New Bike Boulevard among Projects Opening this Summer

By Hilary Reeves, Communications Director

Updated: June 3, 2014

 

Bicyclist on Stone Arch and Presidents’ Bike Boulevard in Northeast Minneapolis.

The federal Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP)—implemented locally under the name Bike Walk Twin Cities—was the brainchild of Minnesota’s longtime Congressman James Oberstar. Sadly, Oberstar died in May, but his vast legacy of accomplishments in transportation continues to expand. In the case of the Bike Walk Twin Cities (BWTC) pilot, there are several bike/ped improvement projects yet to open in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Richfield, and Fridley. Some of these new BWTC-funded routes will be opening in June and July:

• Fridley: Main Street bike and walk connections to Northstar commuter rail
• Saint Paul: Charles Avenue bikeway from Aldine to Park Street
• Minneapolis:  Stone Arch and Presidents’ Bike Boulevard in Northeast, from the Stone Arch Bridge to St. Anthony Boulevard
• Minneapolis:  Southern Connector, from East 24^th to East 60^th Street
• Minneapolis:  Bluff Street extension of the Dinkytown Greenway, from the west bank of Bridge 9 to the Minneapolis Riverfront, near Gold Medal Park

 

We’ll be profiling these exciting projects for you this summer. First up: a new route in Northeast Minneapolis!

 

Stone Arch and Presidents’ Bike Boulevard

Distance:  The Stone Arch and Presidents’ Bike Boulevard runs 3.6 miles from Stone Arch Bridge to St. Anthony Boulevard, along 6^th Avenue SE, across East Hennepin Avenue, then along Pierce, Fillmore, Polk, and Tyler Avenues NE. The route extends north along Tyler to 37^th Avenue NE.

 

Bike routes it connects to:  Mississippi River trails; bike lanes on University Avenue SE and 4^th Street SE; 5^th Street Bicycle Boulevard, 22^nd Avenue Bicycle Boulevard, St. Anthony Parkway (Grand Rounds). The Diagonal Trail is not far away. 

 

 

The Route: Stone Arch and Presidents’ Bike Boulevard, Northeast Minneapolis.

 

Notable infrastructure:

• Mini traffic circles at two intersections along the route
• Median at Polk Street NE and Lowry Avenue NE
• Stop-light detection for bicycles
• Overhead ped/bike flasher and crosswalk at Hennepin Avenue

 

The project includes new traffic circles at Fillmore and Spring and at Polk and 28th.

 

Things to watch out for:  The bicycle boulevard runs along Hennepin Avenue for a block to get between 5^th Street SE and Pierce Street NE. The crossing at Hennepin Avenue is not ideal, but the best solution that could be found for now, given the narrow road bed under railroad tracks. Bicyclists are instructed to ride along the north sidewalk of Hennepin Avenue. As noted above, there is an overhead flashing sign alerting motorists to yield to bikes and pedestrians in the crosswalk to 5^th Avenue SE. Hennepin Avenue is two lanes in both directions, so cyclists could choose to take one of these lanes.

 

 

Overhead flashing sign at East Hennepin crossing (note: crosswalk markings not yet added).

 

Amenities for people walking: There are sidewalks all along the route. The medians at Lowry make it easier to cross, whether you’re walking or riding your bicycle. The median is wide enough to wait in the middle for motorized traffic to clear. The overhead flasher at Hennepin also works for people walking.

 

The new median at Polk and Lowry improves crossing conditions for people on foot or in a wheelchair.

 

Why here?  This new bike boulevard provides a quiet, easy, flat, north-south route on the east side of Northeast Minneapolis. After it crosses Hennepin Avenue, the bicycle boulevard runs parallel to Central Avenue, which is packed with restaurants, shopping, and services. It is also parallel to and a few blocks west of Johnson Street NE, where there are businesses and restaurants (such as Sarah Jane’s Bakery and Hazel’s Northeast). The route runs very near several parks, including Beltrami Park, Northeast Athletic Fields, Deming Heights Park, and (across Central) Columbia Golf Club. It connects easily to restaurants and shopping in Nordeast and along Central Avenue (e.g., Holy Land, East Side Coop, Recovery Bike Shop), as well as (via 22^nd Avenue Bicycle Boulevard) the Northeast Library, Edison High School, and the Quarry.

 

Bus, Nice Ride, HOURCAR connections: There are Nice Ride Stations (seasonally) at 6^th Avenue SE and University Avenue (not far from the Stone Arch Bridge), at Hennepin and Central Avenues NE (in the Nordeast commercial district), and at 22^nd Avenue NE and Central Avenue NE. There are HOURCAR hubs in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood and at Mill and Main by Father Hennepin Park and St. Anthony Main.

Several Metro Transit routes intersect the bicycle boulevard, making bike-bus connections possible to places all over the metro. Bus routes cross the bicycle boulevard at:

• University and 4^th Street (several express routes and Route 6, serving U of M, Hennepin, Xerxes, France, and Southdale)
• 8^th Street SE (Route 2, serving Franklin Avenue, Riverside Avenue, U of M and 8^th Street SE; and Route 4, serving New Brighton, Johnson Street, Bryant Avenue, and Southtown)
• East Hennepin (Route 25, serving Northtown, Silver Lake, Stinson, Lake of the Isles and Route 61, serving E Hennepin Avenue, Larpenteur Avenue, Arcade Street)
• Broadway Street NE (Route 30, Broadway Crosstown and Raymond Avenue)
• Lowry Avenue (Route 32, Robbinsdale, Lowry Avenue, Rosedale)
• Nearby on Central Avenue (Route 10, Central Avenue, University Avenue, Northtown)

 

Route 10 and other easily accessible Metro Transit routes make it easy to combine bike and bus trips.

