City Spends $3 Million on Bike Lane That Ends Abruptly at Highway On-Ramp

The city of Maple Grove held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for its new $3 million protected bicycle lane on Commerce Boulevard, a 2.3-mile facility that provides cyclists with a safe, separated riding experience right up until the point where it terminates without warning at the entrance ramp to Interstate 94.

'This is a transformative investment in active transportation infrastructure,' said Mayor Helen Right-of-Way at the ceremony, standing at the lane's well-appointed beginning, which features planters, reflective bollards, and a smooth asphalt surface. She did not visit the lane's other end.

The lane's terminus, documented by cyclist advocacy group BikeMaple in a video that has been viewed 2.7 million times, consists of the protected lane simply ceasing to exist at the base of a highway on-ramp, depositing riders into a 55 mph vehicle merge zone. A hand-painted sign reading 'GOOD LUCK' has appeared at the termination point, which the city maintains 'was not installed by municipal staff, though we cannot identify who put it there.'

'The lane was designed to connect the downtown core to the commercial district,' explained transportation director Phil Sharrow. 'The highway on-ramp happens to be between those two points. We acknowledge this creates a gap in the cycling experience.'

Asked what cyclists are supposed to do when they reach the highway on-ramp, Sharrow consulted his notes. 'The current recommendation is to dismount, cross four lanes of merging traffic on foot, and rejoin the road network on the other side. We're calling it a "cyclist decision point."'

BikeMaple has proposed extending the lane under the highway overpass at an estimated cost of $400,000. The city has declined, citing budget constraints, and has instead allocated $500,000 to a feasibility study on whether to conduct a feasibility study.