Red Bus Zone on Hennepin Avenue: A Commuter’s Frustration with Traffic and Transit Policy
I recently took a photo while stuck in the traffic pinch point before the new red bus zone on Hennepin Avenue. I sat there for 15 minutes, completely gridlocked, with no movement in sight. The most frustrating part? No buses even passed through during that time.
I understand the intentions behind this policy — to promote bus rapid transit and reduce car dependence — but for residents like me, it’s become a nightmare. Living in Minneapolis but working in the western suburbs and Northeast Minneapolis, using transit isn’t practical; my job requires transporting equipment that can’t fit on a bus or a bike.
If you’re not commuting during rush hour, it might seem like an improvement, but dealing with it daily shows another side. It’s disheartening that city officials and Metro Transit implemented this change without fully considering how it would impact the day-to-day lives of working residents in a largely car-dependent metro. Minneapolis already faces enough challenges; this was an avoidable issue that’s only adding to the frustration of people trying to make a living.
Lara Miklasevics | Lowry Hill
Mystery Solved!
I have long wondered and worried about what happened to 23rd Street.
Josie Owens’ terrific article on 23rd Street was delightful and solved my mystery.
The entire Hill & Lake Press is chock full of great stories.
I appreciate being alerted to neighborhood activities and getting early information on proposed projects. Thank you.
Sara Donaldson | Lowry Hill
The Golden Age
Regarding last month’s article about the City Council not supporting I-94 expansion, I'm older and can't envision a world where highway lane reductions will be a sensible and viable plan.
I’ve lived in the golden age when a car is easily owned by most people, and getting in a car and driving wherever I wish, is a glorious freedom I take for granted.
I am assuming that someday our descendants will look back and marvel that once upon a time, we could simply get in our car, drive whenever and wherever, with roads and fuel readily available to accommodate us.
Maria Meade | Cedar-Isles-Dean
2737 E. Lake of the Isles Parkway
Really appreciate the article and the email address to which to send emails of concern. My husband and I both did so. Thanks to the Hill &
Lake Press for attending to these important issues and making it so easy to weigh in.
Leah Harp | East Isles
CIDNA Fall Festival Gratitude
Thank you to the CIDNA Fall Festival Planning team of Kristin Dolphin, Patty Schmitz and Amanda Vallone, and all the volunteers who worked to make the event a success. During 25+ years of living in the Cedar-Isles-Dean Neighborhood,
I've attended and helped with many of the festivals, and to some extent each has been a measure of the time in which it was held.
Before Covid, each year's plan followed in an orderly fashion from past festivals, gradually adding more covered seating and children's activities, and tables for representatives from neighborhood and city projects, and the presence of more readily available, and eager to attend, elected officials and candidates. The festivals were well attended and successful.
This year's festival on Oct. 5 was also well attended and successful, but in a special way. I felt part of a joyful, healing gathering in counterpoint to this period of disruption and division in our lives and city. There were just enough fun activities, prizes, treats and hot dogs for attendees to enjoy, but the scenery and staging were minimal.
For the main event, the casual open field of our little park embraced old and new friends, neighbors, kids, families, public servants and guests. In full display was the greatest gift we give each other: the pleasure of each other's company.
The heart of CIDNA beats on; thank you for an uplifting 2024 festival.
Rosanne Halloran | Cedar-Isles-Dean
An Open Letter to Council Member Cashman
I’m writing on behalf of a group of your constituents who have met several times in the last year to discuss how we might get the city to pass an ordinance banning gas-powered leaf blowers.
We’ve gathered evidence of the damage their incredibly toxic exhaust causes to the environment, to the hearing of those who operate them, to the peace of the neighbors who endure them, and to the critters whose habitats are destroyed by them.
And new to the list, their role in spreading the dreaded jumping worms by making their tiny cocoons airborne. What’s in your backyard will soon be in my back yard.
We have met with city staff and are aware of some of the roadblocks to such a ban.
We are aware of the very generous financial incentives already being offered by the city and the state to commercial landscapers to make the switch from gas to battery-powered equipment.
(In an ideal world, blasting yard debris into the air would also be prohibited, but we’re realists.)
And we know that at least 100 American cities have successfully banned them.
The city is dealing with many complicated and contentious issues right now, from public safety to housing scarcity.
But a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers should stir up little controversy and would appeal to many of your constituents who are dissatisfied with what they see as political posturing and little attention to city services.
And it would be a great step forward for the climate, the planet and all of its inhabitants.
As a dedicated environmentalist and chair of the Climate and Infrastructure Committee, you are in a great position to move this forward.
We hope you will take it on, champion it, and make it happen.
Susan Lenfestey | Lowry Hill