 

Project cost:  $335,570 (construction) + $116,930 (preliminary engineering) = $452,500

 

Expected completion:  We’ll look forward to riding the completed Stone Arch and Presidents’ Bike Boulevard by the end of June 2014. Hope to see you out there! 

 

 

Transportation Options Call for Volunteers

By Allison Osberg, MN Greencorps Member (TLC)

 

 

Transit for Livable Communities is embarking on a new, expanded Transportation Options program that addresses equity and empowerment in the realm of transportation—and you can be a part of this innovative program.

For the past year, we’ve been leading workshops for social service organizations interested in empowering the families they serve to address the high cost of getting around. The cost of transportation can be one of the highest expenses for working families, sometimes even more than housing.

 

This year, the Transportation Options program will be adding a new element of direct assistance to individuals. Volunteers within the Transportation Options program will become consultants who work one-on-one with the participants and clients at participating social service organizations.

 

We are looking to recruit transportation-savvy individuals interested in sharing their knowledge and experience in getting around without depending solely on a car. TLC will match each volunteer Transportation Options Consultant to a family or individual interested in trying multimodal transportation options in order to achieve greater economic self-sufficiency.

 

Consultants are essential in welcoming those families and individuals into the world of Transportation Options. They will serve as a key resource for navigating transit, bicycling, car sharing, and bike sharing systems and for developing a personalized route and routine. This is a great way to help other community members embrace greener, healthier, and more economical modes of transportation—and to benefit from mutual sharing and learning.

 

Transit for Livable Communities will provide training on program specifics and get volunteers up to speed on all transportation modes. We’ll also discuss healthy relationships and boundaries, cultural awareness, and proper safety. A needs-based stipend is available to eligible volunteers.

 

We are looking for volunteer consultants who:

 

• Understand the importance of transportation on an individual level
• Are confident and knowledgeable in their transportation options
• Understand the Twin Cities Metro Transit system
• Understand bicycles, their basic maintenance, how to ride them in traffic and in all seasons
• Understand how to use car sharing and bike sharing systems
• Are, or want to be, connected to their community and transportation resources
• Have a desire to learn from a neighbor and fellow commuter
• Can empathize with transportation as a difficulty and challenge (financially, physically, mentally)
• Are culturally competent and respectful to individuals of all backgrounds
• Will be in the Twin Cities for the next 6-9 months
• Show enthusiasm and excitement for the program

 

In addition, being a League Certified Instructor (LCI) of bicycle safety, multi-lingual, or having experience with low-income individuals is a big plus.

If you are interested, have questions, or want to apply to volunteer, contact Allison Osberg at allisono@tlcminnesota.org or 651-789-1403.

 

 

System Update: Rail, Bus, Bike, Walk

By Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

As planning for transit and active transportation continues to move forward in the Twin Cities metro region this spring, there are a number opportunities to get involved. Here are the latest developments on key projects and upcoming options for sharing your support and ideas:

 

Light Rail

 

Bottineau LRT. Also known as the Blue Line extension, this planned LRT line will connect downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park and could open as early as 2019. The draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which discusses this project’s purpose, need, alternatives, and impacts, is now available for public comment. We encourage you to attend upcoming public hearings and to share your support for Bottineau LRT and the many benefits of expanded transit options.

Get involved: Public Hearings, May 7, 8, 13, and 14. See details here. Send comments bottineau@co.hennepin.mn.us through May 29.

 

Source: bottineautransitway.org

 

Southwest LRT. In April, both the Southwest LRT Corridor Management Committee and the Metropolitan Council voted to advance this project with an alignment of shallow tunnels through the Kenilworth Corridor. Governor Dayton unambiguously has supported this alignment, saying, “It’s the only option for the line to go forward, and I support the line going forward.”

The Met. Council is now seeking municipal consent from Hennepin County and the five cities the line travels through: Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie. Stay tuned for details about public hearings in these communities. Minneapolis municipal consent is particularly contentious, with critical negotiations underway between the City, the Met. Council, and the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB). As Met. Council Chair Sue Haigh has stated, “Clearly, we’re not going to go forward with a project like this unless the biggest city in the region supports this project.”

Through this municipal consent process the Council is seeking approval on preliminary design plans, which show the footprint of the LRT line and its physical design components. Further engineering in 2014 and 2015 will provide greater details, such as station elements and landscaping features. 

Get involved: Joint Public Hearing, Thursday, May 29, 6 PM (Open House 5 PM). Hennepin County Government Center, Minneapolis. Hosts: Met. Council and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority. If you live in Minneapolis, please also contact your city council member and Mayor Hodges—ask them to move this project forward!

 

Future Transit Corridors

 

Gateway Corridor. The comment period on Gateway Corridor Scoping Study closed on April 16. The study narrowed the options for this corridor to bus rapid transit (BRT) or light rail transit, with alignments adjacent to Hudson Road connecting Woodbury to the Union Depot in Saint Paul. East Metro political leaders generally support BRT in a dedicated right-of-way. This approach would shorten travel times and preserve LRT as an option at some point in the future. The Gateway DEIS, now underway, is expected in early 2015. CTIB is seeking $5 million in state general obligation bonding for Gateway Corridor design, engineering, and project development.

