Listening session wrap up - Hennepin for People

On January 20th we co-hosted a listening session with Move MN. We invited Mayor Frey; Council Members Lisa Goodman and Aisha Chughtai, whose wards include the Hennepin Avenue project area; and other Council Members.

Our thanks to Council Member Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10), Council President Andrea Jenkins (Ward 8), Council Member Elliott Payne (Ward 1), Council Member Emily Koski (Ward 11), Policy Aide Celeste Robinson from Council Member Robin Wonsley Worlobah’s (Ward 2) office, and Policy Aide Sean Broom from Council Member Jamal Osman’s (Ward 6) office for attending the event.

Neighbors from across Minneapolis showed up (as well as one St. Paul friend!) to share how the current Hennepin Avenue doesn’t work for anyone and offered strong support for the redesign. You can follow along to tweets from the event here.

Getting started with @sam_adams_rock. He describes living along Hennepin in the past without a car and the dangers of the street. He notes that 61,000 people have died on Minnesota streets since records began, and this is from street design.
— hennepinforpeople (@hennepin4people) January 20, 2022

Cedar Isles Dean (Ward 7) resident @TimothyMPate is here. Describes biking on Hennepin as a "harrowing" experience. He notes the current bus lanes don't work well because cars are allowed to be parked in them.
— hennepinforpeople (@hennepin4people) January 20, 2022

John B and his wife are speaking in support of the project. They have benefited from bus lanes in the past, and are very excited about this proposed bus lane. Bus lanes improve reliability, and good transit helps them not drive.
— hennepinforpeople (@hennepin4people) January 20, 2022

Andrew D (Ward 7): Excited about recommended design. Corridor is unsafe for pedestrians now. Likes that the median will prevent left turns from parking lots. Must be honest as a city and reduce GHG by reducing car use. Must make biking, walking, transit more appealing.
— hennepinforpeople (@hennepin4people) January 20, 2022

Jonathan (ward 7): Supports design and says it must not be delayed because it makes people unsafe. Has been very close to being run over by drivers on Hennepin. Unsafe traffic makes him avoid going to businesses on Hennepin.
— hennepinforpeople (@hennepin4people) January 20, 2022

Mark from NE: When he goes to Uptown, it's by bike or transit (not car). This will make him more likely to visit the area. Notes that Johnson St reconstruction in his ward was similar to this project, and was a huge improvement.
— hennepinforpeople (@hennepin4people) January 20, 2022

Janne: lives 30 yards from Hennepin, and loves how walkable the neighborhood is. Walking with kids, she realized how dangerous Hennepin is for kids. Wants to not have to shout over traffic. Notes how bad traffic noise is on quality of life in her home.
— hennepinforpeople (@hennepin4people) January 20, 2022

Peggy (78 years old): Lived on Hennepin for 20 years. Notes many seniors and people with disabilities live in the neighborhood, and this project provides benefits. Redesign will make it easier to get into the neighborhood.
— hennepinforpeople (@hennepin4people) January 20, 2022

We thank you all for taking the time to come to this event and sharing your stories with us and elected officials. Move MN will send the recorded portion of the meeting to Council Members who were unable to attend the meeting. We encourage you to thank the Council Members that attended the event. You can also reach out to your council member and Mayor Frey and tell them why you support the Hennepin Avenue recommended layout. Council and Mayor contact information can be found here.

We also debuted our new video! This Hennepin engagement process has been long. It started back in 2018 and resumed again in 2020. We thought we’d try going to the source but this time with video, talking to people right on Hennepin Avenue for this round of engagement. We’re also still out there collecting written comment cards. Want to help us collect comments? Sign up here.

Sometimes the best advocate for big changes to Hennepin Avenue is just about any person you meet on Hennepin Avenue. Listen to what they have to say: