Erik Noonan
@eriknoonan.bsky.social
680 followers 670 following 330 posts
(he/him they/them) Local Award Winning Bike Nerd Architecture. Accessible Design. Nature. Food. Building a Better System. Professional Bicycle Propagandist @bikemn.bsky.social Co-Chair @streets.mn
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Reposted by Erik Noonan
bikemn.bsky.social
If you are in the metro this Sunday, please join us for a roll down Summit Ave.

The adopted Regional Trail Plan is at risk because of the small wealthy group of homeowners who oppose this being a safer corridor.

Meet at 1pm at the WWI Memorial.
saintpaulbike.bsky.social
Absolutely gorgeous weather for riding recently - hope you've been getting out to enjoy it!
Join us for rides this weekend: 10/10, 6pm at Union Depot for a ride w/ @moveminnesota.bsky.social and @joyfulridersclub.bsky.social
and 10/12, 1pm at Summit and MRB (the WWI Memorial) w/ @bikemn.bsky.social
a person riding a bike passes through a golden fall forest
Reposted by Erik Noonan
brianmitchl.com
With postings that the Greenway is closed starting October 14, it seems that the Nicollet Ave bridge over the Midtown Greenway is on its last week of life. Major progress in removal of the surrounding dirt.
Looking south from Nicolette Avenue, showing bricks, railroad ties, and other rubble in a pile Looking southwest showing the exposed western half of the north bridge abutment, with steel and wooden shoring to prevent collapse into the hole Looking south during the exposed western half of the north bridge abutment. Some street car rail, Leys at the edge of the bridge at the lip of the hole. The north end of the shoring, with a pile of rubble to the right, and construction equipment behind
eriknoonan.bsky.social
The issue isn't going to be resolved by him losing his livelihood. I'd rather have solutions instead of punishment.
eriknoonan.bsky.social
We've talked to them, our own landlord, and it's become a running joke on staff for how many 311 reports it takes to get parking enforcement to come out. So far in my ~1 3/4 years on staff, I've seen a truck ticketed only twice.

The real solution is a combo of auto-enforcement and better options.
eriknoonan.bsky.social
Someday we're not going to be reminded of him every day. Someday we won't be reminded daily that half of our neighbors and family voted for him and continue to support most of his actions. Someday we'll get to repair the harm and this will all just be another forsaken chapter in American history.
eriknoonan.bsky.social
My honest thought on this is that we need to be designing commercial areas with dedicated + convenient short term delivery parking. It's a much smaller lift than expecting logistics company owners to understand why every drop off needs an extra 10 mins and blaming employees.

#WeekWithoutDriving
eriknoonan.bsky.social
A common sight at @bikemn.bsky.social HQ. There's a business nearby that has many multiple delivery vendors and almost all of them park in the bus stop instead of using the lot behind the business.

If you can't operate without breaking laws, something needs to give.

#WeekWithoutDriving
Reposted by Erik Noonan
holz-bau.bsky.social
'To put it bluntly, a path to zero emissions that relies on electrifying individual cars is not only the most resource-intensive route to zero emissions, but also the slowest route to that urgent goal'

jaja

1 model y battery requires as much Li+ as 160 e-bikes

www.commondreams.org/opinion/gree...
Can We Design a Green Transition That Doesn't Turbocharge Extraction? | Common Dreams
Policies that promote alternatives to car use, reduce sprawl, encourage more compact batteries, and require recycling would all reduce the scale of mining needed for carbon-­free transportation.
www.commondreams.org
eriknoonan.bsky.social
Tech platform companies need to stop inserting AI tools just because they suck at ui/ux.

If your product is unintuitive, fix THAT.
eriknoonan.bsky.social
Bikes are a challenge for people with no garage at home. Many don't bike bc of discomfort at leaving their ride unattended for 8+ hours a day. Mid-block destinations often have a sign post or less for riders to lock to.

These are solvable problems.

#WeekWithoutDriving
eriknoonan.bsky.social
End of trip facilities matter

For a TINY fraction of the cost of car parking we could be investing in real solutions that unlock the potential of mobility equity.

#WeekWithoutDriving
photo of a bike locked to a sign post
Reposted by Erik Noonan
gaypuppybunny.bsky.social
I'm not in a wheelchair 24/7, and am fortunate to have a lot of transportation options. But this is one of the biggest barriers to me using public transit.