Get involved: Tell Chair Stumpf you want bonding for the Gateway Corridor before the 2014 legislative session ends on May 19.

 

Bus Rapid Transit

 

A-Line Arterial Bus Rapid Transit. The Governor recommends $10 million for rapid bus service along Snelling Avenue/Ford Parkway in Saint Paul. This funding will pay for stations and shelters, new buses, and signal systems and technology to speed travel and provide real time travel information. With the proposed $10 million, the A Line will be fully funded and can stay on track to open in 2015.

Get involved: Tell Chair Stumpf you want bonding for the A-Line Corridor before the 2014 legislative session ends on May 19.

  Credit: Metro Transit

Orange Line BRT. The Governor recommends $7 million to purchase right-of-way and design a Lake Street Station on the Metro Orange Line BRT, which will travel on I-35W South between downtown Minneapolis and Burnsville. This new station will provide greatly improved bus connections on the highway and at Lake Street, modern bus station infrastructure, and bicycle and pedestrian connections to local streets and the Midtown Greenway. 

Get involved: Tell Chair Stumpf you want bonding for the Orange Line Corridor before the 2014 legislative session ends on May 19.

 

Red Rock BRT. In March, the Red Rock Corridor Commission voted to proceed with plans for bus rapid transit in this 30-mile corridor from Minneapolis to Hastings. CTIB is seeking $1 million in general obligation bonding to advance Red Rock design, engineering, and project development.

Get involved: Tell Chair Stumpf you want bonding for the Red Rock Corridor before the 2014 legislative session ends on May 19.

Local and Express Bus

 

Transportation Policy Plan. The Met. Council’s Transportation Policy Plan will lay out future priorities for transit (buses and trains) across the seven-county metro region. Two advisory groups (comprised of policymakers and agency staff) have been meeting for months to draft a plan for public review. Next it will be your turn to weigh in.

 

Route 30. New bus service connecting North Minneapolis and Nordeast opened March 10. The new route 30 bus also serves the Quarry shopping center on New Brighton Ave. and connects to University Ave. at the Green Line’s Raymond Station in Saint Paul.

Get involved: Ride the 30 to great destinations and stop off at the TLC to say hi!

 

Photo Credit: Eric Wheeler, Metro Transit (Flickr)

Bike/Walk Network

 

W. 36th St. Protected Bike Lane and Pedestrian Path. The City of Minneapolis is planning improvements on W. 36^th Street to provide a pedestrian and bicycle route between Lake Calhoun and Bryant Ave. Public outreach for this project began in the summer of 2012. A public meeting on May 8 provides an opportunity to review the project design concept and provide feedback before plans are finalized and construction begins this summer 2014.

Get involved: Public Meeting, Tuesday, May 6, 6-7 PM, Saint Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, Minneapolis.

 

Credit: City of Minneapolis

 

Hennepin County Bike Plan. The Hennepin County and Three Rivers Park District have worked to update the County’s Bike Plan to reflect comments made by city governments and the public concerning level of comfort, gaps in the current system, and design guidelines for bikeways. Public open house meetings in early May will discuss the draft plan. A finalized plan is expected late this summer 2014.

Get involved: Public Meeting, 4:30-7:30 PM. Wednesday, May 7, Minnetonka Community Center at City Hall, and Thursday, May 8, Central Library, Doty Board Room, Minneapolis. The May 8 event will cover both the Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan and the Hennepin County Bike Plan. 

 

Statewide Bicycle System Plan. Where do you feel comfortable biking? What destinations do you want to reach by bicycle? What highways affect your biking experience? How should our state prioritize biking improvements? MnDOT wants to know. Your input at a public workshop this month can inform the agency’s current work to develop the Statewide Bicycle System Plan.

Get involved: Public Workshops, 4-6 PM. Wednesday, May 14, Neighborhood House at Wellstone Center, Saint Paul, and Thursday, May 15, U of M Urban Research and Outreach Center (UROC), Minneapolis. Additional workshops in Greater Minnesota through May 8. An open house, 6-7 PM, follows each workshop.

 

North Minneapolis Greenway. The City of Minneapolis is exploring converting low-traffic streets in north Minneapolis to a greenway with a safe, accessible route for bicyclists and pedestrians. The proposed greenway route follows Irving and Humboldt Avenue N.

Get involved: Explore the proposed route during the North Minneapolis Greenway Open Streets event, Saturday, May 31, 10 AM - 4 PM. Through June 15, residents can take an online survey to weigh in on the proposed project.

 

Credit: Community Design Group

 

 

Living Car-Free & Car-Lite

By Allison Osberg, MN GreenCorps Member (TLC)

 

The first Transportation on Tap of 2014!

 

Can you imagine all your transportation costs for an entire year amounting to less than $100?

 

Ifrah Mansour, a panelist from our recent Transportation on Tap event, says she couldn’t see herself paying anything more.

 

For the commuter that relies heavily on a car, the $100 figure might be unthinkable, but for the panelists and much of the crowd at TLC’s discussion on car-free and car-lite living this month, it wasn’t a far-fetched reality. On the contrary, it was a reality some were already embracing.

 

Ifrah Mansour lives car-free in South Minneapolis.

 

Ifrah lives in South Minneapolis and has been car-free her whole life. “It’s very unheard of in my car-loving Somali community,” she explains. To get to work, school, and play, she makes her trips walking, biking, and occasionally busing.

