Over 100 Rally for Bus & Bike Lanes in Final Designs for Lyndale Ave Reconstruction

Almost exactly a year since the campaign’s very first rally, Livable Lyndale returned to the intersection of West 27th Street and Lyndale last weekend, filling the median with more than 100 community members calling for a street redesign that prioritizes people, not the past.

In 2023, our Minneapolis volunteer team activated around Hennepin County’s planned reconstruction of Lyndale Avenue from 31st Street to Franklin Avenue. Since then, Move Minnesota staff and volunteers have mobilized thousands of community members in support of a Livable Lyndale and a once-in-a-generation opportunity: a street redesign that includes spacious sidewalks, curb-level bike lanes, and full-day bus lanes. 

That local advocacy has made a big difference—but our campaign is far from over. While Hennepin County’s latest designs show promise, they still lack several critical components: a protected bikeway that extends all the way to 31st Street and dedicated, all-day bus lanes up and down Lyndale to improve transit performance.

With the upcoming release of final street redesign concepts expected in June, community members and advocates came together last weekend to show strong support for dedicated bike lanes and bus lanes on this critical Minneapolis corridor. 

For Brian Mitchell, a Move Minnesota volunteer with the Livable Lyndale campaign, the project impacts him personally.

“I’ve been involved with this campaign nearly since it started because I love to live in this great neighborhood, and do so without owning a car,” Mitchell said at the rally. “I can only do that because of the dense offering of businesses in the area and connections to other parts of the city for biking and transit. Right now, north of Lake Street, there are no bike protections whatsoever along Lyndale Avenue itself! I just want to feel safe quickly getting to the places I want to go.”

Small business owners joined the rally to emphasize how a safer and more livable street can boost the local economy. For Ethan Meyer, owner of Steamship Games at Lyndale and Lake Street, his connection to the campaign started with a simple realization: “I thought, How is my buddy Grady gonna get to the Wednesday night event? He bikes everywhere!”

“Then, I started to think about the number of people I see walking or biking around Uptown and down Lyndale, and how many of them are also my customers,” Meyer said. “I want my customers to be happy and safe when they’re in the area, and the reconstruction of the corridor brings about a good chance to do that.”

Meyer also emphasized how protected bike lanes can increase bicycling AND boost local business. In cities all over the country, research has shown that protected bike lane networks encourage more people to bike for everyday trips than the places without them.

“Just think how many times you’ve been in a car,” Meyer said, “and passed some really interesting sign on the front of a building, and it made you think, Wow! I’ll go check it out sometime! But when you pass by it so quickly, you don’t think about it for more than a few seconds! On the flip side, if you’re on a bike, you’re more likely to just stop and go walk into that weird and interesting shop to sate your curiosity!”

Seth Stattmiller, owner of Recovery Bike Shop, also underscored the benefits of streets built for people moving at the speed of curiosity and engagement—not cars speeding by as quickly as possible.

“You know, Recovery Bike Shop started here as Re-Cycle on this block in a little warehouse space behind the CC Club,” Stattmiller said. “This is where we wanted to be. But traffic is not good for business. Traffic noise on a normal city street makes it less pleasant to sit and enjoy a meal. It’s no fun to walk near traffic. Traffic pushes people out and it reduces dwell time.”

“Here’s the secret agenda for a successful business: the longer people stay, the more money they spend,” he added. “Lyndale has the draw. Bike lanes make Lyndale a more pleasant place to dwell. People like to spend time around bicycles. They don’t like to spend time around traffic. We want livable neighborhoods. We want people-first communities. We want healthy neighbors. We want a Livable Lyndale!”

In a statement, Minneapolis City Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10) added her official support for the Livable Lyndale vision, too.

“As public leaders, we have a responsibility to listen to our current constituents—and also consider how we can make our city and region better for generations to come,” Chughtai said. “This project can be a great example of that commitment. The vision Livable Lyndale has put forward for wider sidewalks, curb-level bike lanes, and full-day bus lanes makes the street safer and more inviting for everyone now—and it encourages sustainable ways to get around that will protect our climate for future residents here and across Minnesota.”  

Closing out the rally, Julie Johnson, Senior Community Organizer at Move Minnesota, expressed gratitude to everyone for attending, voicing their support, and continuing to advocate for a Livable Lyndale.

“Whether you’re here supporting Livable Lyndale for the first time, or you’ve been advocating with us for years, thank you all for being here today!” she said. “It is so important that we keep speaking out and showing up together. Hennepin County is going to reconstruct Lyndale no matter what, so we need to continue to push for a people-first, climate-friendly design that makes it easy to bus, bike, walk, and roll. Together we’re going to make it happen!”

Take action today by emailing Hennepin County staff to tell them you want the final designs for Lyndale Avenue South to include dedicated bus and bike lanes the entire length of the project.

Learn more about our campaign for a Livable Lyndale!