Neighborhood Updates

… from the NLNA president

One of the great things about living in the North Loop neighborhood is our ability to easily get from place to place on foot or by bike. With additional development and changing traffic patterns due to road construction around the city, it’s increasingly difficult to safely cross the street, even at marked pedestrian crosswalks.

On May 10^th, the North Loop Neighborhood Association (NLNA) hosted a meeting with our city officials to discuss pedestrian safety, specifically on 2^nd Street, as well as other pedestrian safety concerns. A large group of neighbors gathered, along with Council Member Fletcher and representatives from Public Works and the Minneapolis Police Department. They listened to the neighborhood’s concerns and expressed their desire to help us with this growing problem.

The meeting concluded with a number of action items that the North Loop Neighborhood Association will be championing.

Here’s a summary of some of the items:

• Pursue the installation of stop signs on 2^nd Street at 5^th Avenue and at the pedestrian crossing by the RR bridge to slow traffic and create opportunities to more safely cross the street
• Repaint both pedestrian crossings on 2^nd Street (RR bridge and 8^th Avenue)
• Install on-street crosswalk signs at both 2^nd Street pedestrian crossings to improve driver awareness (NLNA will pay for them)
• Modify and/or improve crosswalk signage on 2^nd Street as part of the 2019 Pedestrian Improvement Project
• Repair potholes on 1^st and 2^nd Streets
• Discuss Washington Avenue pedestrian crosswalk issues with Hennepin County
• Conduct a follow up meeting in the neighborhood in September to review the results and plan for 2019

You can make a difference too… please yield to folks crossing the street in marked intersections.

Update on our meeting with city officials:  Great news… in early June we saw fantastic results!  The two pedestrian crossings on 2^nd Street received major attention, with on-street pedestrian signs and street-narrowing bollards added — orange street crossing flags were even installed!  You’ll also notice that most of the major potholes were filled too.  The NLNA is still working on a solution to safely crossing Washington Ave at 7^th Ave, as well as the installation of stop signs on 2^nd Street at 5^th Avenue.

Thank you for your supporting the North Loop and for making our neighborhood a great place to live, work and shop!

Tim Bildsoe
NLNA President