 

Our second panelist, Jordan Olsen, a Saint Paul native, does own and use a car but has been bike commuting in Minneapolis year-round for the past five years. He pays more on transportation than Ifrah but only a small fraction of the AAA estimate ($9,122) to own and operate his vehicle each year. He estimates he spends about $1,500 annually—mostly on insurance.

 

Economics aren’t the only reason Ifrah and Jordan avoid relying solely on a car.

 

Traffic, parking, safety, and health all contribute to why Ifrah and Jordan stick with other transportation options—even in the coldest months. While they admit that it’s not always easy to live car-free or car-lite, motor vehicles have not necessarily proven convenient and neither can imagine themselves relying heavily on a car for the foreseeable future.

 

Ifrah cites the social benefits that come with walking and biking: being able to stop and talk to passersby, pull over for a spontaneous pit stop, and be more a part of one’s community.

 

“I think also we are slowly becoming aware of our impact as individuals on the health of our planet,” Jordan says.

 

Saint Paul-native Jordan Olsen lives car-lite, relying more on his bike than his car to get around.

 

Despite the many reasons for driving less, the alternatives are not always self-evident. As the Transportation on Tap conversation got rolling, it evolved into almost a live advice-column scenario—one with outright enthusiasm, encouragement, and comradery.

 

I’m going to start bicycling to Plymouth every day from Minneapolis. I’ve never been out that way. How do I even begin to find a route?

I never thought that I’d be into apps, but I love them. Has anyone tried OMG Transit?

I rely on my bike to get everywhere. I’m thinking about selling my car, but then what would I do if I was injured?

 

These are just a few of the many questions asked that night. Folks were quick to jump up from their seats, join us by the stage, and contribute their questions, anecdotes, and advice.

 

Do a test run in Plymouth when you don’t have the stress of being somewhere on time or with all your business gear. Ask locals; they’re almost always happy to help.

A developer of OMG Transit actually was just here, but I can say that I think the app works great—and I’m not even affiliated with the company.

First of all, make sure you have insurance for any injury. Then, if you can’t bike, consider your transit and car sharing options. Check into Metro Mobility.

 

When it was noted that the panel skewed young and healthy, a man in his fifties approached the microphone and explained how he avoided going long distances by bike because he worried about his knees. When he finally decided to just give it a try, he was pleasantly surprised by how good he felt afterward.

 

Judging by the crowd, it seems that if the possibility is there to get around without a car—or use a car less—the pros outweigh the cons for many individuals of all backgrounds, ages, gender, family size, and physical condition.

 

Many audience members jumped up to share questions and suggestions during the lively conversation moderated by TLC's Allison Osberg (far right).

 

“The multi-decade trend of declining zero-vehicle households appears to have played itself out,” concludes the AASHTO report Commuting in America 2013. “The count of zero-vehicle households is now increasing.”

 

Here in the Twin Cities, bicycling, walking, and transit ridership are all on the rise, car sharing and bike sharing are growing, and the number of zero-vehicle households is nearing 90,000. Still, many jobs in our region are inaccessible by bus or train. Many streets still are not bike or pedestrian friendly.

 

Transit for Livable Communities is working to make car-free and car-lite living more feasible options by securing dedicated transportation funding for transit, bicycling, and walking via the Move MN campaign. Through our Transportation Options program, TLC also is addressing transportation as a basic need and increasing knowledge about the asset-building potential of options like biking, walking, transit, car sharing, and bike sharing for families and individuals working toward greater economic self-sufficiency.

 

I find that even as we work toward better transportation infrastructure, education, and funding, it’s affirming to know that people who want to decrease car use and expand other options are part of a growing movement. Thanks to Ifrah, Jordan, and all­ who joined us at Transportation on Tap this month for leading by example and for contributing to an informed, encouraging discussion!

 

Save the date for TLC's next Transportation on Tap event: Tuesday, June 3, 5-7 PM, Republic (Seven Corners), Minneapolis. RSVP.

 

 

Remembering a Transportation Champion

 

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

 

 

It is a seismic moment in the transportation world when a leader of the stature of James Oberstar dies. Oberstar was a long-serving representative from Minnesota, but he was also an international giant in the world of transportation.

 

In his decades in Congress, Oberstar worked in a bipartisan way to forge a new vision for transportation that recognized how transportation underpins so much of our lives, how goods get to market, how people get to work, how children get to school. He set in motion and in policy a comprehensive, multimodal view of transportation that impacts the nation and world in positive ways every day.

 

At Transit for Livable Communities, we supported Congressman Oberstar’s vision for transportation. And we were specifically involved in carrying it out as administrators of the federal Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program he championed. Through this program, Congress charged four communities across the nation to test the potential of bicycling and walking to move people, improve health, and reduce air pollution.

 

In the Minneapolis area, the pilot program, known as Bike Walk Twin Cities, led to an expansion of the network for bicycling and fostered innovation, from bike sharing to community bike/walk centers. It contributed significantly to huge increases in bicycling and walking from 2007 to 2013. Congressman Oberstar was there at the beginning of Bike Walk Twin Cities, leading a bike ride at the University of Minnesota campus, and with the vision to see what this pilot could inspire. His leadership in creating this program has engendered a new commitment—by elected officials, transportation professionals, and communities—to making sure our transportation systems serve everyone.

