Ayd Mill Road Narrowing Will Create Congestion
Please reach out to your Mendota Heights City Council members to let them know how you feel about the proposed changes to Ayd Mill Road, which would eliminate the separated roadway and reduce vehicle traffic to one lane each way.
The Issue
Updated 9/3/2019:
The city is proposing to advance new bike trails (which have not previously existed) over the best interests of the residents who will have to absorb the extra traffic onto streets where people actually live and walk along. This creates new trails for bicyclists at the expense and safety risk for homeowners. Multiple studies/tests have proven that without full access to Ayd Mill Road, traffic will be diverted onto north/southbound residential streets.
The articles listed below suggest the kinds of problems the St. Paul proposal will create. It is noteworthy that the St. Paul Council members in whose districts Ayd Mill is located oppose the Mayor’s Plan.
Carter Pitches Green Option for crumbling Ayd Mill Road
By James Walsh Star Tribune | AUGUST 26, 2019
Article Excerpt:
…Lisa Raduenz, a Macalester-Groveland resident, vehemently disagrees.
Raduenz has worked for 30 years in transportation services and as a transit planner. She says the proposal is short on analysis and would be downright dangerous for bicyclists on Ayd Mill and neighboring streets that will fill with diverted traffic.
The Villager Reports, in an Aug 29 Facebook post:
"St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has proposed narrowing Ayd Mill Road from four lanes to two as part of a planned mill and overlay project on the 1.5-mile city street. Included in his proposed 2020 city budget, the $5.2 million project would replace the two traffic lanes currently headed north with new pedestrian and bike trails.
Though the change was hailed by the St. Paul Bicycle Coalition and those who are concerned about the effects of carbon emissions on climate change, the redesign has been criticized by those who believe it would cause traffic backups on Ayd Mill Road and force drivers onto neighboring streets. Carter’s plan has also received a mixed response from the three City Council members whose wards abut Ayd Mill Road. For the full story, see the August 28 issue of the Villager."...