LRT Bike Trail Safety, or Lack Thereof
Categories: Biking, Crime, Transportation
Tags: hiawatha, safety
Brian at east-lake points to a great TC Daily Planet article about safety issues on the Hiawatha/LRT bike trail that connects the Greenway to downtown.
As Brian pointed out, obviously the easiest fix is to get some more lights up. That Bob Gibbons of Metro Transit says that traffic lights and train lights and the Cabooze’s parking lot lights and the watchful eye of train operators passing by at 40 mph make it plenty safe is ridiculous. I mean, they help, but clearly there are still really dark sections of that trail. In fact, they might hurt a little because as you pass in and out of dark and lit areas, it’s hard as the rider for your eyes to adjust.
Sounds like the Met Council, Hennepin County, and the City of Minneapolis aren’t exactly in alignment over who should be responsible for upgrades. The Met Council happens to own this trail, but it’s typically the city or county’s responsibility to maintain a bike trail.
I’m thinking the trail could use a branding effort to go with its new lights. How do you give directions or find your way (thus encouraging further usage of the trail) if you can’t name the path when you’re talking to someone about it? That’s a tangential issue, though.
There’s an interesting tidbit in there about cyclists riding dark, (i.e., without their lights on) on the trail so would-be attackers can’t see them coming as well. For one, you’re required by law to have lights on when it’s dark out. For two, if you’re that concerned why not hop on the train for that stretch? I’m sure there are issues about having to actually wait for the train and pay to get on the train, but isn’t it worth it for your safety? Somebody tell me what I’m missing.
UPDATE: Last night, Devin at Twin Cities Streets for People grabbed his video camera and biked the length of the trail to see just how dark it was. He started under the Sabo bridge and ended in Cedar-Riverside.
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November 4th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
There are plenty of things we all do that are illegal, so I don’t think that will really stop bikers from riding dark. Sure, you could hop on the train for that stretch, but I can’t see anyone really doing that. It’s probably a better idea to just get off this path at night. Hop over to Cedar Ave and bike where there are more people around. It’s not that much of a detour, and you can bike in a car lane, which I’ve always felt is safer anyway.
Like with the crime on the Greenway, unfortunately, there just isn’t an easy solution, and makes me question if it was ever a good idea to begin with. I guess I’d love to see some sort of transit on the greenway (connecting Uptown to Midtown), which would add more people and eyes down there. Even on weekend afternoons, it can be pretty lonely on that path.
November 4th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Oh, and the article sure didn’t make Bob Gibbons sound very caring to the situation.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Oh, and the article sure didn’t make Bob Gibbons sound very caring to the situation.
That’s for sure.
makes me question if it was ever a good idea to begin with
I don’t know what a better solution is, either. I’m sure people who study these things have suggestions. But I think it’s absolutely a great idea. Just stay off it night. There have been studies showing that women in particular prefer bike paths that are dedicated and completely separate from car traffic. And, to an extent, if someone wants to be an asshole and try to rob someone, there’s not a whole lot you can do about that.