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"I commuted to work by bike from Como Park to the University (Mpls) for 13 years (until 2020 when I started working from home) and felt perfectly safe using the bike lane. I followed the rules of the road. When they built the new off road bike lanes I was very disappointed. What are the rules now? Are we supposed to stop at every intersection and yield to cars? Do drivers know to stop for us? When traveling westbound I'm on the wrong side of the road, drivers aren't looking for me coming from the wrong direction! Why make drivers MORE resentful of bikers? To remove beautiful, healthy trees to make room for more off street bike lanes is ridiculous, most real bikers don't want it."

"Please, to those with the City making or influencing the decision on the bike trail, read these many testimonials. They are obviously heartfelt and sincere. Cut down already are all the trees on both sides of Summit just east of Farrington, not far from the Hill mansion. This belies what will happen in further proceeding with this trail. Dear City-please do not take further posture against this area of the City. Please be its guardian. Each of us should appreciate maintaining the beauty of the Avenue’s trees and breadth of its green boulevards, and how we need more, not less, of such. Instead, refurbish and beautify this Avenue and campaign to all our citizens how they should go and take a walk or bicycle on this jewel-that it is there to enjoy!"

"Please don’t kill our trees!!"

"As a Minnesota Master Naturalist I am opposed to the destruction of mature shade trees and appalled at the callous disregard for the impact of removing yet more of the urban tree canopy. Obviously three years of drought which has severely impacted our heat island Twin Cities has not sufficiently opened the eyes of our city leaders who should have climate change at the top of their list when considering any alterations to our natural environment in the city."

"For the future of our community we need to protect and save our urban forests. No bike trial or street maintenance should be a priority in our city development."

"This is just a bizarre project. Choosing THIS historic, tree-lined area for a massive bike lane project (compared to other potential options) feels like the height of irresponsibility. I feel a little hopeless about it because there is such strong support from the Mayor and City Council that seems to be totally at odds with the people who will be most affected by these changes.. and just the public in general. To our governing officials I would just say there are other ways to leave your legacy without ruining the character of a beautiful historic area and taking out hundreds of trees in the process. Thank you."

"keep summit how it is. there are already bike lanes on the street"

"Don’t F’n screw up our street."

"This beautiful street was a "must see" landmark during my recent trip to Minnesota. It was such a peaceful, immensely beautiful place to visit. I'm soooooo glad I made the time to enjoy a stroll down this picturesque avenue. I hope it's current beauty (with the existing tree canopy) will be preserved."

"Looking into the SOS campaign I found an article claiming disinformation & was incredibly disappointed to see the “promises” they were claiming. Expanding the street by 3ft on each side will entirely degrade the historical & beautification integrity of Summit Avenue, changing the street forever."

"I’ve lived in St. Paul for 70 years. This is the dumbest and most short sighted administration I’ve ever witnessed."

"I'll volunteer and want email updates. The software didn't allow me to tick the boxes. You may remember Cleveland Avenue's deforestation. Three trees older than the State of Minnesota were killed, along with over a hundred other trees. Some young trees were planted without any ongoing care planned or paid for. Instead, nearby RESIDENTS are asked to water. You can bet Summit will face the same. Can't check the box, but feel free to use this as a testimonial & wail of dispair!"

"How can reconstruction of a street be done in the 80s, 90s and 2019; not destroy the curb lines or the historic street? But then 2023 we have to completely destroy the street and make it bigger and wider so the city of St. Paul can work on it; kill almost 1000 trees. Then make it smaller; put a bike path on. And St. paul is the only city that needs to do that in the whole wide world? I’m not an engineer and I’m feeling really stupid about this and, I know I ask really dumb questions. This is what it sounds like to me."

"It would be shameful to to implement the proposed changes. Don’t fix something that isn’t broken."

"The Idea of spending a 100 million for 5 miles of street - is absurd to begin with on top of that the tree survey the city did is a joke. I talked to young guy who was surveying the trees he had no idea of what he was looking at. Adding insult to injury Saint Paul - Summit Ave is a palatial street and is full of shade trees that help us get through the hot summers and it will never be the same after the city butchers the trees and infrastructure. All in the name of a safer bike path. Quite frankly I drive the river road and I see few bikers useing it in summer and even less in winter -“ what is this? ‘Build it and they will come’ and many bikers never use the bike path they ride on the narrow River Road ! So in addition to this mammoth amount of money the city gets to spend they add insult to injury and have add another 12 million To creat the bike path. It’s a monumental waste of money that will ruin Summit for ever. Finally is there nothing that is more pressing in the city such hungry homeless people or perhaps cutting the nickel and dime charges the city assesses year in and year out , or how better equipped youth centers and playgrounds with pools for children to use when it’s hot - When a city is spending this kind of money it should be by referendum - it’s our money regardless of where the get it. We the citizens should decide - not the city council - That city council has to go ! Period - fed up Stephen"

"It makes no sense to tear down trees to support greener travel- there are other ways to accomplish this on other streets. The money for this could be going to food inequality or education instead of the 1% who bike."

