City Parks and Recreation Department Project website – https://engagestpaul.org/summit
Summit Avenue Regional Trail Plan
- To build a new paved bike trail separated from the roadway. The trail will be up to 12 feet wide taking boulevard, trees and/or street parking.
- To run from Kellogg Blvd to Mississippi River Blvd
- The goal is to connect other Regional Trails to the Mississippi Trail
- Current schedule:
- Finalize Plan – June 2022; City Council vote – Fall 2022
- Pushing for quick approval to be added to the planned road maintenance on Summit between Lexington and Victoria in 2023
- Proponents claim current bicycle usage on Summit is about 1 bike per min
- 800 – 1000 per day using a ~15-hour window during warm months calculates to 0.88 – 1.1 bicyclist per minute
- Proponents also claim it will be maintained for year-round use
Questions and Objections
- Why is connecting Regional Trails taking precedence over preserving the character of Summit Avenue, which is the longest stretch of Victorian Architecture in the nation?
- Why aren’t other routes being considered?
- Trails already can connect to the Mississippi Trail via Shepard Road
- Wouldn’t more frequent road & existing bike path maintenance improve the safety for both vehicle drivers and bike path users?
- Wouldn’t this be a less expensive option?
- The claimed daily average bicycle usage numbers are an exaggeration. This rate of use cannot be observed on Summit, much less for a daily average.
- What is the plan to maintain such a trail? Where would the ongoing funding come from?
- Based on how well St. Paul plows its side streets, it is unlikely that snow will be removed from this paved bike trail sufficient for year-round bike use.
Postcard Flyer
Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association (SARPA) website’s info on project