 

Congressman Oberstar’s legacy and passion for transportation also extends beyond Bike Walk Twin Cities. He spoke excitedly and in fluent French about the TGV high-speed trains in France. Under his leadership, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee initiated the federal New Starts Program that has funded many new rail lines across the US, including our own Hiawatha (Blue Line) and Central Corridor (Green Line) light rail. Congressman Oberstar helped to secure early funding for the renovation of Union Depot in Saint Paul, which will begin serving Amtrak trains this week. The wildly popular Safe Routes to School program was one of the programs of which he was most proud.

 

We are saddened by the death of such a great leader and a good friend. We also are committed, like so many others he inspired, to working toward the vision of transportation as pivotal to health and prosperity for all. As people travel this state’s and this county’s growing network of bike routes, we hope they will tip their helmets to Congressman Oberstar for his vision and leadership.

 

Our 2014 Legislative Agenda

  This legislative session, Transit for Livable Communities will:

1)    Support the Move Mn Legislative Package to fund transit, bicycling, walking, and roads and bridges statewide.

• Metro area transit/bicycling and pedestrian projects
• Greater Minnesota transit
• Greater Minnesota bicycling and pedestrian projects
• Roads and bridges statewide

 

2)    Support General Obligation (GO) Bonding for transit, high speed rail, Safe Routes To School, trails.

• Southwest LRT - $81 Million
• Heywood Garage - $20 Million
• Arterial BRT - $15 Million
• 35W South BRT - $20 Million
• Transitway Capital Improvement - $60 Million
• Greater MN Transit - $8.24 Million
• Safe Routes to School - $3.2 Million
• High Speed Rail - $26 Million
• Various trail projects that have a transportation function

       

3)    Support legislation to allow electronic and photo monitoring for enforcement, data collection, traffic planning, driver education, and as a means of reducing road wear, crashes, and injuries. 

 

• Legislation is expected to allow cities to use this technology if they desire. Cameras would photograph a vehicle license plate and the driver of the vehicle. Tickets could only be issued for red light running and nothing else. This legislation would comply with current state law, unlike the former program in the city of Minneapolis.

 

4)     Join and support the Minimum Wage Coalition working to raise the minimum wage in Minnesota to $9.50 per hour in 2015.

 

 

Move MN Gains Momentum

By Cailin Rogers, Campaign Organizer

TLC's Executive Director Barb Thoman co-presented the Move MN funding proposal to House & Senate Transportation Committee members and a packed hearing room at the Capitol on Feb. 18. (Credit: TLC)

 

The Move MN campaign made huge strides the past few weeks as coalition members prepared for the start of the legislative session on February 25. The room was packed for a joint hearing with the House and Senate Transportation Committees earlier this month as elected officials, community representatives, and both local and national transportation experts testified on Minnesota’s need for comprehensive transportation funding this session. A second hearing, in the State Capitol, brought out even more supporters of the Move MN coalition as the group unveiled its funding package and more Minnesotans from across the state testified about urgent transportation needs in their area.

 

The push for comprehensive transportation funding is a major focus of TLC’s 2014 legislative agenda. And it was a focus at our member meeting earlier this month. At the event, members also heard about our new Transportation Options program and other exciting initiatives—including plans for the Green Line grand opening on June 14. Following updates from staff and questions from members, we shifted into break-out groups to write letters and sign postcards to legislators, and to practice talking with elected officials and others about the significant needs and benefits of investing in transit, bicycling, and walking in 2014. Members also shared topic ideas for this year’s Transportation on Tap series and other informative TLC events, and had a fun time making their own pedal-powered bike smoothies. Throughout the evening, TLC snapped some great pictures of folks with their favorite modes of transportation. Thanks to everyone who could join us—we enjoyed connecting with all of you! The conversations between members and staff showed that TLC’s work and Move MN continue to progress in the right direction to support safe, accessible transportation options around the state.

 

See more photos from our February member meeting on the TLC Facebook page. (Credit: Allison Osberg, TLC.)

 

Just yesterday, Transportation Committee Chairs Sen. Scott Dibble and Rep. Frank Hornstein introduced transportation funding bills SF2107 & HF2395, respectively. They include a seven-county-metro sales tax for transit, bicycling, and walking; a gross-receipts gas tax for roads and bridges statewide; trunk highway bonds to get these projects moving (and people to work) more quickly; closing the loophole for sales tax on leased vehicles to expand transit in Greater Minnesota; and new federal money for bike/ped improvements in Greater Minnesota. Watch for a bill summary with more details next week.

 

"One of the fastest and best ways to create good jobs is by investing in our infrastructure."
President Obama speaking at Saint Paul Union Depot this week

 

The news coverage of Move MN has gained steam as well. From more than 70 counties and over 300 townships signing onto the campaign to a discussion of Move MN’s objectives in the media, expect to see even more coverage on Move MN and our state’s need for transportation funding legislation in the coming weeks. As the conversation gets flowing, we can use your voice in the mix! You can get involved in several ways:

1. Participate in Move MN’s biggest upcoming event: Move MN Transportation Day and Rally at the Capitol on March 13. Come meet with your legislator to advocate for transportation funding and stay for a rally in the rotunda at the Capitol. Join us at nearby Christ Lutheran Church between 1:00 and 3:30 PM for an advocate workshop that includes legislator meeting training, sign making, and a question/answer session about Move MN. Before 4:00 PM, we will march over the Capitol for a rally in the rotunda to show support for comprehensive transportation funding this session. RSVP here to let us know if you can make it!
   
   
2. Meet with your legislator. Meet with your legislators to talk with them about why you support transportation funding for all modes and why passing the bill described above is essential this legislative session. We’re happy to help you schedule and prepare for the meeting. Just contact us to let us know you’re interested.
   
