I like to Ride my Bicycle

and so does the rest of Minneapolis!

Well, not quite the rest, but a growing minority! I have to say, I have been quite impressed with the number of people who have been out riding their bikes this winter. Biking in Minneapolis in the winter is not easy, between irate drivers, wind that'll take your face off, and unplowed bike lanes it can be down right dangerous. I've had my fair share of frustrations this winter and I'm quite excited to see people out and about on their bikes.

I'm studying today at the Purple Onion and I've secured myself a space looking out a window toward University Avenue. Just a block and half down from the busiest intersection for bicycles in the Minneapolis area (15th Ave and University). After seeing so many delightful people out on their bikes I decided to make a count to determine how many people are actually out biking.

The first three half hour intervals ranged from 9-10 people each 1/2 hour sighted riding bikes. I was excited. Especially since I was studying too and not really paying attention. Then the 1:00 half hour say 27 cyclists! They were everywhere! Some looked determined to be out riding their bikes, some looked like it was the hardest thing they ever had to do, and others looked like they were riding on a sunny summer afternoon.

Alright, so what do we do with this information? With so many people out and about on bikes, we should support them, and encourage others to get out and start pedaling. This means more bike lanes. And not those lame signs that display a bike route, they are meaningless because nobody pays attention to them and they honestly make no sense. To ensure the safety of bike riders there needs to be logically laid out and enforced lanes for bike traffic. And they need to be plowed in the winter. Minneapolis touts its "bike friendly" nature; however, the city is mostly words and no action. Not having plowed bike lanes mean bikers have to ride in the streets, endangering themselves and other motorists. It honestly scares the hell out of me to bike sometimes and I blame the city of Minneapolis for absolutely not caring about the safety of cyclists. Lets not wait until more Minneapolis bikers die from car accidents before we improve this situation.