The new-look stripes are down on much of Park Avenue this week, with Portland Avenue to follow.
So what do you think -- as a driver, a biker or both -- of the conversion that widens the biking space, shrinks driving lanes from three to two and lowers the speed limit to 30 miles per hour?
One adjustment for drivers will be to lower their speed from old limit of 35 miles per hour. This reporter drove at that speed intentionally and found other vehicles passing and or backing up behind him.
Signal timing for the new speed has been installed and is operational. But it will get refined over the next couple of weeks, according to Jon Wertjes, the city's head traffic official. Thge light timing now is affected by the use of flashing red lights at key intersections, which is being done for safety reasons while Hennepin County paving and striping crews are working.
One issue is that yellow school buses and Head Start buses are already using the bike lane for student pickup -- even when there are nearby parking spaces. This forces bikers into traffic.
