The legacy of Lisa Bender – Letter to the Editor

I read your latest commentary on Lisa Bender. I agree with you on the 2040 Plan; many of my friends in Our Revolution were ardent supporters. I’ve made the same arguments as you have.
And it’s ironic they cut off revising zoning laws at 42nd Street. Those farther south neighborhoods in the early 20th century prohibited Blacks and Jews from moving into those neighborhoods.
You’re wrong about the bicycling lanes. I’ve ridden the length of Park and Portland. They formerly had three traffic lanes, now they have two, not one as you said. Riding on Columbus or other side residental streets is impractical because those streets don’t cross over the Greenway.
You’d have to put extra traffic lights on Lake Street. I believe side streets would be more dangerous for everyone as they are much narrower.
Bikes and cars can and will co-exist. We need to encourage cycling. There have to be practical routes for commuting.
There are some other places where bike lanes cause congestion—on 26th and 28th Streets between Hennepin and Lyndale where two traffic lanes were reduced to one.
I wouldn’t blame the Defund the Police crowd any more than AOC being the first socialist elected besides Bernie.
The Republicans ran against Defund the Police and Socialists. Did Colin Peterson and rural Democrats running for the legislature really lose because of them?
The reality is the Democrats are losing outstate but gaining in the suburbs.

—Phil Willkie

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