Draft Bicycle Master Plan Ready for Public Review

A Draft Bicycle Master Plan was presented to a Council committee this week and is headed to the full Council after one more round of gathering community input. The plan has been in the works for over a year and will become the first comprehensive Bicycle Master Plan for Minneapolis.

According to the staff report “The purpose of the Bicycle Master Plan is to establish goals, objectives, and benchmarks that improve safety and mobility for bicyclists and increase the number of trips taken by bicycle. The Bicycle Master Plan discusses bicycle policy, evaluates existing conditions, conducts a needs analysis, creates a list of prioritized projects and initiatives, and suggests funding strategies to be implemented to complete the plan."

You can see the plan at: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles/bicycle-plans.asp

Five public meetings have been scheduled to allow for public input and to answer questions as follows:

- Monday, August 30th, Edison High School Auditorium, 700 22nd Avenue NE, 6:30 to 8:30pm
- Wednesday, September 1st, Roosevelt High School Auditorium, 4029 28th Avenue S, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
- Wednesday, September 8th, Washburn High School Auditorium, 201 W 49th Street, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
- Monday, September 13th, Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall Auditorium, 300 Nicollet Mall, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
- Wednesday, September 15th, University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center, 2001 Plymouth Avenue N, 6:00 to 8:00pm

We are giving the public 45 days to provide comments, with an October 1 comment deadline. After reviewing the comments received, a final draft will be presented to the Transportation and Public Works Committee on November 30.

I hope many people will take the time to review the plan and make comments. To help get more people involved, please feel encouraged to share this information. This plan has the potential to guide bicycling policy, projects and investments for years to come. Let's all work together to make it the best plan possible.