Updates

Kids holding signs "Bus Riders Deserve Priority" and "Support Transit Riders" in the Hennepin for People bus

Open Streets Lyndale

We had so much fun! Thank you Our Streets Minneapolis for hosting events that center people, joy, and the opportunities we have to reshape our neighborhood streets.

Volunteers setting up Hennepin for People Tent

One of those opportunities is a street that serves bus riders! Many E Line BRT (replica) bus rides were taken. Thanks for stopping by and filling out the comment cards we were collecting to be delivered to Mayor Frey. We hope the Mayor and his Public Works Director realize there is broad support for full-time bus lanes – starting on day 1 of a reconstructed Hennepin Avenue.

Read More »Open Streets Lyndale
Hennepin for People supporters hold signs: Don't Delay The Bus, No Equity without full-time bus lanes, Caution Public Works Dept Ignoring Own Policies

We did it! (Now we do it again)

UPDATE 5/25: The Council vote on the Hennepin layout has been POSTPONED from tomorrow, May 26th. This is so supporters on the Council can clarify points raised in the committee meeting last week and lessen the chance of a mayoral veto. It will be discussed again on 6/9 and 6/16. No need for anyone to come to city hall regarding this issue. Thank you for staying ready!

We’ll be in touch with further information as necessary.

Read More »We did it! (Now we do it again)
Crowd shot of Hennepin for People rally

Thursday: Show Up for Bus Lanes at City Hall

Demanding Minneapolis City Council Vote to Restore Full-Time Bus Lanes to the Hennepin Ave Layout

This Thursday, May 19th, we are showing up at the City Council’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee meeting. We’ll be in room 317, the council chamber, to insist the City Council follow through on full-time bus lanes for Hennepin Ave and not back down from their own existing policies.

For the past 14 months, every option presented to the public for a newly reconstructed Hennepin Avenue (to begin construction in 2024 from Lake Street to Douglas Avenue) has included full-time bus lanes. Now we’ve learned, just days before the first committee vote, and less than two weeks before it heads to the full City Council, that new Public Works director Margaret Anderson Kelliher has decided to pull the full-time bus lanes from the plan.

The case for full-time bus lanes is clear. Some of our points below:

The behind-the-scenes removal of full-time bus lanes from the Hennepin plan is motivated by politics – not data, not equity, not concern for the climate, not good stewardship of public resources. We will be in the council chamber on Thursday calling on the City Council to ensure the plan they approve includes full-time bus lanes on Hennepin Avenue.

Hennepin finally heads to City Hall

We're Raising Our Voice! Public Works & Infrastructure Committee Minneapolis City Hall, Room 317. 1:30 PM Thursday, May 19th.

Support a resilient, equitable, and community-oriented street that puts people and planet first. Share your story and testify at City Hall. Together we can defeat the shortsighted politics of the transportation status quo. We get what we fight for. Let’s fight for a street for people!

Public Works & Infrastructure Committee
Minneapolis City Hall (350 S 5th St), Room 317
Thursday, May 19th at 1:30 PM 

Pre-register to pack the room here (we’ll keep you updated on the process) Update 5/17: There will likely not be public testimony on this item. We mistakenly assumed there would be. But it is still vital to show up and pack the council chamber to demonstate the overwhelming public support for a full-time bus lane.


17W traveling northbound on Hennepin Avenue. New housing under construction near Uptown Transit Station

An eye to the future

Hundreds of people will live in this building next to the Uptown Transit Station. How do we get them to choose the bus? The Minneapolis City Council, Mayor Frey, & Public Works Director Margaret Anderson Kelliher need to stick with their own staff recommended plan to put dedicated bus lanes on Hennepin Avenue.

The city’s 2040 plan called for more housing to accommodate a growing population and a transportation system to support that growth. The goal is a system that encourages fewer car trips, not more. Doing one without the other — growth without transit — is a recipe for failure.

We know 51% of bus riders on local routes are people of color. We know bus riders are more likely to be low income or working class. Will the city follow through on its equity goals and prioritize the needs of these riders?

We know transit is a lifeline for disabled riders. According to a US DOT survey, the reason most often cited by disabled individuals who have difficulty getting the transportation they need: “no or limited public transportation.”

We’re spending $60 million on bus rapid transit in this corridor. This is a potential boon to our city’s climate and equity goals— if we give it the space to be successful. Let’s ensure these buses actually live up to the name “rapid.”

We know that during peak times, bus riders are 49% of the people in vehicles on this stretch of Hennepin Avenue. This is a corridor with a large population of transit users. Let’s build on the existing strengths of this neighborhood.

Bus Mode Share Graphic. On a typical weekday at 8 am, buses are 3% of motor vehicles and move 49% of people on Hennepin Avenue. In the afternoon peak hour, buses are 2 % of motor vehicles and move 45% of people on Hennepin Avenue.

If there’s any place in the city that needs full time bus lanes, it’s right here. It’s time to tell city leaders: stop working against your own policies, stop fighting your own staff recommendations, and follow through on the plans you adopted.

We’re planning a street for the next 50 years! Will we build a street that allows us to meet our climate, transportation, and equity goals?

Act Now!

Support Transit Riders

Hennepin for People Save Our Bus Lanes Rally & Bus Ride 6 PM Tuesday, May 17th Uptown Transit Station. Dress up to show your love for transit!

