Hey folks. I'm writing a story about the bike lane on First Avenue downtown, the only protected bike lane in the city. The businesses there say that it is confusing, dangerous and causes congestion. They also say no one really uses them. I want to get your take on them.

Do you use the bike lane on First Avenue? Why or why not?

Thanks in advance!

FYI, I'm a staff writer for the Downtown Journal and Southwest Journal.

Here are 73 pages of how cyclists feel about the changes to Hennepin and First Avenue.

And to answer your direct question.

No and because its dangerous to ride in that poorly designed abattoir.

First avenue bike lanes create a situation where bicyclists are more likely to be hit by a turning vehicle.

My kid and I were riding down there one day when we encountered a car parked in the bike lane. I told him to move. He said it was "OK. it's all good." The kid said it's OK, he's from Wisconsin. Yes, it was during some kind of game. Baskteball or baseball or something.

Anyway, on game day, I estimate the number of drunk people who seem to have no clue to be somewhere around 20,000.

Thanks for the responses so far. I'll definitely check out the other thread!

After being hit by a turning vehicle in this bike lane, I now take an alternate route unless unavoidable.

I always feel or have had experiences that I'm either about to:

1) get doored
2) hit a pedestrian crossing to the cars or walking down the lane
3) get hit by a right turning car

I go out of my way to ride Hennepin or the CLT. Only time I do ride it is when I need to go a block or two to get to the correct one-way street perpendicular to it.

My hat's off to the city for being willing to experiment and adopt new ideas.


I tried this lane a couple of times and felt like I had to creep along at a walking pace to feel safe. Drivers inevitably push the parking envelope, crowding over painted lines and taking away what was supposed to be a safety margin for cyclists. The boundaries have to be blindingly obvious and strictly enforced. That might be asking too much in this case.

So success for something like this depends on enforcement and maintenance (both of which cost money). And cyclists are now looking more and more for year-round solutions, and wary of something that might go away at the first big snowfall.

Let's be honest, what causes congestion on First Avenue is the legions of hopelessly lost suburban drivers idling by at 7 mph while staring slack jawed at their surroundings. And, as the evening draws late, the hoards of drunks spilling out of the various clubs in the area. It was that way before the change, and it's that way now.

That said, I don't typically like riding my bike on that street either.

I generally avoid riding on 1st Ave. between Washington and 8th S., and when I do, I don't use the bike lane.

There are a number of problems with the current configuration. There is almost always a car parked to the curb at some point along the stretch. Motor vehicles turning right have limited view of bike lane users. Pedestrians, standing motorists, delivery motorists and law enforcement officers frequently use the lane inappropriately. If something goes wrong, there's nowhere for a rider to go. If a passenger door opens, a cyclist has a choice of hitting a door, a parked car, or the curb.

I find it amusing that the business community thinks it has problems, they were the driving force behind the re-alignment of Hennepin and 1st, mainly so there would be more parking.

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I'll have a story about the bike lane in the next issue of the Downtown Journal, which comes out later this month.

I use First Ave every day and while it's not perfect, it doesn't feel unsafe to me and it's vastly superior to Hennepin. My only gripe is the same as many other posters here, infrequent visitors to downtown parking/stopping/walking in the bike lane. I'm not really sure what else can be done about that. The city can't *make* people read the abundant signage. They could get rid of patio seating for the bars on First. Most of the times I've had "encounters" with peds in the bike lane have been people trying to walk around the masses at the bars before Twins games.

However, watching confused drivers lining up behind a parked car is the funniest thing ever.

There are often cars parked in the bike lane by the Greyhound station, even though there's legal parking on the crossing 10th Street.

The article will in the issue of The Journal that officially releases tomorrow, Monday the 21. If you don't get it in your area, it will be online.