Call

Blog

Law
02

Blog

Our Streets: Ash Narayanan

As a Minneapolis-based attorney, I live, work, play and bike in the city. Although my city might be known for its lakes and our infamous Juicy Lucy, Minneapolis’ dedication to having safer streets for all should be included in that list.

To reach the safe streets goal, numerous non-profit organizations and groups are working tirelessly behind the scenes. One of these groups is Our Streets Minneapolis. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Our Streets Minneapolis Executive Director, Ashwat (Ash) Narayanan.

Ash graciously shared his thoughts about bike transportation in the city, as well as the Vision Zero plan. One thing’s for sure—we can all learn a thing or two about his passion and dedication to the cycling community.

A Passion for Transportation Fueled by Community Need

Before moving to the United States, Ash lived in India. Millions of people there all rely on transportation. With so many people per area, transportation is rather unique when compared to the U.S. It was also a big part of Ash’s life and soon became his focus.

Ash realized that most programs or initiatives may have included cycling, but they didn’t include safe areas for pedestrians or individuals requiring wheelchair access. He believed that community and transportation initiatives as a whole needed to change. That’s where his advocacy began.

An Advocate for Transportation for All

Ash’s advocacy for safe transportation for everyone began before he became the Executive Director of Our Streets Minneapolis. Previously, he was the Director of Transportation Policy at 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, a statewide non-profit dedicated to building healthy communities through better land use. He advocated for moving funding away from major highway projects to better support local projects.

Now, Ash focuses on advocating for safe streets for all people who use them, including those who bike, walk and roll. According to Ash, “It’s my goal to bring inclusivity to the forefront and see justice in transportation.” He also currently serves on the MnDOT Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council.

Here is an example of Ash’s vision for Our Streets:

Our Streets Minneapolis & the Vision Zero Initiative

Ash also shared his thoughts on the Our Streets’ initiatives regarding the Minneapolis Vision Zero plan:

“Our Streets supports the Vision Zero goal to reach zero traffic deaths and serious injuries. We also agree that this goal is critical to making Minneapolis an easy, comfortable place for people to bike, walk and roll. We also commend the city’s emphasis on using a data-driven approach to addressing racial and income disparities in traffic crashes and their focus on streets with the most crashes.”

Ash and the Our Streets Minneapolis organization do have some concerns about whether Minneapolis will be able to reach their goal. These concerns are centered on three areas:

Funding

Street ownership

Enforcement

Funding

Our Streets Minneapolis believes that the current funding amount isn’t enough. Yet, they’re excited about the increase in funds recently budgeted for 2021. Says Ash,

“The first year of Vision Zero was funded at only $100,000. The mayor’s draft 2021 budget includes $1 million for Vision Zero. We’ve supported the city’s efforts here by asking our network to tell their council members to support increased funding for Vision Zero.”

Street Ownership

In Minneapolis, streets are owned and operated by many different entities, including the city, Hennepin County, MnDOT and the Parks Board. Unfortunately, many of the streets with the most crashes are owned by Hennepin County, meaning the city doesn’t have control over what happens on them.

To help combat this threat to the Vision Zero goal, Our Streets is advocating on behalf of these streets: “Another way we’re supporting Vision Zero efforts is through our advocacy to improve county-owned streets in Minneapolis.”

Enforcement

For any initiative, enforcement is always in question. In fact, many Vision Zero plans in the U.S. rely heavily on police or automated enforcement as a street safety measure. Our Streets believes there’s a better way.

“We oppose police and automated traffic enforcement because it amplifies racial disparities. Re-designing streets is a more effective way to make streets safer. The city’s Vision Zero Action Plan includes evaluating a traffic enforcement division for MPD. We oppose this and have advocated strongly against it.”

Together We Can Make Minneapolis a Safe Place for All Who Use Our Streets

No matter the challenge, through the advocacy of people like Ash and organizations like Our Streets, Minneapolis can become a safer place for all who use our streets. The goal can only be accomplished by all of us banding together for the cause.

Have you been in an accident on a Minneapolis city street? You have support. Just send me a message or give my law firm, Brazil Law Group, a call.

 

Comments

Charlie Thomas Nov 08, 2024

A gap in Texas law is allowing some drivers who hit people in crosswalks to get off scot-free, despite recently passed legislation meant to address the issue. It’s called the Lisa Torry Smith Act and was passed in 2021. This law requires drivers to “stop and yield” to pedestrians, bicyclists, and anyone else legally using […]

Read More
Bike lawyer rides her bike in Charlotte, NC
Ann Groninger Jun 21, 2024

Bike Law lawyer hassled by a driver for riding in the lane. Why, because she was trying to take a left turn!

Read More
E-BIKE LAWS. ARE THEY LEGAL?
Ann Groninger Apr 04, 2024

Love them or hate them, e-bikes continue to rise in popularity. At the same time, lawmakers struggle to keep up with the developing technologies. Every week I get multiple inquiries from people trying to navigate North Carolina’s e-bike laws. If you’re confused, you’re not alone.  We could easily fill a book with all the latest […]

Read More
Ann Groninger Jan 04, 2024

Many of our cycling clients find themselves having to interact with the criminal justice system. Typically, it’s because the driver who hits them (or their family member) is charged with a crime or traffic offense. Occasionally bicyclists themselves are charged with traffic offenses! Every state’s criminal laws are different, but there is a lot of […]

Read More
Bike Crash Road Defect Georgia
Peter Wilborn Jun 14, 2023

We recently shared the story of a trial victory from the State of Texas where a bicyclist was injured due to a defect in a road maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation. Texas Road Defect   We now can tell the story of another huge win in a road defect case, this time from […]

Read More
Road defect dangerous to cyclists
Charlie Thomas Mar 14, 2023

Recently, attorneys with the Bike Law network took a case to a trial against a titan of a defendant: the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT was represented by the Attorney General’s Office, one of Texas’ largest legal teams. We had a great client, but it was a tough case to prove. So tough, in fact, […]

Read More
bike path charlotte
Ann Groninger Jan 13, 2023

  2023 got off to a rough start for Charlotte, North Carolina, particularly in the context of road safety. Within about a week, we lost a young woman who was riding her bicycle, a pedestrian killed in the same area of town, and four people were killed in a car wreck on I-85 in the […]

Read More
North Carolina Bike Crash
Ann Groninger Dec 06, 2022

Unless you’re a very recent follower of ours, you’ve heard us talk before about “contributory negligence.” To recap: “pure contributory negligence” is the law in North Carolina and only 3 other states (Alabama, Virginia, Maryland). In pure contributory negligence states, if a person is injured by someone else’s fault and the injured person contributes even […]

Read More
Is It Illegal to Ride Your Bike on the Sidewalk bikelaw
Peter Wilborn Aug 01, 2022

The laws dictating whether you can ride your bike on the sidewalk differ depending where you live. Different states have different laws on this matter, and local ordinances also vary. Let’s take a look at the legal framework behind various state laws related to cycling on sidewalks. The laws of sidewalk-riding can be very complicated […]

Read More
Load More