Bike Plan - Implementation Plan Passes

This morning, the Council unanimously passed the Implementation Plan for the Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan. This document was developed by the Bicycle Advisory Committee (or BAC), in conjunction with Public Works staff, and represents a major step forward for bicycle policy in Minneapolis. The Plan includes aggressive recommendations for City actions such as:

• Pass a Complete Streets Policy
• Advocate for Municipal State Aid (MSA) standards that allow Minneapolis to design streets that safely meet Minneapolis needs
• Support a study on the economic impact of bicycling
• Minimize both travel lane widths and number of travel lanes where possible and desirable
• Develop a process by which the City shall consider the conversion of low-volume roadways to “greenway”-style bicycle and pedestrian facilities
• Create a specific permitting process for closing streets to motorized vehicles for “Open Streets” events

This is a momentous occasion, and a few people deserve special thanks and recognition.  The BAC has been extremely effective in putting these recommendations forward.  All of its members deserve thanks, but I'd like to call a few people out in particular: Nick Mason, the chair, who did a great job moving this through the BAC's process and presenting to the Council; Matthew Hendricks, who chairs the Engineering subcommittee of the BAC and wrote much of the final text of the recommendations; advocates Ethan Fawley, Lisa Peterson Bender and Hokan, who helped push for the strongest possible Plan; and my staff Robin Garwood, who was involved in drafting the recommendations as the Council's appointee to the BAC.  Public Works staff Heidi Hamilton and Don Pflaum were instrumental in getting this passed.

I look forward to acting on some of these policy recommendations in the next year, and will look to the BAC for guidance on which we should start on first.