   
3. Join us for phone banking. We need to get the word about Move MN to our supporters and ways that they can help this session! Come phone bank every other Thursday from 6:00-8:30 PM at the Sierra Club office in Minneapolis. We’ll feed you! The next phone bank is Monday, March 10. RSVP here to join.
   
   
4. Sign a Letter to the Editor. Legislators listen to their constituents in a variety of ways! Telling them directly about your concerns is vital, but swaying other people who live in your area is important too! Please sign up here if you would be willing to sign a Letter to the Editor. We can help with facts and figures and draft letters you can make your own.
   
   
5. Attend a Tele-Town Hall. In early March, we will host a virtual town hall meeting with people from your area of Minnesota. You can listen, ask questions, and contact your legislator—all from your living room! If you want to participate, RSVP here and we’ll make sure you get a call.

 

 

Moving Forward: Midtown Corridor Transit Recommendation Unanimous

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

  

The Midtown Greenway. (Credit: Transit for Livable Communities)

 

It’s no secret that riders on the #21 bus on Lake Street in Minneapolis have ample time to read, window shop, or converse with fellow passengers. A multitude of riders boarding and exiting, combined with numerous traffic lights and car congestion, makes for a slow trip. In fact, a bicyclist on the nearby Midtown Greenway that parallels Lake Street can travel at nearly twice the speed of the #21 bus and faster than most cars.  

 

For the past 18 months, Metro Transit, in partnership with Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis, has been engaging the community and studying options for improving transit service in the 4.4-mile Lake Street/Midtown Corridor. The study boundaries were the Blue Line (Hiawatha)’s Lake Street/Midtown Station on the east end and, on the west end, the future Green Line Extension (Southwest LRT)’s West Lake Station. Currently, almost 15,000 bus trips are taken daily in the corridor.

 Midtown Corridor Study Area. Credit: Metro Transit

 

This month, a stakeholder group, the Midtown Corridor Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), held its final meeting and released its recommendations. The Committee unanimously supported moving ahead with both options under study: enhanced bus service on Lake Street AND a streetcar or single-car light rail service along the Midtown Greenway.

 

The Midtown Greenway was originally owned by the Milwaukee Road railroad company. The corridor was purchased in 1993 by Hennepin County for future passenger rail transit. Community residents and local neighborhoods worked with Hennepin County to plan the Greenway’s bicycle and pedestrian trail, which was constructed in three phases from 2000 to 2006. Hennepin County has always intended to retain the popular trail when adding passenger rail to the Greenway.

 

The density of jobs and housing along the Lake Street/Midtown Corridor coupled with a major light rail station on the east and the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes on the west provide conditions that justify two transit capital projects:

 

• Enhanced bus service on Lake Street would be similar to the A Line enhanced bus service planned for Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul. Buses would stop every half mile. Passengers would pay before they board and buses would have traffic signal priority. Bus riders traveling the full length of the study corridor would save 12 minutes over current bus service.
• A single-track or double-track streetcar or one light-rail vehicle with ten stations would be added to the Midtown Greenway. Passengers would pay before boarding. Travel time on the proposed rail line would be only 13 minutes. This is 29 minutes faster than current bus service!

 

Projected Travel Times
Mode	West Lake to Hiawatha
Current bus	42 minutes
Enhanced Bus	30 minutes
Streetcar or Light Rail Vehicle	13 minutes

 

Over the last decade, the Lake Street and Midtown Greenway Corridors have changed tremendously. The Midtown Corridor, once a scary, trash-filled ravine is now busy with bicyclists, walkers, runners, roller skiers, skateboarders, dog walkers, and people in wheelchairs. The former Sears Roebuck store was successfully repurposed, several medical campuses have expanded there, and a dozen major condo and apartment complexes have been built. Add this to the hundreds of interesting small businesses on Lake Street providing food, services, and goods one can’t get anywhere else.

 

The Midtown Corridor Alternatives Analysis found that enhanced bus and a new rail line together would add an estimated 17,400 daily transit riders. That’s nearly 6 million new transit rides per year! With a projected capital cost of $235 to $270 million, it’s an impressive ridership number at an affordable price in a corridor that has a high concentration of people living in poverty. For comparison, the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit Corridor along Cedar Avenue between Minneapolis and Lakeville cost $112 million and has a future ridership estimate of nearly 2,000 riders per day.

 

The recommended enhanced bus service on Lake Street would be 12 minutes faster than current bus service. (Photo credit: Evershed Mattingly, Flickr).

 

For several years there has been talk of a streetcar along the Greenway. This recent study, however, also presents the benefits of running a single light-rail vehicle. That option would save on costs because Greenway trains could share a maintenance base with Southwest light rail. Operating either the streetcar or single light-rail vehicle on single- and double-track segments along the Greenway would reduce the need for retaining walls—a concern of neighborhoods and trail users.

 

PAC members Joyce Wisdom (executive director of the Lake Street Council) and Ron Lezama (former chair of the Latino Economic Development Center) praised Metro Transit’s public outreach process.

 

Metro Transit staff Jill Hentges and Michael Mechtenberg report visiting every business in the corridor before the study began. They spoke at events in at least ten different neighborhoods, including a mini-open house at the Chicago-Lake Transit Center (organized by Community Advisory Committee member Amanda Dlouhy from Phillips West and the Midtown Greenway Coalition’s Rebecca Harnik) and a presentation for the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition given on stage at Harriet Brewery.

