During AMTC Make Sure You Watch for Cyclists as Well as Cars!

A Green Light for Bikers, When Traffic Allows
Steve Brandt, Star Tribune


Are Minnesotans willing to grant bicyclists limited immunity from stop signs and red lights?

That question is posed by a legislative proposal introduced during Bike/Walk to Work Week earlier this month by Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, and Sen. Jim Carlson, DFL-Eagan, both bikers.

Their proposal is based on an Idaho statute that allows bikers to proceed though stops in certain circumstances. It would require bikers approaching a stop signal or sign to slow to a speed that allows them to stop.

They'd be required to stop if a vehicle is in the vicinity. But they could proceed through a stop sign without stopping if there's no traffic close enough to pose a hazard while they'd be moving through the intersection. At a red light, they could also make a right turn, or a left turn onto a one-way street, without stopping. And if there's no vehicle nearby, they could proceed through the intersection after a full stop without waiting for a green light.

"It's how most people behave anyway," said Kahn.

Dateline Minneapolis touched on the issue two weeks ago. We continue to believe there's no excuse for blowing through a congested intersection on a bike against a stop. But this proposal recognizes that the physics of accelerating a bike from a standstill are different from pressing an accelerator. It also recognizes that bikes don't trip the pressure plates that trigger a signal change for cars.

The Kahn/Carlson proposal will be reintroduced for next session. It may be read at www.startribune.com/a4406 .

Memories of a pioneer

We highlighted last month the status of Elsa Johnson as the first woman to serve on the Minneapolis City Council.

That prompted some anecdotes relayed by Chuck Lutz. He's now deputy director of the city's development and planning agency, but has been around City Hall since Father Hennepin was still in seminary.

One tale involved one of Johnson's election bids at the height of the Cold War. Her opponent bore a Russian-sounding name, beginning with a K. In public forums, Johnson slyly addressed him as "Mr. Khrushchev," before correcting herself. Nikita Khrushchev was then the first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party.

On another occasion the council was noting the pending observance of Mother's Day. Johnson was recognized, and council members expected some flowery platitudes. "What's so hard about being a mother?" Johnson blurted. "All you have to do is lie on your back!"

Johnson was elected in 1961 and served through 1967. Before her death in 1990, the world had changed enough that women comprised a majority of the council for a time. The gender tally now is seven men and six women, still more balanced than that of the State Legislature.

More First Ward history

Speaking of women on the council, Lutz also provided this interesting bit of trivia. The First Ward in northeast Minneapolis, which stretches from the Camden Bridge to Falcon Heights, is the only one never to be represented by a woman.

Paul Ostrow, who holds that seat now, said he doesn't think voters in his ward are any less inclined to vote for a woman than those elsewhere in the city. His wife, Julie, a political strategist in her own right until she resumed a career as a dietician, said the ward has lots of women capable of holding a council seat.

One reason for the ward's track record arguably could be that three men have locked up the seat electorally for most of the time since Johnson became the council's pioneering woman. First came Don Risk, who was elected the same year as Johnson. He served until he resigned to head the Minneapolis Industrial Development Commission. Walt Dziedzic then held the seat for 20 years before retiring and running for the Park Board. Ostrow challenged Dziedzic unsuccessfully before winning the seat with his backing, and he now is in his third term.

Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438