Bicycling in Minneapolis

The Minneapolis Bicycle Program helps those who live and work in the city to use bicycles as a low polluting, cost-effective, and healthy way to travel. Minneapolis has been ranked as the best biking city in the country by Bicycling Magazine, as well as the #2 bicycling city in the nation by the US Census Bureau. Minneapolis has 43 miles of streets with dedicated bicycle lanes and 84 miles of off-street bicycle paths. The city has also been awarded with the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community Award. Minneapolis is home to Nice Ride Minnesota, the Bike Walk Ambassadors, and the Midtown Bike Center.

Learn more about the City of Minneapolis Bicycle Program.

What’s Happening?

Volunteer for Bicycle & Pedestrian Counts

Minneapolis Public Works is gearing up to conduct its 4th annual Bicycle and Pedestrian Count, and you can volunteer to help. Volunteers will be asked to count the number of bicyclists and pedestrians at several locations around the city. The main days for counting will be Tuesday, Sept. 14 and Wednesday, Sept. 15, although other days are available. Volunteers are needed for various two-hour time slots.

Minneapolis Public Works conducts bicyclist and pedestrian counts in order to understand the impact of non-motorized travel on streets, sidewalks, and bike paths. Accurate counts enable the City to plan and build for bicyclists and pedestrians, while tracking what’s successful and what should be done differently.

If you’re interested in volunteering, register online or contact Shaun Murphy at shaun.murphy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us or (612)275-5128.

To learn more view our 2009 Bicycle Traffic Map (pdf) or the entire report on the 2009 counts (pdf).

Ladies Bike Clinics and Rides

Join the Bike Walk Ambassadors for a fall series of ladies clinics and rides! Clinics and rides are every Tuesday evening and Saturday morning between August 28 – October 2. For each clinic, the first twenty registered participants will receive a related bike tool or accessory.

For more information, see the Ladies Clinics and Rides flyer (pdf). Registration is required.

Public Meeting for Southern Bike Connection

On Monday, August 30th, Public Works will host a public meeting to present a draft proposal for the Southern Bike Connection. This project includes a bicycle boulevard and on-street bike lanes. The meeting will be held at 6:30 pm at the Pearl Lake Rec Center (414 E Diamond Lake Road). The meeting will discuss:

  • Changes to 17th Avenue S, between 38th Street and Minnehaha Parkway
  • Proposed bike lanes on Bloomington Ave S, between 47th Street and 54th Street
  • Proposed bike lanes on 54th Street, between Nokomis Parkway and 12th Ave S
  • Changes to 12th Avenue S, between 54th Street and 60th Street

Minneapolis Public Works has developed a layout (pdf) with several options. All options will not be constructed. The public will be asked to rank preferences for traffic calming and improvements to busy crossings.

Public meeting flyers have been distributed to properties along 17th Avenue S, 54th Street E, and 12th Avenue S.

If you have feedback or questions, please fill out our online form or contact Rose Ryan at 612.333.3410 or rose.ryan@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.

Draft Bicycle Master Plan

The draft Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan is now available for public review. Visit the project website to view the document. Five public meetings will be held to allow for public input. The meeting times and places are as follows:

• Monday, August 30th, 6:30 to 8:30pm, Edison High School Auditorium, 700 22nd Avenue NE

• Wednesday, September 1st, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Roosevelt High School Auditorium, 4029 28th Avenue S

• Wednesday, September 8th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Washburn High School Auditorium, 201 W 49th Street

• Monday, September 13th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall Auditorium, 300 Nicollet Mall

• Wednesday, September 15th, 6:00 to 8:00pm, University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center, 2001 Plymouth Avenue N

For comments or questions related to the plan, fill out our online form or contact Don Pflaum at donald.pflaum@ci.minneapolis.mn.us or 612.673.2129. The public review period will end on October 1, 2010.

Hennepin/1st Avenue Evaluation & Improvements

The City of Minneapolis has completed an evaluation of the conversion of Hennepin and 1st Avenues to 2-way traffic. No bicyclist-motorist crashes have been reported since the conversion six months ago, compared to an average of twelve crashes per year before the conversion. Bicycle volume has increased on 1st Avenue N, decreased on Hennepin Avenue, and increased on Nicollet Mall. Read a summary of the evaluation in this news release.

Improvements to both Hennepin and 1st Avenues will be implemented for bicycling in the coming weeks. On Hennepin Avenue these improvements will include:

  • Enlarging the “bus, bike, right turn” pavement text
  • Adjustments to the placement of the shared lane markings that better indicate where the bicyclist should ride
  • Adding green color to the shared lane markings to further emphasize the presence of bicyclists in the right lanes

On 1st Avenue N improvements will include:

  • Creating two foot buffer zones next to the bike lanes to provide more space between the bike lanes and parked cars
  • Adding plastic delineators (aka “candlesticks”) on a seasonal basis to provide a barrier between the bike lanes and parked cars

The full evaluation report (pdf) and PowerPoint presentation (pdf) given to the City Council can be found online.

Planning Continues for Bikeway Building Boom

Minneapolis is experiencing a bikeway building boom. During the 2010 and 2011 construction season 40 miles of bikeways will be built. Most of the changes will be striping and signing on-street bike lanes (about 25 miles). There will also several new bike boulevards (about 10 miles). The remaining 5 miles will be separate off-street bike paths. In addition, Nice Ride Minnesota has launched bike sharing.

To see the location of the projects, view the Minneapolis Bikeways: Existing, Funded, & Planned (pdf) map. And visit our New Projects website for individual project details.

"I Ride My Bicycle" City of Minneapolis • Bicycling Safety PSA :60 from Cole Koehler on Vimeo.