December Meeting

Tue, Dec 6, 2016

At the November meeting, Margot Higgins and Ethan Osten volunteered to take over as co-chairs of the Bicycle Coalition. Margot is a professor at Macalester College who teaches a course in the history and politics of bicycling called “Bicycling and the Urban Landscape”. Through the course she’s met many people in the bicycling community, including some Saint Paul city officials. She hopes to take the Bicycle Coalition in new directions. Ethan writes regular blog posts for Streets.mn. You can read some of his columns at– http://streets.mn/author/eosten/

Tuesday, December 13, 6:30pm, The SPBC will hold its monthly meeting at Macalester College’s Davis Court, located downstairs in the “Center for Global Citizenship” building, on the northwest corner of the Grand Avenue and Snelling intersection. The entrance is off of Grand Avenue. There are bike racks to the left of the front door along the side of the building. We’ll do introductions and discuss ways that the SPBC could expand and/or improve. We’ll hear updates and listen to a presentation by Saint Paul city planner Bill Dermody on the Transportation Chapter of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. Margot has also invited representatives from Transportation For Livable Communities, Women on Bikes, Streets.mn and others to attend and give their input. The meeting will run until 8 or 8:30pm. We’ll go out afterwards for food and beer. If you can make it, please come and spread the word!

Saint Anthony Traffic Calming and Bikeway project needs your feedback ASAP! The city is proposing to calm traffic and put af bikeway on St Anthony Avenue between Prior Avenue and Fry Street. The route is part of the Saint Paul Bikeways Plan. If done well, it would provide a nice, new way for bicycles to access the Midway neighborhood from the west (via Prior Avenue). The city is proposing four alternatives, which can be found here– https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/public-works/transportation/saint-anthony-traffic-calming (scroll down to “Project Alternatives”). Of these, our favorite is Alternative #1, which would create a 2-way, protected bikeway for the entire route. There is plenty of space for bike lanes on most of the route, except for the last few hundred yards (between Dewey and Prior). Alternative #1 would remove some on-street parking on this last stretch to make space for a two-way bike facility. Alternatives #2 and #3 would not remove parking for this last stretch so there would be space for just one, contra-flow, eastbound bike lane (going uphill) and an “enhanced shared lane” going westbound (downhill). Alternative #4 would only have a one-way, westbound bike lane. The city has held two open houses laying out the project and soliciting feedback. If you didn’t attend one of these, please e-mail your preferred alternative and any other feedback to Reuben Collins (the city’s bike planner). If you live in the Union Park neighborhood, CC your message to Julie Reiter at the Union Park District Council. Their e-mail addresses are– reuben.collins@ci.stpaul.mn.us …and julie@unionparkdc.org

NEWS:

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking volunteer applicants for a Parks and Trails Legacy Advisory Committee. The deadline for applying is December 14. For more information on the position and how to apply, go to– http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/2016/11/14/parks-and-trails-legacy-advisory-committee-seeks-applicants-3/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

Sam Morgan (Fish Hatchery Trail) is temporarily closed due to a washout. As mentioned last month, a segment of the trail that parallels highway 61 washed out and is temporarily closed until it can be repaired. They city is requesting riders detour up to Burns Avenue, Upper Afton Road (which now has bike lanes) and back down via the Battle Creek Trail. To see a map of the area and the detour, go to– https://www.stpaul.gov/sites/default/files/Media%20Root/Parks%20%26%20Recreation/Fish%20Hatchery%20Trail%20Closed%20Unsafe%20conditions_0.pdf

Reuben Collins (our city’s bike/ped planner) created a couple maps of the bicycle projects completed by the city in 2016. There were a LOT of projects! You can see them at– https://www.stpaul.gov/sites/default/files/Media%20Root/Public%20Works/2016-Bikeway-Projects.pdf

Thanks for helping to make Saint Paul a better place to bike! We look forward to seeing some of you at the upcoming meeting.

The Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition http://www.saintpaulbicyclecoalition.org/ https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Paul-Bicycle-Coalition-133657969979958/