Rally Elevates Support for a Livable Lyndale in Advance of Fall Design Announcement
With the leaves beginning to turn and temperatures starting to dip, autumn is in the air. But as the seasons change, the Livable Lyndale campaign continues to grow and thrive—drawing dozens of supporters to a rally this weekend in anticipation of a big announcement this fall.
Hennepin County is expected to release updated designs for Lyndale Avenue South in coming weeks as part of a major reconstruction project where the entire road from Franklin Avenue to 31st Street will be rebuilt from scratch. In advance of the new designs’ release, 50 advocates—some walking from their nearby homes, others busing from other neighborhoods—gathered at Painter Park to push Hennepin County for a people-focused, climate-friendly street redesign that includes curb-level bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and full-day bus lanes.
Over the past year, a team of Minneapolis volunteers and staff at Move Minnesota have been leading the campaign for a Livable Lyndale, building momentum for a vibrant corridor where it’s easy to bus, bike, walk, and roll for people of all ages and abilities.
Local volunteers focused on community outreach have gathered more than 2,000 supportive petition signatures and counting. Over 100 people came to show their support at the first Livable Lyndale rally in early March and 100 more turned out for the joyful Livable Lyndale bike rally and ride in late May.
“In 2024, the Livable Lyndale team and all of our supporters have shown up to advocate time and time again, demonstrating the strength of this community campaign,” Julie Johnson, Move Minnesota’s Senior Community Organizer, said at the rally on Saturday. “Today, we’re here because not only do we need wider sidewalks and protected bike lanes, but we also need dedicated bus lanes. Lyndale Ave is home to the #4 bus—one of the 10 highest ridership buses in the entire metro. A dedicated bus lane will keep buses moving through traffic, making transit trips quick and convenient, and making it easier to access everything there is to love about this street and this neighborhood. Because we know: great public transit and vibrant local communities go hand-in-hand!”
Ethan Kleinbaum, a parent who lives on along the corridor with his wife and 3-year-old son, couldn’t agree more.
“Creating a Livable Lyndale is important to me personally because transit, biking, and walking connect me and my family to the places and people that allow us to live our best lives,” he told the crowd at the rally. “This corridor along Lyndale is a pillar of our weekend activities: We’ll get on the 4 and go to the Downtown Central Library’s phenomenal children’s section, or to the Walker sculpture garden or to one of the six parks with playgrounds and community centers within 3 blocks of Lyndale and Franklin. Afterwards, we might stop and get a coffee or an ice cream at Milkjam or a pretzel at Lynlake Brewing. These destinations are part of what makes Minneapolis a fantastic place to raise kids.”
“With a toddler, transit can be the easiest option, too,” he added. “You don’t have to deal with parking or a car seat and he gets to experience the community and interact with our neighbors, instead of sitting in a car isolated from the street. Transit, biking, and walking are some of the most powerful tools we have to make our communities more family-friendly and more accessible to people of all ages and abilities. But our decision-makers need to start making that a priority. Street design matters, travel time matters. Whether or not you’re a parent like me, these ways of getting around have to be convenient, safe, and welcoming. My family deserves that and so do you.”
People who don’t drive or own a car also deserve a street that serves them well, emphasized Aime Bite, a Minneapolis resident and Livable Lyndale volunteer. “When planning my move back to Minneapolis, I made the decision to live car-free,” she said. “I didn’t want to rely on a car to get around because of the cost and the environmental impact. When you’re living car free, you might have a preferred mode of transportation, but the reality is that you use a mix of different transportation options. Maybe you bike to the grocery store but take the bus to work. You might walk to your favorite cafe but your best friend lives in a different neighborhood so you bike to their house. As someone who lives in Uptown, I spend most of my time here, but I also go downtown all the time and typically take the bus. Especially in the winter when it’s cold or raining.”
With the new street design lasting for decades to come, it’s not just current residents like Ethan and Aime — but future generations who will be impacted by the decisions of Hennepin County.
“Transportation is the #1 source of climate change pollution,” Joshua Houdek, Senior Program Manager for Land Use and Transportation at the Sierra Club North Star Chapter, reminded the crowd. “So we need to make it easier to leave polluting cars at home, and make it safer and more convenient to walk, bike, and hop on the bus—especially on urban streets like Lyndale Avenue! The street we have now was designed almost exclusively for cars, before most of us were even born. The problem is, it’s not serving people. An outdated street design that forces people to drive everywhere pollutes our air, water, and climate. For a healthy, and thriving neighborhood, we need easier ways to get where we need to go without having to drive everywhere!”
Thank you to everyone who has spoken out and shown their support for a Livable Lyndale so far, including our amazing Minneapolis volunteer team, everyone who rallied with us this fall, and our rally cohosts Sierra Club North Star Chapter!
Continuing to make our voices heard for a Livable Lyndale is so important, especially with Hennepin County street designs expected this fall. If you haven’t yet, please sign the Livable Lyndale petition and share with your networks. Learn more and get involved at livablelyndale.org.