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Ethan Fawley

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commenter for
1 year 1 week

Recent Comments

Posted on 02/20/13 at 10:51 pm in response to Why motorists get so angry at cyclists — a psychologist's theory

When I'm biking, I interact with people driving much more than when I'm driving--the good and the bad interactions. I've never had anyone ask me for directions while I've been driving, but that has happened a number of times while biking. People smile at me much more when I'm biking than when I'm driving. And, yes, people get angry at me more when I'm biking than when I drive (even though I'm a safe, lawful person when biking).

To me this says that I'm just more accessible when I'm...

Posted on 01/08/13 at 03:47 pm in response to How cycling can be dangerous to your health

It is strange--and disappointing--that the personal health benefits of biking are mostly ignored in this article.

A 2010 report called "Do The Health Benefits Of Cycling Outweigh The Risks?" concluded:
"On average the estimated health benefits of cycling were substantially larger than the
risks of cycling relative to car driving. For the society as a whole this can be even
larger as there will be a reduction in air pollution emissions and eventually less traffic...

Posted on 08/10/12 at 03:01 pm in response to Neighborhood ‘walkability’ a big deal now, even though it’s tricky to measure

Minneapolis has a long way to go to be "ultra-bike-friendly." It has a great trail system, but most roads with lots of destinations (Hennepin Ave, Lyndale, Lake, Washington, Central, Broadway, etc.) have poor bike access for the 98% of people who don't like sharing a lane with fast-moving cars. And the priority on nearly ever road is moving cars as fast a possible. Minneapolis does well for a US city, but that's just in comparison to the majority of places where biking has been pushed aside...

Posted on 07/27/12 at 01:40 pm in response to Where are Minnesota’s most crash-prone intersections?

I find it disappointing that there is little mention of safety challenges for people walking and biking. That's a particular problem with Snelling, and has led to a current study that MnDOT and St. Paul are doing on ways to improve it.

MnDOT has previously done analysis of the worst stretches for walking and biking safety, which could be an interesting follow up. Unfortunately, that study doesn't get at part of the problem with roads like Snelling--many people would rather just drive...

Posted on 07/27/12 at 01:45 pm in response to Where are Minnesota’s most crash-prone intersections?

Let's not forget that Governor Dayton told MnDOT to make the bridge happen. Sure, MnDOT took the bridge in the wrong direction for decades, but just as they seemed to be open to a new course, Dayton--their boss--told them to build the bridge. And now there certainly is a problem because of MnDOT's $300m+ portion of the bridge and impact that has on being able to address problems elsewhere.

Posted on 06/07/12 at 05:31 pm in response to When it comes to public subsidies, Twin Cities light rail seems a bargain

Most transit is a very worthwhile investment with a high return and good cost-benefit. And the "subsidies" argument against transit is certainly strongly overstated given the subsidies for roads you mention.

The average Minnesota household "subsidized" roads $950 a year during that period in general taxes. The statewide average road spending per vehicle mile driven from 2004-2008 was 6.8 cents--half of which came from property taxes, sales taxes, and bonding that isn't covered by "...