Transportation Advocates Take Action

By Jennifer Harmening Thiede, Communications & Member Engagement Manager

 

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, 25 legislators, and other leaders accepted the Roll With Us Transit Challenge to raise awareness and understanding of transit needs in Minnesota.

 

Here we are: it’s mid-March and midway through the 2015 legislative session. Both Mother Nature and transportation advocates are turning up the heat.

Successful Day of Action

In recent weeks, Minnesotans from across the state came together for Transportation Day of Action at the State Capitol, united in support of a statewide, multimodal transportation solution. Transit riders from the metro and Greater Minnesota kicked things off at a press conference speaking up for greater investments in bus and rail. Supporters heard from state and coalition leaders and had meetings with their own legislators throughout the afternoon. Later in the day, a broad coalition of advocates delivered 10,000 Move MN‬ postcards, some from every district in Minnesota, calling on legislators‬ to fund all modes of transportation in 2015. Special thanks to the TLC members who joined us at the event and who contacted their state senators and representatives that day.‬

 

Transit Challenge Accepted

In early March, Transit for Livable Communities and allied groups followed up with the “Roll With Us” Transit Challenge. We wanted lawmakers considering transportation funding to experience the realities of today’s transit system firsthand, so we called on them to get around on the bus or train as many of their constituents do. A bipartisan group of twenty-five legislators accepted our challenge, with many documenting their transit trips on social media (see #HowWeRollMN on Facebook and Twitter). Some were regular riders, while others were new to the transit system.

Transit Challenge Week concluded with Minnesota's Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith highlighting the importance of investing in a modern transit system. Smith rode the #67 bus with Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck, inviting media along, and holding a short press conference with transit riders and legislators to draw attention to the transit needs in our state.

 

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, Rep. Frank Hornstein, Rep. Carolyn Laine, Met. Council Chair Adam Duininck, and a crowd of transit riders gathered to speak to the press about the importance of investing in transit. 

 

Big thanks to the legislators who participated in the Transit Challenge:

• Senator Scott Dibble (61, Minneapolis)
• Senator Eric Pratt (55, Prior Lake)
• Senator David Senjem (25, Rochester)
• Senator Patricia Torres Ray (63, Minneapolis)
• Representative Connie Bernardy (41A, Fridley)
• Representative Jim Davnie (63A, Minneapolis)
• Representative Raymond Dehn (59B, Minneapolis)
• Representative Laurie Halverson (51B, Eagan)
• Representative Alice Hausman (66A, Saint Paul)
• Representative Frank Hornstein (61A, Minneapolis)
• Representative Melissa Hortman (36B, Brooklyn Park)
• Representative Mike Freiberg (45B, Golden Valley)
• Representative Sheldon Johnson (67B, Saint Paul)
• Representative Clark Johnson (19A, North Mankato)
• Representative Carolyn Laine (41B, Columbia Heights)
• Representative John Lesch (66B, Saint Paul)
• Representative Leon Lille (43B, North Saint Paul)
• Representative Sandra Masin (51A, Eagan)
• Representative Rena Moran (65A, Saint Paul)
• Representative Dave Pinto (64B, Saint Paul)
• Representative Jennifer Schultz (7A, Duluth)
• Representative Erik Simonson (7B, Duluth)
• Representative Mike Sundin (11A, Esko)
• Representative JoAnn Ward (53A, Woodbury)
• