Comments on: Minneapolis passes Portland on bikes

By: hereNT

hereNT — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:43:27 +0000

Jon – I think that we have a lot of potential with the proposed bicycle boulevards that are going in this summer. I totally agree with you on the “just trying what works elsewhere doesn’t mean it works here” bent for Minneapolis. Traffic diversion is one key aspect that we can’t do the same as anyone else simply because of snow (we’re thinking of alternating one-way streets to stop autos but not bikes, totally plowable and only signs instead of concrete.)

With all of our parks and lakes, we kind of have to let the snow melt naturally instead of dumping salt like Chicago does, which makes for an even worse problem. Also, the paint we put down last fall was gone within months, yet another strike.

And yet people are still out riding constantly.

We’re really working closely with the city to make sure that these projects are coordinated and connected and year round amenities instead of 3 season facilities.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:13:03 +0000

I think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Mpls/St. Paul are still going through growing pains in trying to build better bicycling infrastructure (miles and miles of bike lanes that start nowhere and end nowhere only add to statistics not ride-ability). One thing they fail to realize is just because something is working in CA or OR doesn’t mean it will work in the snow belt. Most of the bicycling infrastructure here disappears in winter. On the plus side the rails to trails get plowed ASAP but the rest of the bike lanes, etc. disappear. The fact that so many people continue to ride in winter is a testament to the dedication of the people that make up our bike culture. I am hoping that all the publicity over our new status inspires more of our citizens to consider making the switch to two wheels. Much love to you biking PDX’ers!!

By: Lynx636

Lynx636 — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:17:51 +0000

I used to live in Minneapolis, and it is much easier to bike there. The roads and sidewalks are wider, and the bike-only corridors are excellent. Most of them are “rails-to-trails” projects. We should try to create some bike-only boulevards to untangle Portland’s dangerous traffic.