Property damage is the answer?

just get a bunch of taggers out there to add another zero.

Better, but I'm not sure I can comply with that either.

ok, but what do we do?

I've placed two calls. One to the City of Minneapolis Bicycle Bicyle Program office. They have not yet returned my call.

The second was to Transit for Livable Communities. My call was the first they had heard of the new speed limit markings. They shared my concerns that this could limit the usefullness of the trail for the transportational users. They were going to make some calls to gain understanding of how the need to limit the trail arose, what agency did (3 Rivers, City, somebody else). After that they would work on ways to address our shared concerns. They said they would get back to me with anything they learn (likely next week sometime) and asked that I also let them know anything I find out.

That's what I'm doing.......

I saw up above that somebody has already addressed this with their council person. If you live in the city, I think that would be a good thing to do.


Scot

I've placed two calls. One to the City of Minneapolis Bicycle Bicyle Program office. They have not yet returned my call.

The second was to Transit for Livable Communities....That's what I'm doing.......


Scot

Good afternoon Gary,

From your website, I learned that you have served on the Midtown Greenway Association and are participating in the Red Ribbon Ride. As a cyclist, I assume you are familiar with the Cedar Lake Trail and the Kenilworth Trail.

As of this morning, there are new â??10 MPHâ?? pavement markings on both the Kenilworth Trail and the Cedar Lake Trail. This concerns me greatly because these trails are used daily by large numbers of commuters. I have never noticed any speed limit markings on these trails previously, and I always assumed that there was no speed limitation (much like the Midtown Greenway).

I cannot see any benefit the speed limit provides, but I do see several consequences. Those that choose to ignore the limit and travel at their usual speed will eventually be cited for speeding. Trail users that obey the speed limit will experience increase travel times, discouraging bicycle commuting. Those that canâ??t justify the risk of citations or the added travel time will be encouraged to not use the trails, which is counterproductive for all parties involved. In addition to causing problems for existing commuters, these limits will also be a big deterrent to new commuters.

I entirely understand the speed limits in place around the lakes and along the river, where cyclists are sharing the trail with a significant number of walkers, runners, roller bladders, dog walkers, and children. The Cedar Lake Trail has a separate pedestrian path alongside the dedicated cycling paths, and neither the Cedar Lake Trail nor the Kenilworth Trail see quantities of non-cyclists similar to the lake/river trails.

I would really like to know what prompted these new speed limits to be posted, and what the reasoning behind this was. As far as I can tell, there are no benefits to trail users, and plenty of impairments. Minneapolis is currently a national leader with bicycle commuting and bicycle infrastructure. I would hate to see our constantly growing and improving system crippled by needless speed limits. These are bicycles, not speeding trucks. And the trails are used primarily by commuters and fast-paced recreational riders. If nothing else, I do not want to see this set as a precedent for other commuter trails in the area. I depend on my bicycle for transportation, and being arbitrarily limited to 10 MPH when on trails would cause some major headaches for me.

Please let me know what information you can gain about this situation.

Thank you for your time and concern,
[MacGyver's name, address, and phone number]

How much is a ticket when you get busted?