Lyndale Avenue South Embraces the Return of Open Streets MPLS™

Walking & rolling & no cars, oh my!

Warmer weather, the smell of sunscreen, an ice-cool drink in one hand, a snack in the other, and an open road closed to car traffic is exactly how summer should kick off.

On Sunday, June 7, residents and neighbors across the Twin Cities gathered on Lyndale Avenue South for Open Streets Lyndale. The twenty-block stretch from 22nd Street to 42nd Street came alive—and not because of car traffic.

With more than 200 local organizations, artists, and businesses joining in this celebration of community, it offered a wide range of activities and programming. Everywhere you looked, you saw people walking or riding along the route chatting with vendors, carrying a trinket (or two) to take home, admiring the live entertainment, and stopping to rest at local businesses.

The return of Open Streets Minneapolis™, the highly anticipated event series that closes city streets to motor vehicle traffic, came at a pivotal moment, as it followed Hennepin County’s latest street design proposal for Lyndale Avenue. The design was most recently adapted to include a separated bikeway in response to feedback from transportation advocates. However, many residents remain unhappy that the design continues to fall short for multimodal options and incentivizes parking for businesses.

Multimodal transportation options are desired throughout the Twin Cities.

In the middle of the action on 31st Street, just past the crowds circling the wrestling ring on Lake Street, Our Streets sets up information and advocacy tents. Attendees were drawn to the large maps posted in the middle of the street, where they were invited to share transit opportunities they envision for their city.

For Minneapolis, participants starred areas and circled blocks where they voiced their concerns. One participant shared, “Better connections to St. Paul.” In Saint Paul, attendees shared their desire for more multimodal options, including “more light rail lines” and “more bike racks in St. Paul.”

The interactive map allowed participants to build on each other’s ideas for transportation solutions. The other side of the map offered space to share where they’d like to see Open Streets MPLS™ next. In total, we had 151 comments on our transit map and 137 comments on our Open Streets MPLS™ map. The most popular Open Streets MPLS™ votes were Nicollet (17), Lake (14), and Central (13). Visualizing the strong and widespread demand for Open Streets MPLS™ across the cities will help Our Streets use community input to plan for many events in the years to come.

Beyond these maps, our mobile museums provided opportunities for people to read about the history of 6th Ave North in North Minneapolis and explore our Bring Back 6th campaign on Olson Memorial Highway. Visualizations of health disparities along I-94 and renderings of Twin Cities Boulevard sparked interest in joining the push to pause the project. A pause to the Rethinking I-94 project is a strategic protection of our state’s interests and our communities’ vision. Recently, Minnesota State legislators asked the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and Governor Walz to pause two highway projects—Rethinking I-94 and Trunk Highway 252/I-94.

Transportation doesn’t just move people, it connects us to our neighbors.

Throughout the day, Our Streets advocacy and policy staff chatted with attendees to learn what transportation issues affect their communities the most through various activities.

To gauge which transportation solutions matter most to community members living along or near Lyndale Avenue South, the advocacy table had participants select three options that best address the question: What changes would have the most positive impact on your community?

While these votes reflect the transportation futures our neighbors hope to see—with fast and reliable transit, safe places to bike, walk, and roll, and support for small businesses receiving the most votes—some went a step further and wrote on post-it notes to share their thoughts. One participant shares, “Have a greater community outreach to learn what a community wants/needs. More reliable, fast transit as well.”

In another activity, participants envisioned what a transportation system built for everyone would look like. Based on the responses, the ability to move freely with reliable, safe, and accessible options helps us stay connected to our neighbors, with others calling to reduce car dependency.

Additionally, attendees who participated in a survey related to our advocacy work had the opportunity to share their reflections on the event and what they’d like to see at future Open Streets MPLS™ events.

More please! We need more clear community support for less car-centric policy and these events prove that!

-Open Streets mpls™ lyndale attendee

The return of Open Streets Minneapolis™ is not only momentous for Our Streets but for the communities that lack existing public spaces or have been harmed in past transportation planning decisions. At Open Streets Lyndale, we experienced the street as a place for us to connect with our neighbors, explore our local businesses, and dream of a future where people are prioritized over cars.