Mpls bike-car crash map: Franklin and Portland Aves. S. among trouble spots [IMAGE]

By Aaron Rupar Mon., Jan. 14 2013 at 5:35 AM

The map's main conclusion? "Most crashes are occurring at intersections along major arterials."

A new map of bicyclist-motorist crashes suggests that if you want to remain unscathed while biking around Minneapolis, you should avoid major arterial roads.

SEE ALSO:
-- Bike Score drops Mpls's ranking to second, maps most and least bikeable spots in the city [IMAGES]
-- WCCO anchor Mike Binkley's bike stolen during Bike Walk to Work Day

The map, which was prepared by the city's Public Works Department and represents all 2,973 reported bike-on-car crashes from 2000 through 2010, shows that most crashes happened in South Minneapolis. Especially troublesome areas in that part of town include Lyndale, Portland, and Franklin Aves.

Here's the map:

And here's a few interesting graphics from the Public Works Department's "Understanding Bicyclist-Motorist Crashes in Minneapolis" study, which will be presented to the City Council's Transportation and Public Works Committee tomorrow (to read through the entire presentation, click here):

Bicyclists should be particularly vigilant near intersections -- the study found that over 80 percent of bike-car wrecks occur within 50 feet of one.

We Recommend

T.S.Moody

Bicyclists make mistakes just as drivers of motor vehicles do, but there is a vast difference in protection. If you drive a car and encounter a bicycle, make the effort to be more cautious. You will be past the bike in a matter of seconds, maybe minutes, and then you don't have to worry about it. I am an extremely cautious biker, but it is a weekly occurrence that a driver comes within a foot of me, while passing me on a street, going upwards of 30 mph. There is no reason for that, whatsoever, and it is disturbing behavior.

T.S.Moody

Is this the only map? It is nearly impossible to decipher the location of incident.

Patrick Murphy

Hey Eric K, I've got a special "dumb little hand signal" for you, buttercup.

Dan Johnson

1 Like

I swear the citizens of Columbia Heights are the dumbest. The pedestrians just wander right into oncoming traffic, and they always seem suprised by the physics of a 3000 pound vehicle coming at them. Yes sir, that car can't stop on a dime... You might want to look before you step out onto a busy street. Good thing I'm looking out for you at least. I'm amazed you've survived this long.

Erik Hess

1 Like

The 64/59% split between motorist/cyclists shows pretty clearly that both motorists and cyclists are at fault. Maybe everyone should look out for each other and try to avoid these kind of things instead of ranting on comment threads about how lawless cyclists are. Ever been on a bike in a city? Ever been driven off the road, into the curb by an aggressive or blind driver? Ever had your elbow or shoulder clipped by a mirror on a car driving too close? Ever been heckled ("Get off the damn road!") by ignorant drivers, in an area where sidewalk riding is illegal no less? Ever been doored by someone cluelessly climbing out of a parked car without looking? Some motorists are just as bad as some cyclists. Get over it.

Dan Johnson

1 Like

Most bicyclists seem to have a death wish. They are fucking fearless assholes...

Chris Welton

1 Like

Also I wonder how many of the accidents happened after they fucked up henn and 1st ave downtown.

Eric Kanzenbach

1 Like

Yeah, some of the damn bicyclists think they are cars. They do their dumb little hand signals and turn with out looking. But then on red lights or something they just breeze on through it ... because they're on a bike. You can't pick and choose the rules you want to follow.

T.S.Moody

@Eric Kanzenbach The reason for going through red lights, which is legal for a bicycle, is because most accidents happen at intersections. As a cyclist, I want to get through the intersection as fast as I can, to get out of harms way. If I am on a bike, stopped at a red light, once that light turns green, most of the time cars will try to race around you and leave you with little to no room to continue on a city street (especially when there are cars parked on the street ahead), and it is much easier if we get a head start and allow you to pass further up the road, once traffic has broken up some. Now, of course, it must be done with care, after looking both ways and making sure that there are no cars coming, and I know that there a cyclists who do so without exercising caution, but the majority of cyclists do so properly.