"I don't even live in St Paul and haven't been down Summit for years. I am staying in the neighborhood temporarily. I recently drove down Summit and remembered how beautiful it is. Much more enjoyable than Minnehaha Parkway. There were people walking, biking, enjoying the lovely atmosphere. Why in the world would you change it?"

"I so angry that city is going ahead with there destructive plan to cut trees for a bike land we don t need - This kind stupidity needs to be challenged in court and at the very least there should be on a referendum. I’m sick and tired of the city government making decisions out of hand like this to destroy such a beautiful forested street ! Stephen sugarman"

"No to disturbing Summit Ave such a beautiful and unique feature of our city. Leave those trees alone!!"

"Please save our history and our trees! (Anybody heard of our climate crisis? Trees keep us cool!)"

"The beauty of the historic summit hill area should be preserved for the residents and the people of the twin cities to see! Newer bike routes and upgrades are unwanted and unnecessary."

"I agree with ALL the other messages about Summit Avenue being a historical treasure. I've seen places where a dedicated raised bike path works beautifully well. But Summit IS NOT THE PLACE to do that. I love biking, but to me it would be a crime to diminish the character of this very special street. As an aside, I drive Lyft and picked up a passenger yesterday from Bryant Avenue in Minneapolis. There is an AMAZING 2-lane raised bike path that was installed there. The problem is that the street itself is now significantly non-functional. It is not a big street, so currently there is not room for snow plow trucks, garbage trucks, etc. (emergency vehicles too?). The passenger told me they planned to widen the narrow aprons where the road narrows, but also said that larger trucks would still need to drive over the curbs. It sounds totally crazy too me. He also mentioned that he works at a hardware store and that foot traffic is down 30 to 40 percent due to the street changes."

"Nothing about what the city plans to do will help in any way. Summit is so important to our history, and so are the precious trees that line the avenue."

"I’m not sure why the city would want to change this street? Parking, Biking, Jogging, Walking, Sitting, and Enjoying the homes have always been perfect. The relaxed parking that you can do on summit also allows for motivational thoughts and creativity to flow within my mind. Since I have had a vehicle in times where I was between a rock and a hard place it has always been a place where I can think clearly and come up with ideas that will help me out of my current situation. Please don’t change this street for all of those in the inner city that rely on its motivation to help them in life. I was raised in East Saint Paul and we did not have the thoughts of plenty on our minds so for me summit became a source of motivation."

"Please don’t take away trees and habitat for animals. It’s not only summer residents who depend on Summit Avenue as it is now people come from everywhere to enjoy it. We should not be taking down trees, especially at this time when we need them so much to reduce carbon dioxide in our air."

"I lived on Selby for many years some years back. My husband and I were in town visiting for the weekend and drove around reminiscing and enjoying the beautiful area we love and miss so dearly. Upon learning of the cities plan for Summit I was saddened and horrified. I don't understand how this is a benefit, and actually think it would be detrimental. Living in Des Moines, I am witness to a similar project on Ingersoll Ave that no one but the city wanted. It's currently in Phase III and has now even prior supporters are questioning the plan, calling it a colossal mistake. It was supposed to make the area more pedestrian and biker friendly, but the site lines for traffic are horrible and they took away so much parking that anyone who doesn't live in the area can't go anyway because you can't park. I never see bicyclists using the area, it's made a mess for traffic, and it's hard to frequent the shops and restaurants because you can't park. I actually avoid it over other destinations because it's so messy. I would hate to see the beauty of Summit ruined by this proposal. You have my support in disagreeing to it and I wish you luck in getting it stopped!"

"We need to be concerned about the safety of pedestrians and children with a high speed bike path crossing over each street intersection and in front of homes. I almost died from a cyclist in Amsterdam when I was a tourist pedestrian enjoying the sights and scenes of the old town. I never thought this could happen to me while walking the promenade of Summit Avenue."

