Posts Tagged ‘new bike routes in Minneapolis’

Featured Bike Route: Bicycle lanes on Emerson and Fremont Avenues in North Minneapolis

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

Last month, we featured the bicycle boulevards in Northeast Minneapolis along 5th Street and 22nd Avenue. Today, we take a look at the bicycle lanes that were unveiled along Emerson and Fremont Avenues in North Minneapolis last Fall.

Location/Description:

The Emerson and Fremont Ave. bicycle lanes are great north/south routes in north Minneapolis, providing access to nearby destinations on West Broadway and Lowry Avenues and (via connecting routes) to Theodore Wirth Park, the Mississippi River, and Target Field and the rest of downtown Minneapolis. Emerson Ave. runs north from 7th St. and Plymouth Ave. to 33rd Ave. Heading north on Emerson takes cyclists through North Minneapolis into the Jordan neighborhood. Head west on 33rd Ave. and you’ll run into Fremont Ave. to head back south towards Plymouth Ave. Cyclists can also go west on 26th Ave. off of Fremont Ave. to hop on the Theodore Wirth Parkway. There also are bike lanes on Lowry Avenue. And, cyclists can continue north on neighborhood streets to catch bike lanes on 42nd Ave. North and the Weber Parkway/Victory Memorial bike paths (part of the Grand Rounds). 

Route Amenities:

Dedicated bike lanes—among the first in North Minneapolis.

Buffer zones–You’ll also notice some stretches of this route that include “buffer zones”, which protect cyclists to traffic.

Bicycle detection stoplight—You’ll notice this stoplight at the corner of Emerson and Lowry.

Nice Ride Stations:

You’ll find a series of Nice Ride stations along this route (or very close to it): 

  • Plymouth Ave. N. & Fremont Ave.
  • Plymouth Ave. N. & N. Oliver Ave.
  • Bryant Ave. N. & W. Broadway

Connections: 

  • Go east on the Lowry Ave. bike lanes to catch the 2nd St. North bike lanes near the Mississippi and the Lowry Bridge into Northeast (reopening in 2012) or west to the Victory Memorial bike path on the border with Robbinsdale. Don’t miss this bike/bus shelter at Lowry and Penn.
  • Go west on 26th Ave. from Fremont Ave. for access to the Theodore Wirth Parkway and all the trails and spaces of that wonderful park.
  • Go east on 7th St. from Plymouth Ave. for access to downtown Minneapolis. The 7th St. route also connects to bike lanes on 10th Ave. N. (toward the River) and Glenwood Ave., where better bike facilities are coming soon. Glenwood Ave. is also home to Milda’s Café (great for breakfast) and the Venture North Bike Walk Center (below).
  • Bike lanes on Plymouth Ave. provide another east link to the Mississippi River (and over the Plymouth Ave. bridge into Northeast, when it is rebuilt) and west to Theodore Wirth.

Landmarks and notable businesses along routes (just to name a few):

  • Cookie Cart (Emerson & Broadway Ave)
  • West Broadway Farmer’s Market at Broadway & Bryant (Fridays from 3-7pm during summer)
  • Minneapolis Public School Headquarters (West Broadway & Fremont)
  • Shiloh Temple (West Broadway & Fremont)
  • Parks—there are a number of parks within a few blocks of these routes including Fairview Park on 26th, Jordan Park between 29th and 30th and the North Commons on 16th
  • Cub Foods—between 18th and Broadway (great for those short grocery trips)
  • North Regional Library (at the corner of Lowry & Fremont)
  • Lowry Café, North End Hardware, Aldi Grocery, Doc’s Gym on Lowry Ave. at Penn Ave., about 10 blocks west of Emerson/Fremont bike lanes 
  • University of Minnesota Urban Outreach & Research Center–UROC (about 6 blocks west of Fremont)
  • Minneapolis Urban League (Plymouth & Penn Avenues)

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