I am very heat-sensitive and sun exposure worsens my lupus symptoms. A lack of bus shelters means I cannot wait for the bus
#WeekWithoutDriving
eriknoonan.bsky.social
A disproportionate # of people w/a disability depend on non-car mobility. For folks in a wheelchair, temp regulation is especially critical and challenging.

Every bus stop without a shelter in Minnesota is a policy failure.

Shade and warmth are not luxuries.

#WeekWithoutDriving
photo of someone at a bus stop in a wheelchair
Reposted by Erik Noonan
stephen.int42.org
People act like getting kids places without a car is Herculean. I biked three (one not mine) to the Kingfield Farmers Market, 95% on bikeways. No car seats, no stress, just laughs. The challenge isn’t moving kids, it’s redesigning cities to work for people instead of cars. #StreetsForPeople
View from the front of a cargo bike riding on a new two-way protected bikeway. Ahead, three children, all wearing helmets, ride bikes — one in a yellow sweatshirt, one in black, and one in a patterned dress. A pedestrian walks on the sidewalk to the left. Apartment buildings line one side of the street, and parked cars line the other. Trees and bright morning sunlight frame the neighborhood scene.
eriknoonan.bsky.social
Anyone know if the mayor of the #1 bike city in the country is participating in #WeekWithoutDriving?
eriknoonan.bsky.social
A disproportionate # of people w/a disability depend on non-car mobility. For folks in a wheelchair, temp regulation is especially critical and challenging.

Every bus stop without a shelter in Minnesota is a policy failure.

Shade and warmth are not luxuries.

#WeekWithoutDriving
photo of someone at a bus stop in a wheelchair
Reposted by Erik Noonan
agordon.me
The amazing thing about the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on AI development is it doesn't even include all the externalized costs like higher electricity prices for hundreds of millions of people.
AI Data Centers Are Sending Power Bills Soaring
Wholesale electricity costs as much as 267% more than it did five years ago in areas near data centers. That’s being passed on to customers.
www.bloomberg.com
Reposted by Erik Noonan
bikemn.bsky.social
Drivers are required by MN law to yield to pedestrians at BOTH marked and UNmarked crosswalks.

In reality, that often doesn't happen.

This #WeekWithoutDriving record (✨SAFELY✨) a short video of this driver behavior and send it to [email protected]

💪 📸
image of a pedestrian crossing button
eriknoonan.bsky.social
Every beached/bollarded bloatmobile creates a safer world for the rest of us.
eriknoonan.bsky.social
Transportation equity would look like prioritizing vulnerable road users by temporarily cutting into the abundant car infrastructure to provide safety and convenience for bikes, peds, and transit access.
eriknoonan.bsky.social
The one two punch of my car free commute today was running into a closed roadway on the most convenient path across a highway, no detour signage, and the safest detour option being closed as well.

The only other options all directing me further from my destination.

#WeekWithoutDriving
eriknoonan.bsky.social
And as a reminder, the emergency vehicle response times to the adjacent properties are not impacted by this amenity.
eriknoonan.bsky.social
Apparently the cost to have and maintain a car free park in place of a street in front the homes in a neighborhood is just $106 per month per household. Likely less if it was done at greater scale.

www.zillow.com/homedetails/...
www.zillow.com
eriknoonan.bsky.social
We're piloting a camera based bike count device that can be mounted in a window. It is much more cost effective for advocates than the pressure tube counters and could potentially be as simple to use as finding someone willing to let you put it in a window. Stay tuned!
eriknoonan.bsky.social
In 2023, over 60% of pedestrian deaths from automobiles crashing into them occurred on streets w/out sidewalks.

We know the solutions to reversing the fatalities trend-line & it is a lot more complex than telling people not to glance at their phone while walking their dog.

Build safe, by design.
npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 16d
In 2024, 7,100 pedestrians were killed on the road, and in recent years, more than 1,000 cyclists have been hit and killed annually. Safety experts explain how bikers and walkers can stay safe.
8 walking and biking safety tips that just might save your life
In 2024, 7,100 pedestrians were killed on the road, and in recent years, more than 1,000 cyclists have been hit and killed annually. Safety experts explain how bikers and walkers can stay safe.
n.pr
eriknoonan.bsky.social
I just so sincerely wish that more people understood that riding a bike on a sunny day with a baguette and some cheese in a backpack on your way to meet up with friends is the ideal way to be living.

I want everyone to have that.