I was at a Minneapolis advisory committee meeting yesterday and we started talking about Nicollet Mall. Nicollet Mall is in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, a few blocks from my perch on the 19th Floor. It’s supposed to be our city’s version of a pedestrian mall but it’s really not designed as such. It does have wide sidewalks and most street traffic is prohibited, except for buses. That’s one problem right there. Nicollet Mall has a lot of restaurants with sidewalk cafes. One of the pleasures of living in Minneapolis during the spring and summer is sitting outside on the Mall with friends. Until a bus comes rumbling down the street, temporarily drowning out any conversation and adding a lovely diesel aftertaste to the food. And the sidewalk cafes don’t leave much room to navigate with a wheelchair. There have been times when I’ve completely stopped pedestrian traffic on a whole block because I’m trying to squeeze between a table and a light post. If I had the Mayor’s ear, I’d tell him to get rid of the street and make the whole Mall one big sidewalk. That’s what I really liked about Lincoln Mall in Miami. No vehicle traffic and plenty of room to walk. Minneapolis shouldn’t try to imitate Miami, but the Mall’s design doesn’t currently support its image as an urban thoroughfare for pedestrians.
