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Central Avenue is a Hostile PlaceTLDR - It's time for our once per generation redesign of Central Avenue. - Central is full of great businesses that DRAW customers. Traffic chases them away. - Central can be redesigned to be a safe place where people dwell at outdoor at restaurants, window shop, enjoy art walks. - Now is our only chance to reclaim Northeast's "main street" and reset the neighborhoods all through Northeast. Write to project manager Elizabeth Burton for safer streets: elizabeth.burton@state.mn.us Oct 21, 2024 MNDoT is redesigning the whole street from 694 all the way through NE to downtown Minneapolis. (Click here for the PROJECT WEBSITE) Central starts as a traffic firehose that pumps a 55 mph+ divided highway through Columbia Heights into Northeast, spraying suburban commuters into downtown. The speed limit signs do not keep drivers from doing 50 mph in Minneapolis where the municipal speed limit is 20.  Columbia Heights mayor, Márquez Simula [says] the avenue is Columbia Heights’ main street, but its local charm is destroyed by the noise, by the safety problems, and the rush hour traffic. https://www.mynortheaster.com/news/bond-challenges-marquez-simula-for-ch-mayor/ Central carries heavy trucks from the Shoreham rail yard. In 2023 the traffic vibrations cracked the water main in front of the bike shop and sent hundreds of thousands of gallons of water into the sewers. Since the streetcars were ripped out in the 1950s, we have surrendered Northeast’s “main street” to traffic. Today we pay the price with noise, pollution, and dangerous conditions. Central Ave shoppers want convenient parking because walking any distance on the corridor is loud and unpleasant. Customers get in and get out. They rarely dwell to support other stores and restaurants.   Cars bring customers. Traffic chases them away. Central Ave is one of the widest roads in Minneapolis. There is room for so much more than just traffic. We have the makings of a vibrant “main street” where people stroll from shop to shop. We have the DRAW of wonderful businesses, but Central’s hostility keeps people from dwelling to enjoy outdoor patios or window shop down the block. The more people DWELL, the more they spend and support our local businesses. We can fix this! We have lots of destination businesses that draw customers to Central. But we can have an Avenue that’s a destination too! In the city’s small area plan neighbors call for an art walk up and down the street. Broadway and Lowry are the gateways to the Arts District. People moving through here should know it! Local businesses are limited by available parking spots. Bike lanes and Bus Rapid Transit can deliver customers that don’t take up valuable parking. We could have more room for outdoor seating for our great restaurants. We could have real boulevards. There is so much potential. MNDoT’s redesign is a once in a generation opportunity to create the vibrant main street that will foster resilient businesses and healthy neighborhoods. The first step is a safe, pleasant place to be outside. We need a street design that keeps drivers at safe speeds and doesn’t discourage them once they get out of their cars. Write to the Central Avenue project manager: elizabeth.burton@state.mn.us And cc Northeast's City Council Member: elliott.payne@minneapolismn.gov Tell MN Northeast needs safer streets. This means crosswalk bump outs to reduce the time pedestrians are in the street, medians to reduce traffic turning into neighborhoods and give pedestrians a refuge from two-way traffic, chicanes to keep drivers engaged, and street murals because they’re awesome and this is the Arts District (and they cause drivers to drive more carefully). 
Central and University Avenues set the tone for Northeast Minneapolis. If there is ever going to be a chance of getting a safe Central Avenue designed for the neighborhoods and the people who live here, this is it. More ways to calm traffic on Central Avenue: Narrower lanes Curb-level raised crosswalks One-way street-level protected bike lanes (reduces traffic) Dedicated bus lanes (reduces traffic) Street “edge friction” so drivers can sense how fast they’re going |
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