"Save the trees"

"I have been a landscape architect for more than 30 years. This plan is the most inappropriate and insensitive bike plan I have ever seen. It will be incredibly ugly. It will destroy the visual and architectural character on one the most intact historic parkways in the country. If it I was to be implemented it could mean the loss of the historic district and avenue designations which could eliminate the availability of historic grants and tax deductions and credits. Environmentally it is a travesty to propose to remove so many treasured mature trees which provide shade within the urban heat island, help infiltrate, storm water, absorb CO2, and provide habitat for birds in addition to being beautiful. The idea of the bridges and elevated sections is absurd. There are hundreds of miles of trails in the metro that provide long stretches of trail with only minimal road crossings so there is no need to try to force that on Summit Avenue. There is already lots of this opportunity nearby with most of the bike lanes along the Mississippi in St. Paul having long stretches of separate bike paths so there is no need for more on Summit. Often times I see tall out of the way bike bridge overpasses that people avoid and just cross at the street level because it easier, faster and more direct. They are often infrequently used and not a good use of public funding. The city should drop the entire plan immediately and stop wasting tax payers money. City taxes went up 12% forcing people to having to move out of the city because of ever increasing taxes. It hits long time residents very hard as they transition to retirement and have less income. I don’t know who came up with this awful idea but I certainly don’t want my tax dollars to keep paying the employees or the manager responsible for this proposed travesty.. Time to clean house - they should no longer be employed by the city. Any consultants that were paid for this proposed disaster should be sued to recover the money for such unprofessional work. I know I won’t be voting for the mayor or my council member again unless they put an immediate stop to this nonsense! I used to work for Met Council Regional Parks. It sound like this still needs their approval. The Parks and Open Space Commission and the full Council should absolutely reject this idea. Using any state or regional dollars to destroy Summit Avenue should not happen! There are so many better ways to spend those limited funds to provide environmental sensitive and appropriate parks, trails and open space. Unfortunately we have an unelected Met Council and Parks and Open Space Commission appointment by the Governor, which often appear to be selected more base on campaign contributions and connections to the Governor than any expertise in the Council’s main responsibilities of Wastewater treatment, Transit and Parks and Open Space. So pressure on them has to be applied through the Governor and legislators. They should be held accountable to preserving Summit Avenues and putting an immediate stop to this horrible proposal to destroy the current beloved character of Summit. If there are some needed and modest and sensitive ways to make safety improvements for bikers they could be considered but my faith in the city’s judgement certainly has been fritter diminished by this hot mess!"

"Summit Avenue is a beautiful street here in Saint Paul and we must do everything to preserve this historic street with victorian mansions."

"The bike lane plan is deeply flawed, and not supported by those who will be forced to endure the outcome as it currently stands. This has become a class issue as well- in tune with the embedded divisiveness that is so characteristic of the absence of useful dialogue in these troubled times.. My hope is that reason will prevail and that this profoundly misconceived and destructive design will not be actualized!"

"I have ridden my bike up and down Summit Avenue for the last 55 years and in spite of trying biking lanes all over the United States and Europe it’s still my favorite and I hope you will never change it. New bigger bike lanes are really not needed and taking away any of the beautiful trees would be a crime. Elizabeth strouse."

"The beauty and history of Summit Ave nue belongs to everyone in the state."

"A biker AND tree lover my whole life. I am embarrassed that I belong to a group that proposes such environmental destruction. This plan is a travesty — bikers and trees can co-exsist. Bikers have no right to destroy trees for what is basically a vanity project."

"I am new to the area, and my wife and I love to walk along Summit Ave. and around the neighborhood. This is a truly special place. The proposed trail plan is a complete desecration of this historic district. The tree canopy is vital for the beauty of the area, and to lose that alone would be a travesty for the neighborhood. There are already bike lanes in place, and any safety concerns ought to be met with better safety regulations, not construction plans. It is inconceivable to me how this city council could gaze placidly at the streets they are about to destroy and sign off on this brazenly destructive project. It will bring down the entire neighborhood irrevocably--a truly mindless and tragic act. The city should treasure these streets, not strip them of everything that makes them beautiful and desirable."

"We are feeling embarrassed to live in this city as of late. The lack of respect for nature alone is unsettling. Heartbreaking. Just the tip of the many issues in St. Paul iceberg."

"As a frequent visitor to Minnesota with Summit and Grand always included in the places to visit this is like news from the Twilight Zone. Can hardly believe it! The people in charge of this fiasco needs to hear from every Minnesotan and visitor to the area that the trees must be preserved! This plan is so destructive. In a world worried about climate change cutting down trees is a bizarre action. Trees protect the earth providing Oxygen and they eat up Carbon Dioxide preventing global warming. Plus they beautify the earth. Such a foolish thing to do! St. Paul’s precious tax dollars will drop like a rock as these homes will drop in value!"

"This is part of our states history that must remain available. Changing the current layout wether it be cutting down trees or removing anything of historical weight is something we cannot undo. Summit is part of field trips for kids and memories for thousands of people. It’s part of who and what the metro is. It’s one spot that hasn’t been ripped up prematurely under the promise of “improving the space”. Please protect this area. It’s one of a kind and so important to so many."