 

These exciting recommendations for transit improvements in the Lake Street/Midtown Corridor will be forwarded to the Metropolitan Council for inclusion in the region’s 2014 Transportation Policy Plan (slated for adoption later this year). No funding has been identified for implementing any new transit option in the corridor. TLC is currently working with allies in the Move MN coalition to secure comprehensive transportation funding that includes money for transit, bicycling, and walking projects here in the metro and across the state. 

 

 

The Saint Paul Bikeways Plan

By Joan Pasiuk, Bicycling & Walking Program Director

Update: The public comment period on the draft Bikeways Plan will be open through April 30, 2014. Submit your comments online via Open Saint Paul or by email to reuben.collins@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

 

 

Kudos to the City of Saint Paul for vision in advancing sustainable transportation. The draft citywide Bikeways Plan is ambitious—a proclamation of values and a pledge of investments that will create a more livable city. Adoption of the final plan this year will add an important dimension to the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan.

 

Anne Hunt, Environmental Policy Director, affirmed that the plan represents best thinking of the departments of Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Planning and Economic Development. This kind of cross-fertilization is exciting. And she said passage of a final plan this year is a very high priority of Mayor Coleman.

 

This is a strong start. Now community input is essential to ensure successful adoption and implementation of the plan. With that in mind, I offer a few thoughts in advance of the four open houses this month:

 

• The plan includes a proposed goal and performance measure! Increasing Saint Paul’s bicycle commute mode share from .6 percent to 2.5 percent by 2025 is a step in the right direction. For comparison, note the current (2010) bicycle commute mode share of a few other cities: Hartford, CN: 2.6 percent; Salt Lake City: 2.7 percent; Oshkosh, WI: 2.1 percent; Portland, ME: 2.5 percent. By 2025, places like Iowa City, currently at 5.6 percent bicycle mode share, will leave us in the dust. We can aim higher.
  
  
• Creating stronger connections to and through downtown is vital. A highlight of the proposed plan is an off-street bikeways loop through downtown. This seems well conceived not only as an improvement for bicyclists who are now braving travel on narrow downtown streets but also as a way to attract new and less experienced riders. It could serve as a source of civic pride as well as an economic boost to downtown. There is growing evidence of the retail benefits of walking and bicycling traffic. Off-street design is not an inexpensive approach, but the innovation factor could trigger new or additional sources of funds, perhaps including private dollars.
  
  
• The commitment to build connections to neighborhoods in conjunction with construction of the downtown loop is absolutely important. The most essential connection, based on current barriers, is between downtown and the East Side, where bicyclists have long been isolated from the rest of the city by freeways and treacherous arterial streets. This link is missing in the draft plan. My best route suggestion: Jackson to 9^th/10th to Pine to Grove to Olive to the Phalen Boulevard bikeway. This is an easy, safe connection that could largely be accomplished with paint/tape and signage.
  
  

Proposed Downtown Loop. (Draft Bikeways Plan, p. 39.)

• The plan addresses bicycling specifically and is best viewed as a component of a transportation network. Bicycling and walking provide access to transit stops. Transit can extend bicycling trips otherwise hindered by season or geography (Saint Paul, think hills!). Shared bikes and community bike centers expand the reach of bicycling as transportation into new demographics. Dedicated facilities for bicyclists reduce bicycle riding on sidewalks and make the walking environment safer. Road diets and traffic circles create safer routes not just for bicyclists but also for motorists. These systems are complementary and this plan should be featured not as a resource for bicyclists but as a vision of a city that works better for all of us.
  
  
• Bicycling is affordable transportation that makes access to jobs, school, appointments, and community events possible for many residents. Transit for Livable Communities, through our Bike Walk Twin Cities program, has seen enormous evidence of the hunger for bicycling across all our city’s demographics. This plan should make a clear commitment to bicycling as a poverty-fighting strategy. The Metropolitan Council recognizes Racially Concentrated Areas of Poverty (RCAP), where more than 50 percent of the residents are people of color and more than 40 percent have incomes that do not exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty line. The existence of such an area is appalling, and right now Saint Paul has the region’s largest contiguous RCAP (East Side, Dayton’s Bluff, Payne-Phalen, etc.). Every document the city produces should aim at reducing and eliminating the RCAP. This plan should identify these areas and prioritize bicycling investments that link residents to job centers, schools, and transit connections.

Racially Concentrated Areas of Poverty. (Credit: Metropolitan Council)

• This draft addresses engineering, the best place to start to improve bicycling conditions, but a few other capital investments should be included— bicycle parking, lighting, wayfinding signage, and cameras and emergency call buttons where personal safety might be a concern on some of the trails. Beyond this, Saint Paul will want to address education, enforcement, and encouragement as part of the formula that creates a bicycling city. And, though not a capital product, it would be great to see a printed map that combines existing and planned bikeways with transit routes as an early commitment.
  
  
• Plan implementation is a blank page at this point. This is where public input is most needed. Prioritizing the Jackson Street leg of the downtown loop and neighborhood connections is a good place to begin the increase of 214 miles of bikeways. The price tag may deter progress and downtown cannot wait for attention. How can the city make near-term bicycle accommodations on downtown streets?
  
