twin city sidewalks writes: Predictable Bicycle Tragedy Points to Need for New Street Priorities at University of Minnesota: "To put it bluntly, much of the the street design at University of Minnesota makes it almost inevitable that pedestrians and cyclists will be killed. "
This is the second pedestrian/bicyclist death in Dinkytown in less than a week, though the other was hit-and-run driver running onto the sidewalk.
Obviously the driver is at fault. The question the community needs to ask is could street design have something to do with bad driving? Or, is a one-way pair appropriate here (University/Fourth)? Sure it is great to evacuate the arenas and stadium after a game, but it is an inherent conflict with the more common daily activities on the route. Getting the through vehicle traffic away from local non-motorized campus traffic should be a strategy considered. (e.g. Suppose Granary Road were to be completed instead of just discussed).
I think there's very clearly a design problem in Dinkytown. What should probably be one of the metro's most walkable neighborhoods is surprisingly hostile for bikes/peds. It is clearly a design issue (as opposed to an enforcement issue, or primarily a user error issue)
However, I don't think we have enough info to unequivocally state that the driver was at fault (legally speaking). It depends on a lot of subtle details. Had the driver of the semi merged into the bike lane prior to making the turn (instead of turning across the bike lane) as required by MN state law? Was the cyclist on the roadway or the sidewalk (the Strib article said the cyclist "entered the crosswalk" which seems to suggest she was on the sidewalk)? Had the truck already begun turning before the sidewalk cyclist reached the crosswalk (which would then legally assign right-of-way to the driver)?
I meant in the hit and run the driver was at fault, not the semi crash
Thanks for the link. the question of 'whose fault' is beside the point. the real guilty party here is the street design, which doesn't do enough to ensure the safety of the many non-motorized users who will inevitably (and rightfully) be using the streets in this should-be-walkable college neighborhood. it frustrates me that Mpls isn't more hospitable to cyclists and peds, especially in high-traffic places like this. i'd really like to see the end of the one-way pair streets in the city. they've been the scene of far too many tragedies, not to mention the deleterious everyday effects they have on the surrounding neighborhoods...