Neighbors typically meet each other in similar way. Over the fence, walking the dog, raking leave etc. It’s an unfortunate thing to meet a close neighbor through a terrible accident. On the night of November 4th around 11:45pm that’s just how I met my neighbors across Cedar Avenue. People from the surrounding 4 blocks had descended on the intersection of 45th and Cedar to view the horrific, 1 driver accident that had recently rattled their windows. The car somersaulted end over end after hitting a car parked in the parking lane. The driver was traveling well over the speed limit and was not wearing a seatbelt. The fact that she was alive when the ambulance arrived is amazing considering the circumstances.
So my neighbors and I stood in shock, shivering in our PJ’s in the cold, watching the flashing lights and paramedics, marveling at the fact that a car in a 30mph zone managed to total 2 cars and fling herself 50 feet through the windshield. All injuries aside we were all amazed that this didn’t happen sooner. High speeds have become a defining feature of Cedar Avenue. It’s the ‘short cut’ from the burbs, it’s the fastest way to the mall when the free way is jammed up, and most important, they don’t put cops on Cedar, you can go as fast as you want… and people do. The day before I had finished composing a letter to Mayor Rybeck, pleading with him to up enforcement in our neighborhoods. I outlined the dangers, the livability issues, lost tax revenue based on dropping property values, the crime related to high speed and volume traffic the list goes on. Coincidentally, at the end of the letter I said that we needed to do something before something terrible happened . And right on cue…
We’ve got ourselves a problem in south Minneapolis. An over capacity freeway system, a huge ring of great urban housing stock and an even bigger ring of suburbs trying to get from what used to be the country to the city as quickly as possible. For residents of South Minneapolis it’s a losing battle. The capacity of our streets is based on the local population, the proximity of houses to the road is based on this capacity. The only way to increase capacity is to increase the speed, which happens on its own due to lack of enforcement.
As it stands now, according to city documents: Cedar Avenue is the only street in S. Minneapolis that is over capacity (WAY over), contains three of the highest crash intersections in the whole city and runs over a bridge estimated to be at less than 60% integrity (the Nokomis Lagoon bridge). There are a lot of people that live on Cedar Ave. There are a lot of people that rely on Cedar. How do we decide who takes precedence? We need to think about this.
The Cedar Ave. United (aka Cedar Avenue Restoration Effort) seeks to create a plan for Cedar Avenue by incorporating residents and neighborhoods in the planning process. In the past few months we have been meeting at various community centers in the area, planning. We have a lot to gain by creating a good plan for Cedar. We need to preserve our community, encourage our local businesses, improve transportation and increase our safety and livability.
Standing in the cold on the sidewalk, barefoot, listening to my across-the-street-neighbor talk about how she made her daughter change schools so she wouldn’t have to cross the road made me realize that there are a lot more concerned people than I thought. So now it’s time. We need your support. We realize that not everyone has the time and energy to commit to planning. We also know that there is a LOT of talent in South Minneapolis. We are a grass roots organization, and we need you, if only your support or signature. You can find out more about Cedar Ave United by e-mailing cedartraffic@gmail.com
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