"Dear City of St. Paul, Please stop cutting down trees and adding more impermeable surfaces! My kids and I bike along much of Summit Ave. during busy traffic times, and the bike path/lane is entirely sufficient. Other bicyclists pass us frequently with no problem. Please do not create "need" where there is none and thereby ruin one of our most beautiful places to bike. Thank you, Melanie Kleiss"

"Please leave our cherished Summit Avenue alone. It already added designated bicycle lanes decades ago. The minority of bicycle riders should not be controlling the street for everyone else, at the expense of millions of dollars that should be spent elsewhere--like properly plowing and clearing streets in the winter, and fixing the horrific number of potholes left in winter's wake--quantity and quality the worst I've ever seen in my many years of living, working, and travelling in town; should invest in ShotSpotter technology to help curb rampant crime, and save lives; invest in retention and recruitment of police and other emergency services. Thank you"

"What does that do for other Historic Sites in the twin cities. Is the word “Historic” out the window?"

"There are so many critical issuesin this massive project that are still unresolved, to say nothing of the hubris found in the City’s assurances that the extensive impacts will be minimal on virtually everything! Start with the tree loss (indeed a revolting decision during an already devastating Ash problem) with independent Arborists giving a totally different opinion that flies in the face of the City’s “assumptions.” Indeed, this is just one critical issue that is certainly not resolved with any degree of trust. Add to that the traffic calming assumptions that, again, are wholly disputed. Or, the City’s assurances that to properly/timely maintain a unique bike path when we already have enormous issues with even the most basic street maintenance situations- especially snow removal. Or, the quick assurances that “studies show” how to mitigate the parking problems that will arise….Or, that the impact to neighbors, driveways, merchants, and the MASSIVE expense this project entails are both relatively easily resolved and that the end product will be so much better! The overwhelming enthusiasm the City departments have made for this project against the well researched and contrary views echo past initiatives that ran shallow and proved to be incredibly inaccurate. These issues all demand a prudent halt in going forward. Indeed, the unintended consequences of this project are manifest, and I find the paternalistic response from the City’s staffers that assure us this is “the vision for the next 50 years….and the future “ (as if they alone have the prescience to properly foresee what we will need), along with their absolute assurances that the significant problems/obstacles this project faces will be resolved with minor impacts and cannot be even remotely relied upon, especially with their attitude that this is a “done deal.” Finally, I have had dozens of out-of-town guests from historic neighborhoods in Charleston, Savannah, San Francisco, Boston, Richmond, New Orleans, and more - and ALL think Summit is absolutely beautiful, and a showcase for the City. And most important, I have reviewed the general plans of the Summit project with these people, and every one was against the plan. Some thought it was “ridiculous to even consider, especially to create a BIKE PATH…” Others thought it “myopic in thinking the City knows what the public and your visitors enjoy.” While another said “ it’s pure folly to dramatically change such a beautiful parkway….and at a prohibitive cost…..Surely the City is doing this so as to avoid the basic street maintenance cost while latching on to other government funding.” Independent input is worth considering. Surely there are more pressing issues and needs the City should focus on!"

"As a bicyclist, I want to preserve the natural beauty of Summit Avenue and have no tree loss. Thanks, Leo C"

"DO NOT wreck Minnesota's most historical avenue! The avenue represents important history in the deveopment of St. Paul and Minnesota. The avenue is much more important than bike lanes and I have son who is an avid biker who agrees! Do not be known as the regime that killed Summit avenue. You will NEVER get it back!"

"DO NOT CHANGE SUMMIT AVENUE! It is a historical street which should be protected at all costs. I have gone to school, worked and lived in St. Paul for over 90 years. Summit Avenue has stood the test of time as other areas of the city have been "redevelped" again and again losing historical significance and value to the citizens of St. Paul and Minnesota. P.S. My grandson often bikes on Summit Avenue and doesn't see a need for more bike lanes!"

"Please don’t cut down any more trees. Summit Avenue was beautiful the way it is."

"For YEARS, the city council has been deciding issues LONG before they get public comment. It has to stop!! The City spent over $1 million on a bike lane on Jefferson Ave, which is less than a mile from Summit Ave. I have seen about 8 bikers TOTAL using this lane on Jefferson. The City also spent who-knows-how-much money to put a bike lane on Hamline south of Randolph Ave. I have yet to see a biker there. I'm all for biking but feel like bikers can certainly find routes to connect them to where they'd like to go. The City NEEDS to listen to its citizens BEFORE deciding."

"Riding along beautiful, historic Summit avenue is a highlight of our city., but somis walking and driving. Let's figure out a better way to preserve this iconic avenue, while at the same time accommodating bikes safely. There's got to be a better way than the current plan, which puts too many Summit Avenue highlights in jeopardy. Let's not let the funding timeline force us into something that isn't ideal. It's been 100 years in the making. Take the time we need to get it right for the next 100."

"I am appalled to think that there are thoughts of taking down one of the most wonderful historic streets in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Please save it How can you even think of destroying history? It’s a travesty!"