implementation of 30 miles of on-street protected bike facilities by 2020. This Plan Update identifies priority locations, capital costs, and maintenance costs for the implementation of protected bikeways in Minneapolis. A protected bikeway is a bicycle facility that is physically separated from motor vehicle traffic. Off-street trails are the most common type of protected bikeway; however, protected bikeways may also be located within street corridors and separated from traffic lanes through parked cars, curbs, medians, bollards/flexible traffic posts, planters, or other vertical features. Although protected bikeways are not the only tool in Minneapolis’ bikeway toolbox. Other bikeway facility types include bike lanes, shared lanes, and bike boulevards. Please refer to sections #1 and #2 for various strategies that have been proposed at Northside. The City will consider a variety of criteria when implementing protected bikeways, including the following:

Transportation Criteria

High bicycle demand
High traffic conflict
Good network integration Equity Criteria
Racial/ethnic populations (census data)
Economic (Areas of Concentrated Poverty and Racially Concentrated Areas of Poverty)

Other Considerations

Routes identified in the overall Bicycle Master Plan
Street reconstruction projects already programmed
Linkages to other projects (e.g. Hennepin County and Mn/DOT)
Projects must be definable – termini make sense, the project can’t be too small or inefficient
Other unique circumstances

There are several projects that are labeled “to be determined” because more evaluation is required before a positive recommendation for a protected bikeway can be made. BALL will continue to monitor the situation.

Project PHILIP has supported the community outreach efforts for the North side Transit Corridor Developments (Penn and Plymouth, Broadway and Plymouth, Lowry and Plymouth) planning process. Lowry Avenue Corridor evaluated opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian improvements along the Northeast corridor, with a focus on infrastructure improvements and redevelopment opportunities at six intersections along Lowry Avenue Northeast. The Lowry Avenue Northeast Corridor Plan and Implementation Framework (Plan) was recently completed and approved by both Minneapolis City Council on August 7, and Hennepin County Board at Oct. 5th, 2015. The Plan recommends infrastructure improvements to Lowry Avenue accommodating all modes – including bicycle, pedestrian, truck, transit, and parking.

Pedestrian realm enhancements, including widened sidewalks and new boulevards created by:
Reducing vehicle travel lanes from four lanes to three between Marshall Street Northeast and Central Avenue Northeast
Removing parking between Central Avenue Northeast and the city limits, except where businesses exist.
On-street bicycle lanes between Central Avenue Northeast and Stinson Boulevard.

Together the Council is exploring converting low-traffic streets into a greenway in North Minneapolis and has chosen the Irving Avenue North, between 30th – 36th Streets, as a temporary demonstration site. The project is in the community engagement phase and is focused on informing residents about the possibility (full, half, and a half for bike vs. car traffic lanes) and collecting input to define a new transportation and recreation corridor.