lauragmitchell.com
Board President @ourstreetsmn.org
Parent & safe streets advocate 🚲🚶🏻🚌
Founder of mplscargobikelibrary.com
Minneapolis, MN
lauragmitchell.com
7,530 posts
9,694 followers
1,232 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
comment in response to
post
Oh, also money! When residents save money on transportation costs they can re-invest it in our local economy (which folks who walk/bike/take transit are likely to do)!
Cars are endless money pits & people should have the ability to choose if/when they own & use one.
comment in response to
post
In the case of bike libraries like @mplscargobikelibrary.com it's not *just* the miles replaced during the bike rental, bc many folks use the library to evaluate a possible purchase of their own cargo bike.
For those who go on to buy their own, it could be thousands of miles of car trips replaced!
comment in response to
post
In the case of bike libraries like @mplscargobikelibrary.com it's not *just* the miles replaced during the bike rental, bc many folks use the library to evaluate a possible purchase of their own cargo bike.
For those who go on to buy their own, it could be thousands of miles of car trips replaced!
comment in response to
post
Also John pins the tail on Carol Becker & this part really rings true: wedgelive.com/wedge-live-n...
comment in response to
post
*Hopefully obvious warning: Don't ride in unsafe weather. We had storms earlier in the day and were under a tornado watch all afternoon & evening. I had a close eye on the radar and alerts to make sure it looked ok to do my quick errand. It was!
comment in response to
post
😆
comment in response to
post
Lots of folks store 1-2 regular bikes inside their apartments, but e-bikes and e cargo bikes can be challenging or impossible to get inside (with door widths, steps, etc).
Like… I’d never be able to store my Bunch bike in my home & it’s replaced a car for my family.
comment in response to
post
I have Velosurance on my family’s valuable bikes.
comment in response to
post
Same!
comment in response to
post
Allowing bikes inside businesses is great but def not an option for all bikes & doesn’t help folks who need overnight storage near their home.
Secure biking *could* be anywhere we have on street car parking (which is almost every block in Mpls).
comment in response to
post
💯
comment in response to
post
The bikes are locked inside the hangar & the hangar itself is locked.
Access depends on how it’s set up (can be an app, key, etc).
Nothing is 100% but these hangars are way better than having to lock your bike outdoors and hope for the best.
comment in response to
post
Not exactly the same thing (bc it’d be different dogs) but a lot of rescues have needs for short term fosters (if a foster dog’s family goes out of town, has a family emergency or is between longer term fosters).
comment in response to
post
💯
comment in response to
post
I’m eager to see how Mpls’ secure bike parking pilot goes & hope it can expand to every neighborhood.
comment in response to
post
And IMO cities have a huge role to play to help fill this gap. My dream would be that every block in the city has a secure bike storage option.
That’s actually what I was originally trying to do on my block before starting the library. But there was no permit process for street ROW yet.
comment in response to
post
For existing buildings I think standalone storage like the @cyclehoop.bsky.social we have for the library would be huge - stored either on private property or in the street.
comment in response to
post
I’ve actually connected with a couple local apartment developers in Minneapolis who have already built secure bike parking (including for larger cargo bikes) into their building plans & are interested in possibly offering libraries of bikes to their residents as an amenity!
comment in response to
post
OMG your dog is so cute.
comment in response to
post
💯
comment in response to
post
Cities need to do more to provide secure bike parking like @cyclehoop.bsky.social ‘s bike hangars.
I suspect the return on investment (through mode shift, safer streets, less wear & tear on streets, fewer crashes, etc) would be high.
comment in response to
post
Totally fair concern (I say, as someone who had 4 bikes stolen from a locked garage recently).
That’s what my bike insurance is for, though.
For relative low cost it allows me to have peace of mind & continue to own & use my bikes instead of being stuck in a car.
comment in response to
post
If yes, the Mpls stolen bikes Facebook group folks would be on the case. I’m pretty sure they can find anything/anyone.
comment in response to
post
The practicality of a cargo bike depends heavily on where you live.
If you’re in an area with a lot of sprawl & streets that force car dependency, it may not be safe to bike.
But if you’re in a place w/ some density & some safe spaces to ride, a cargo bike can replace many/most car trips.
2/2
comment in response to
post
@deveric.net Carol, and all of us, know biking peaked in the 80s.
comment in response to
post
And for context: this is a 25mph one lane street for cars w/ a 2 way protected bikelane. It intersects a 25 mph 2 way street.
Clearly it needs more traffic calming if drivers can’t handle it.