Hennepin Avenue - New and Improved
Downtown Mpls. streets switch to two-way trafficby Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio October 9, 2009
Minneapolis — Crews will post new signs and apply new stripes to Hennepin and First avenues in downtown Minneapolis early Saturday morning as the streets prepare to handle two-way traffic.
Hennepin and First have been one-way streets for nearly 30 years, but city officials decided to make the change to reduce the need for drivers to make trips around the block to arrive at their destinations. Officials have said the change will also improve travel for bicyclists and pedestrians.
City crews have already been changing traffic signals and adjusting the street layout in a few places. They'll work Saturday to finish the job, and motorists should be able to travel both ways on each street by Saturday evening.
Some businesses have expressed concerns about the changes, including how parking will be handled on First Ave.
The street will still have parking, but not during rush hours, when parking on both sides of the street will become traffic lanes. In addition, the parking is being placed away from the curb to allow for a bike line on each side.
Some businesses are concerned that the lack of parking during rush hour could make it harder to attract late-afternoon happy hour crowds. And the First Avenue nightclub has told local reporters that changing the street configuration on First Ave. means it no longer has a convenient spot for buses to unload equipment for shows.
City officials say giving drivers in both directions access to Hennepin and First avenues will benefit businesses, because customers will have more direct access to them.
Another new feature on both streets is "bike boxes" that will allow bicyclists turning left to move in front of other traffic. Cars will have to stop farther back from the stop lights to allow room for turning bicyclists.
On Hennepin Ave., bikes will share the right lane in each direction with buses and vehicles turning right.
City officials say the project, which costs about $3 million, will also benefit pedestrians by including pedestrian countdown timers on new traffic signals.
Comments
rush hour
The rush hour rules seem counter productive, otherwise great improvement.
lane markings
The words painted on the right lane in the picture have not been put on (at least not yet). as a result, these lanes are just right lanes that are being used by everyone. If that is all the city is doing, we just lost the bike lanes on Hennepin in return for more space for car traffic.
Re: lane markings
I haven't looked at every block of 1st and Hennepin Avenues, but from the blocks I rode today and from some pictures I saw it seems that none of the stenciling has been done.
The crews cannot apply paint when the pavement is wet so I can only guess that they didn't have enough time to apply the stencils as well as the striping in one day and the delay is due to today's precipitation. Clearly, the stencils are necessary and I have hope that they will be applied.
I rode the new layouts for
I rode the new layouts for Hennepin and 1st Avenue after they launched Sunday evening. I didn't expect them to run perfectly, but I was dissapointed that the new lanes are not being enforced whatsoever. If the message is sent now that the intended uses for the new lanes are not going to be enforced, then it never will catch on and drivers will ignore the signs and markings.
I rode up and down Hennepin Avenue Sunday night and used it these past rush hours, too (I commute from Uptown to Downtown). The right lane still is used by anybody, and traffic patrols waived people through without any attempt to enforce or even educate the buses-bikes-right-turns rule. As a cyclist, I chose to split the lane, as it is very wide, but this is problematic, as cars did not all stay to one side (when they didn't have a legal right to be there to begin with). It is dangerous, possibly illegal, but without proper enforcement of the new lanes, I have little choice.
I also rode up and down 1st Avenue Sunday night, where there are now marked bike lanes. For the most part, these lanes were honored. There were, however, some very bad spots. In front of Block E, drivers parked in the bike lane, as they were not allowed to park in the parking lane during a high traffic hour. In front of the night clubs by 5th St. N., the bike lane was full of cars turning right, stopping, or even pedestrians. Also, in front of the Target Center, there was a valet service who put orange cones in the bike lane, blocking it off.
I urge the City of Minneapolis to actually enforce the new layouts of Hennepin Avenue and 1st Avenue. A lot of work went into the approval, design, and implementation. The next week or two will establish a tone for Downtown cyclists on whether the police have our backs or not.