The recommendation from the city’s professional traffic engineers and public works staff is for dedicated 24/7 bus lanes on Hennepin Avenue. This recommendation is based on the city’s already adopted transportation and climate policies. After a year of delays on the reconstruction approval, there’s an effort at city hall to strip 24/7 bus lanes from the plan. We’re hearing that a City Council vote could happen as early as this month. We need to keep the pressure on elected officials to support transit riders, especially on a corridor that has a higher proportion of them than anywhere else in the city. Better, faster, more convenient transit means more riders. This is the path to meet our city’s adopted transportation and climate goals. The state is investing $60 million to upgrade service on Hennepin Avenue to bus rapid transit. Our city has an opportunity to construct a street and a system that supports that investment. We can build something that lives up to the name “rapid.” Let’s demand our city’s leaders follow through on their commitments to support transit!

Save Our Hennepin Bus Lanes — Rally and Bus Ride
Tuesday, May 17th at 6 PM
Uptown Transit Station

Come show your support for transit and 24/7 bus lanes at the rally! Afterwards we’ll hop on a bus for a group ride on Hennepin Avenue.

Preregister to testify

Can you show up? Are you ready for a resilient, equitable, and community-oriented street that puts people and planet first? Pre-register to share your story and testify at City Hall. It's almost time to take Hennepin Ave home! We're Raising Our Voice!

This process is finally winding towards an approval vote. Do you want to see the Hennepin Avenue layout, as recommended by the City’s professional Public Works staff, become reality? 24/7 dedicated bus lanes, a protected bike path, pedestrian improvements and left turn lanes. We need your voice in the room when the Hennepin Avenue reconstruction project comes before the City Council Public Works & Infrastructure Committee (PWI). The meetings are normally Thursdays at 1:30 PM, so please keep in mind these potential dates: 5/19, 6/9, 6/23. Once we know the exact date and meeting format (the city has resumed in-person meetings) we’ll notify you. We’ll also provide some talking points but personal stories work best. Reminders will be sent for the upcoming meeting once Hennepin Avenue is on the committee agenda.

Pre-register to testify HERE

Hennepin Avenue bus rapid transit should live up to the name “rapid”

The E Line BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) for bus route 6 is coming to Hennepin Avenue in 2025. Construction is set to begin in 2024. E Line BRT will run about every 10 minutes 7 days a week, while the existing local route 6 will scale back to every 20 minutes. Metro Transit is currently accepting feedback on their Corridor Plan until April 8. Comment HERE.

The E Line BRT is a $60 million investment in transit service for our neighborhoods. We have to do all we can to ensure we deliver on the promise of quick and reliable service. Traveling from Uptown to Downtown on bus rapid transit should actually live up to the name “rapid.” The E line BRT, and Hennepin improvements, would also benefit transit riders outside the Uptown area trying to get to Southdale or Berry on University Avenue (Westgate Green LRT station). History has shown that with investment in BRT infrastructure, ridership grows. In March 2021, City of Minneapolis Public Works Engineer Allan Klugman stated that the current 6,600 bus riders per day is expected to become 14,000 bus riders once the E Line bus rapid transit is added. Bus ridership is already nearly 50% of the rush hour mode share.

Bus Mode Share Graphic. On a typical weekday at 8 am, buses are 3% of motor vehicles and move 49% of people on Hennepin Avenue. In the afternoon peak hour, buses are 2 % of motor vehicles and move 45% of people on Hennepin Avenue.

Benefits of BRT:
💛 Faster, more frequent service
💛 Pre-boarding fare payment for faster stops
💛 Neighborhood-scale stations with amenities
💛 Larger & specialized vehicles
💛 Buses get traffic signal priority for faster trips
💛 Riders can board or exit from any of 3 bus doors (on 60 ft buses)
💛 Stations with heat, lighting, and real-time departure info

We encourage you to submit a comment:
💛Ask for dedicated transit lanes (including on Hennepin Avenue)
💛Support far-side bus station placement at 43rd & Upton intersection, they moved the southbound one. We’re requesting they change it back. This means less delay to transit riders and better service.

Comment HERE

Other useful E Line BRT resources:
Final Countdown: E Line Comment Reminder
How to Build Great E Line Stations
Why Don’t They Just Build a Train?

How many times have we waited to cross here?

Tesla crashed into Hennepin Avenue business. Business has sign that says: Save Our Businesses Say No To Hennepin Ave Bike Lanes.

On Saturday, March 26th another crash happened on Hennepin Avenue. A crash like this makes you hope for the well-being of the people involved. And as residents who cross this intersection every day, it gives you pause about your next walk through the neighborhood. When a high-speed car crash finishes on the sidewalk — as they too often do — it’s a reminder of how dangerous a routine crossing can be. How many times have any of us waited to cross here? Nearby restaurants were full with people dining out. There are constant crashes and close calls on Hennepin Avenue. Whether you’re driving or walking, biking or busing, shopping or shopkeeping — this street doesn’t work for anyone.

The city’s professional staff in the Public Works Department have made a clear recommendation for how to fix Hennepin Avenue. The initial timeline for this project had it coming before the City Council for an approval vote last year, but this was subject to politically motivated delay. There is a plan to fix Hennepin Avenue. This layout needs to move forward to the City Council for a vote. This process started back in 2018 with robust public engagement. We can’t afford further delay.

Contact Mayor Frey, his Chief of Staff, and the City Council request no more delays on Hennepin Avenue, vote on the recommended layout put forward by staff which features 24/7 bus lanes, sidewalk level bike path, numerous pedestrian improvements, center median, and left turn lanes. This is the only inclusive choice.