Minneapolis, MN
Can I make a turn if there’s a bus-only lane? Here is when it’s legal.
Lanes reserved exclusively for transit buses first appeared on Minneapolis streets about seven years ago as part of a pilot, but are now commonplace on some of the city’s busiest streets.
The lanes painted in red — officially called Transit Priority Lanes — allow city buses to drive in their space and theoretically improve travel times by not having to mingle with other traffic.
You’ll find them on 7th Street in downtown Minneapolis and on segments of Chicago, Hennepin and Lyndale avenues south of downtown. They have been added to a good portion of Lake Street where Metro Transit’s B-Line operates, and on parts of Hennepin and 1st avenues in northeast where the new E rapid transit line will run starting in December. And they arrived in the east metro along much of the Gold Line, the rapid transit line running from downtown St. Paul to Woodbury.
With the network of Transit Priority Lanes expanding, Drive reader Steve Brandt asked about making a turn onto a street marked with one of those bright-red-painted lanes.
“I was taught that when making a left or right turn, one should turn into the nearest lane,” he asked the Drive in an email. “When making a right turn onto a street where the nearest lane is a red bus-only lane, legally should I turn into that lane or the nearest lane to the left of that?”
Similar to interacting with bike lanes marked in green, motorists may use bus-only lanes to make a right turn at an intersection when the lane is designated with a sign permitting the movement, said Pete Hosmer, who runs A+ Driving School headquartered in White Bear Lake.
Bus lanes are painted solid red, but just like bike lanes marked in green, they will have a broken or hashed markings designating the spot where drivers can legally enter the lane to make a right turn.
Signs that say “Buses and right turn only” are often posted to let motorists know it’s fine to do so, said Matt Moseley, supervisor of driving programs at AAA Minneapolis.
The scene of the crash at 26th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced for her role in a deadly crash that killed two women and injured two other people in December 2024.
READ MORE: Minneapolis woman charged in fatal high-speed crash faces additional charges
Woman sentenced in fatal Minneapolis crash
Big picture view:
Prosecutors say Teniki Steward drove a Buick Enclave into a bus shelter and a Ford Explorer after speeding through a red light.
Both of the women in the Ford Explorer died in the crash. They were identified as 53-year-old Ester Jean Fulks and 57-year-old Rose Elaine Reece.
During the crash, the Ford Explorer went off the road, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was waiting for a school bus.
The passenger in Steward’s vehicle also suffered injuries.
Minneapolis police said that Steward was also injured in the crash.
Steward pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
What they’re saying:
During the sentencing, the daughter of one of the victims had a statement read on her behalf:
“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for the moment your entire world is taken from you. Losing my mom has left a pain in my heart that words will never be able to explain.”
What’s next:
Minnesota law requires that Steward serves at least two-thirds of her sentence, a bit under eight-and-a-half years, in prison.
Fatal Emerson and 26th crash
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, through surveillance videos from the scene of the crash and witnesses, investigators learned that Steward, driving the Buick Enclave, had been driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Emerson Avenue North.
Before the fatal crash, Steward sped through the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, running a red light and nearly causing a crash, the charges said.
Steward then continued to speed northbound down Emerson Avenue North, and ran another red light at 26th Avenue North, hitting the Ford Explorer, which was traveling eastbound, according to the complaint.
The Ford Explorer had been at the intersection of Emerson and 26th on a green light.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared the following statement:
“This was an egregious act that took Rose and Esther’s lives and injured a child waiting to go to school at a bus stop. Ms. Steward was driving at extremely dangerous speeds on city streets and narrowly avoided multiple collisions before the incident occurred. Third-degree murder charges are appropriate to hold her accountable and protect our community.”
The Source: This story uses information gathered from an Olmsted County court appearance and previous FOX 9 reporting.
A motorcyclist is dead after an early morning crash in Minneapolis Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that at 1:20 a.m., a Suzuki Motorcycle going north on I-35W at Johnson Street hit the left side of the median guard rail.
The motorcycle continued north for about another quarter mile before coming to a rest on the right-hand side.
State Patrol said the rider came to rest on the left shoulder. He was later identified as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Spartans boys volleyball team played its second game on consecutive nights. The Spartans beat Minneapolis Camden 3-0.
Rochester’s next game will be Tuesday, April 21, at St. Anthony Village at 7:00 p.m.
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