10 Years of Progress in Saint Paul
Did you know SPBC was founded in 2011? As we enter a new decade, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of our successes of the last 10 years! Consider it a kind of #10YearChallenge for Saint Paul.
On Montreal Ave, we worked with MnDOT to remove a lane on this state highway and bring critical bike access up and down the bluff to Highland Park.
On John Ireland Blvd, we worked with the City to widen the median and extend the Summit Ave bike lanes past the Cathedral to the State Capitol and beyond.
On Raymond Ave, we helped promote new bike lanes that linked St. Anthony Park into the Grand Round loop and provided bike access to the METRO Green Line station.
On Western Ave, we convinced the city to fast-track bike lanes in their emergency repaving and created a miles-long bike link from the North End to Summit Hill.
On Wheelock Pkwy, we supported the City's Grand Round trail to rebuild this busy street as a multimodal dream and connect Phalen Lake and Como Lake with beautiful and safe walking and biking paths.
On Upper Afton Rd, we fought hard to ensure that Southeast Saint Paul residents would have access to the regional bike network via the only through street in their neighborhood, despite a significant number of parking spots lost.
On Pelham Blvd, we helped convince the City to implement its first two-way on-street protected bikeway, helping complete a safe Grand Round loop while the City searches for funds to fully rebuild the street.
On Idaho Ave, we defeated fierce efforts by anti-bike Council Member Dan Bostrom to remove traffic calming features from this brand-new bike boulevard. Our work helped overturn a 4-3 vote to eliminate the traffic circles in 2016; we haven't lost a vote since.
On Margaret St, we worked closely with neighborhood advocates to build a safe bike boulevard across the entire East Side, including the city's first HAWK signal on White Bear Ave, a series of traffic circles, and this intersection closure at Johnson Pkwy.
On Cleveland Ave, we fought through a multi-year process to convince the City Council to create a north-south bike spine for Union Park, Mac-Groveland, and Highland Park, linking neighborhoods, universities, schools, and more.
On Jackson St, we helped push for the city's first downtown protected bikeway, linking the Sam Morgan trail along the river through Lowertown to the Gateway State Trail and the Bruce Vento trail.
On Maryland Ave, we helped organize neighbors to push hard for a 4-3 road diet on one of Saint Paul's most dangerous streets for people walking and biking. This allowed a safe crossing for the Greenbrier bike boulevard, and has spawned a cascade of road diets from Ramsey County.
These are just some of the things we've been able to accomplish thanks to your support and advocacy. Thank you for an amazing decade of progress! We can't wait to see what the 2020s bring.
Want to help us make the 2020s an even better decade for biking in Saint Paul? Consider coming to our meetings and joining our mailing list! More information here: http://saintpaulbicyclecoalition.org/meetings/