The first-ever Minneapolis planter protected bikeway may be installed next year on 3rd Avenue S Downtown! It's part of a broader plan to redesign 3rd Avenue as a greener, safer connection for biking and walking.

Protected bikeways can make a big difference for people on bikes, on foot, and even in cars, and it's important to let your Council Member know why protected bikeways like 3rd Avenue matter to you!

What's being proposed

Proposed planter protected bikeway:	What this area looks like currently:

The City has proposed a redesign of 1.3 miles of 3rd Avenue from 16th Street (behind the Convention Center) to 1st Street/the 3rd Ave Bridge over the Mississippi River. The proposal is being driven by several priorities for downtown: adding greening, having a north-south protected bikeway in the heart of downtown, and better connecting downtown to the River. The proposal includes bollard protected and planter protected bike lanes, and will reduce the number of vehicle lanes in sections of 3rd Avenue.

Currently more than 850 cyclists use this stretch daily, despite a lack of bicycle facilities. With Nicollet Avenue closed for reconstruction for the next few years, it is imperative that a good, safe N-S route through downtown be available for people on bikes. 3rd Avenue can provide that safe route, and it's important that the bikeway be installed as soon as possible.

How you can make a difference

The City Council will be voting on this project in December - so it's important for your Council Member to hear from you as soon as possible! The quickest and easiest thing you can do is just call your local Council Member and let them know why you support this project.

Not sure what Ward you're in? Here's a handy tool to search for your Ward by address. Once you know your Ward, go here to find your council member and their phone number.

When you call, keep in mind that the best thing you can tell them is why this project personally matters to you. Do you ride on the street regularly and want it to be safer? Do you avoid riding Downtown because of the lack of safe N-S connections? Would you commute to work by bike more often if you had safer options? Do you like the addition of 10% more green space on the street? Let your Council Member know why it personally matters to you to have safer spaces for bikes on 3rd Avenue!

Want to do even more? Send an email to Mayor Betsy Hodges to thank her for support the protected bikeway! Check the "share an opinion or problem with the Mayor" box, and it will come up with a space to write a message! Then come join us at our Bikeways for Everyone Downtown meeting on November 4th and find out more how you can get involved to help make protected bikeways a reality in Minneapolis!

More project information

For more information on the project details, including information on how intersections will work and some challenging areas on 3rd Ave, check out this excellent and detailed blog post by the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, a Bikeways for Everyone partner group.