It’s been a week of progress. The Hennepin Avenue South layout was finally approved and as I write, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is poised for adoption in Congress. Both years in the making, they set us up at the local and national levels to address the climate crisis and reduce inequities. They’re not perfect. They both require roundabout ways to get to their intended outcomes. Yet, they both give me hope.
Initiated in 2018, the City finally approved the Hennepin Avenue South layout on August 4. The original full-time dedicated transit lanes were reduced to 6 hours per day in the approved plan, with the remaining hours each day reserved for parking. The reduction was the result of a veto from Mayor Frey and opposition from a minority of Council members including Goodman, Vetaw, Koski, Rainville, and Palmisano.
The IRA too is a cutback–a slimmed iteration of the Build Back Better bill from $1.7 trillion to $430 billion due to the minority holdouts of Senators Manchin and Sinema.
Such cuts are incredibly frustrating. How much more clean energy could have been accelerated or families supported with additional funding? On Hennepin, with a parking lane much of the day the buses will be forced into the single lane of traffic. Who really wants that? In both cases, why is no one listening to the data?
At least for Hennepin, data will be central going forward. On day one of the new Hennepin Avenue’s opening in 2026, buses will have dedicated lanes at a minimum 6 hours each day. Quarterly, bus reliability will be reported to City Council. If reliability thresholds are not met, the hours of bus lane operation must expand. The City’s own data (which Public Works Director Margaret Anderson Kelliher withheld until a formal data request was made) shows the existing reliability risks to transit without dedicated lanes. Given this, I have every reason to hope that transit lane hours will expand quickly in 2026.
Other progress is more clearcut. On Hennepin, wider sidewalks, curb-level bike lanes, and bump outs to reduce crossing distances will bring greater safety and accessibility and make carbon-free travel more attractive.
Perhaps most importantly though is how the reservoir of good climate ideas and actions has finally broken through the dam. The yearslong debate on Hennepin Avenue South has impacted the designs of Hennepin and 1st Avenues in Northeast Minneapolis such that the County’s design includes protected bike lanes and full-time transit lanes. At the national level, I can only imagine the wave of air source heat pump adoption and pathways for home electrification that are to come from the IRA.
As of early August, we’ve experienced nearly double the number of above 90-degree days compared to average in Minneapolis. That is a danger to people’s health, disproportionately so for black and brown neighbors who are more likely to have underlying health issues and lack air conditioning due to historical environmental injustices. We’re in the early days of the climate crisis, and it will only get worse unless we take action to mitigate it. Progress is rarely smooth, and just like with Hennepin and the IRA, it is often met with resistance. Every step taken may not be the giant leap we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental harms, but given political realities every inch forward is a gain. The pursuit of perfection can breed cynicism. The celebration of each win, regardless how small, breeds hope. The Hennepin layout approval and the IRA are important signs of not perfection, but hopeful progress.