  
• It is not possible to build to a city’s sustainable transportation aspirations by relying on competitive federal funds. TLC and our Move MN allies are pushing state legislators for a new source of metro funding for walking and bicycling investments, but that isn’t yet secure. Passage of the Bikeways Plan in 2014 is good timing for the next round of the Capital Improvement Budget process in 2016. Clamor from cities to use state funds in new ways may help to balance our resources to all users. This is where political leadership and financial assertiveness is critical. What is the best financial foundation we can lay? Sustainable transportation investments must be incorporated as a line item in the city’s annual budget.
  
  
• In building the network, the rubber hits the road when individual projects are vetted to neighborhoods. A well-vetted bicycle plan and strong policy framework (e.g. complete streets standards incorporated into street design, safety ordinances that are enforced, coordination across jurisdictions, etc.) can create continuity of implementation. The question to take to the community is not whether the street will be designed for bicycle safety, but how we can improve on a basic design to create a welcoming street for bicyclists and walkers.

 
We need to get more voices in this process. If you live, work, or bike in Saint Paul, we strongly encourage you to attend one of the open houses listed below. Try to bring at least one other newcomer along. This is how we will build a broader base of support for this draft plan and how we will build a final plan that best serves the broader community.

Saint Paul Bikeways Plan Open Houses (6-8 PM):

• Tuesday, Feb. 11, El Rio Vista Recreation Center/Wellstone Community Center, 179 E. Robie St.
• Thursday, Feb. 13, Macalester College, Weyerhaueser Hall, Ballroom (SE corner of Grand Ave. and Macalester St.)
• Tuesday, Feb. 18, Duluth & Case Recreation Center, 1020 Duluth St.
• Thursday, Feb. 20, CapitolRiver Council Office (Adjacent Conference Room), US Bank Center Building, 101 E. 5th St., Suite 240

 

The public comment period on the draft Bikeways Plan will be open through April 30, 2014. If you are unable to attend an open house, submit your comments online via Open Saint Paul or by email to reuben.collins@ci.stpaul.mn.us.

 

 

Informed & Empowered: Challenging the High Cost of Getting Around

By Allison Osberg, MN GreenCorps Member (TLC)

 

There is a real need for infrastructure and policy to support transit and active transportation options—not just for those who can afford to choose transit, bicycling, and walking, but also for those who can’t afford not to choose them. Owning and operating a vehicle is expensive--costing an average of $9,122 a year. For an average middle-class family the cost of transportation is second only to housing. For low-income families—even those buying cheaper cars—the cost of getting around can surpass the cost of housing and comprise more than 30 percent of family income.

Couple the cost of getting to work, school, and appointments with increasing income inequality in the region, and it becomes clear that getting around is a constant challenge for working families just getting by. Because of this, transportation is a huge issue expressed by social service and economic empowerment organizations and yet it continues to be an unmet need among many clients. A contributing factor for why it is unmet is that transportation aid almost exclusively consists of loans or grants for buying a car—sometimes resulting in the purchase of older or less reliable cars with unsustainably high maintenance costs and inefficient mileage.

 

While the current transportation system is imperfect, more affordable options­--biking, walking, transit, car sharing, and bike sharing--are growing in the Twin Cities. And there is growing evidence that interest in these options spans many demographics groups.

 

Seeing this combination of need and opportunity, TLC developed Transportation Options, a first-of-its-kind program for empowering social service organizations and their clients with a better understanding of their transportation options, how to use them, and their financial impact. Despite a culture where driving is often the default, we found outright and latent interest in using and relying on transit, bicycling, walking, car sharing, and bike sharing in order to save money, be healthier, and still get around safely and efficiently.

In partnership with the Saint Paul-based social service organization Neighborhood House, TLC conducted a series of community-based focus groups and surveys. Neighborhood House’s 14,000 clients are immigrants, refugees, and long-time residents facing challenging situations. Over 90 percent are people of color, 75 percent speak a native language other than English, and most are living at or below poverty levels. TLC listened to these clients’ first-hand experiences and needs in order to create a program that addresses their unique barriers and motivators in accessing and appreciating transit and active transportation.

 

The result of the listening sessions was a train-the-trainer workshop that TLC offered to Neighborhood House’s Basic Needs staff over two half-days last spring. The workshop was highly experiential, including a Metro Transit bus ride, a visit to Cycles for Change, a trip with Nice Ride bikes, and an HOURCAR orientation. By the second day of training, Neighborhood House staff, some of whom had never ridden the bus before, accomplished their challenge to arrive to the workshop by transit or active transportation.

   

After the workshop, staff reported that in counseling clients they immediately used the information about the differing cost of transportation options and that “it opens their eyes.” One Basic Needs staff person challenged a group of ten women to try using a different form of transportation; four came back to say the options were easier than they expected. One woman in a focus group was intrigued by the earn-a-bike program offered at Cycles for Change. “My kids would be proud to see me come home on a bike,” she said. TLC learned that shortly after the focus group she enrolled in the program, completed the classes, and earned a bicycle she now uses.

 

In addition to the workshops, TLC provided an online tool kit of resources for staff and developed cost-calculators that, with clients, they can use for budgeting transportation costs on a case-by-case basis. Neighborhood House also adapted their intake form to immediately target transportation needs and opportunities from the start. Recently, we also supplied each service center with transportation literature, a custom-designed infographic, and a DVD of transportation resources to better assist clients hungry for information and alternatives to owning or operating a car.

 

Going forward, TLC envisions a comprehensive transportation system that is affordable, healthy, and environmentally friendly while also being equitable—providing all communities with access and availability to this improved system. And, through the Transportation Options program, we are working to build a network of informed and empowered community members who will help to open up the benefits of better transportation options for all.