Tell Minneapolis City Council to Withhold Municipal Consent on Lyndale Ave

Read and sign the letter below!

Attn: Council President Elliott Payne, Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai, Climate & Infrastructure Committee Chair Katie Cashman, Climate & Infrastructure Committee Vice Chair Emily Koski, Councilmember Robin Wonsley, Councilmember Michael Rainville, Councilmember LaTrisha Vetaw, Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison, Councilmember Jamal Osman, Councilmember Andrea Jenkins, Councilmember Jason Chavez, Councilmember Aurin Chowdhury, Councilmember Linea Palmisano

CC: Commissioner Greene, Commissioner Lunde, Commissioner Fernando, Commissioner Conley, Commissioner Goettel, Commissioner Edelson, Commissioner Anderson, County Administrator Jodi Wentland, Assistant County Administrator for Public Works Lisa Cerney, Hennepin County Transportation Engineer Josh Potter, Minneapolis Public Works Director Tim Sexton, Interim City Engineer Jenifer Hager

Re: Lyndale Avenue South Reconstruction

We submit this letter to voice our opposition to the proposed final reconstruction design for Lyndale Avenue South from 31^st Street to Franklin Avenue. After nearly three years of community members putting forward a vision for a safer, more accessible, and livable Lyndale Avenue South, the proposed final design deviates from consistent community demands, and the process has only become more opaque. Because of this, we ask that the Minneapolis City Council withhold its municipal consent for the proposed concept layout until it truly offers a dignified experience for people who walk, bike, roll, and take public transit on Lyndale Avenue South.

The proposed final design released in August fails to demonstrate how it would meet Hennepin County’s Climate Action Plan and Complete and Green Streets Policy, or support the City of Minneapolis’ Transportation Action Plan and mode shift goals. Below are our top priorities for improvement in the final design:

A bikeway separated from the sidewalk
The proposed final design eliminates the separated bikeway and instead includes a Shared Use Path, creating conflict and discomfort for all users, whether they walk, bike or roll. People who already commute by bike will be forced to choose between navigating pedestrian traffic and sharing a road designed for cars. With Lyndale Avenue’s pedestrian volumes and commercial density, the proposed design is utterly incompatible with its existing and projected use. The community has been clear: we need a design that makes it safe and inviting for ALL users and that means separate space for those traveling by different modes. 

Dedicated bus lanes for future bus rapid transit
Instead of a clear plan to implement a dedicated bus lane on Lyndale, the final design includes  a 12-foot parking lane with bumpouts. We need a design that provides better transit performance now for the existing Route 4 and doesn’t require the inefficient use of taxpayer dollars to remove the bumpouts in just a few years for the arrival of bus rapid transit. The final design must include strategic stretches of bus lanes that allow buses to skip to the front of the line at congested intersections, including 28th, 26th and 24th streets. This can be achieved by removing a parking lane, which will not only improve “transit readiness” but calm traffic for all users, as well.

A safe and vibrant pedestrian experience
Walking along Lyndale should feel pleasant and welcoming — in addition to being safe. This reconstruction offers an opportunity to build on the vibrancy of the commercial corridor and draw in more people to visit and linger. A Shared Use Path is not conducive to strolling, dining, and shopping. We need the redesign to reinstate elements like benches, planters, bike racks, midblock crossings, placemaking elements, and other amenities. We need improvements that remove excessive turn lanes, minimize pedestrian crossings to four lanes or fewer, and create raised crosswalks for better experience and improved safety for people walking. 

We have been deeply engaged since the start of this project and are confounded by the abrupt turn in the components of the proposed final design. Over the past two years, the Livable Lyndale campaign has collected over 2,400 signatures, 1,425 postcards, and over 250 personal stories in support of dedicated bus lanes, a separated bike path, and a vibrant pedestrian experience — all of which are now entirely absent from the design. 

The proposed final design does not in good faith represent the Lyndale Avenue South that our community has been asking for: a Lyndale that prioritizes the safety of people over the convenience of cars. There has been a distinct lack of transparency from Hennepin County Public Works and the Minneapolis Department of Public Works about how the design is being finalized and to what extent community feedback is being considered. By withholding municipal consent for the proposed final design, we have another opportunity to make Lyndale Avenue South a more sustainable, complete street that aligns with the County and City’s stated transportation vision of prioritizing people who walk, bike, roll, and take the bus.

Signed,

The Livable Lyndale Team, Move Minnesota and the following co-signers: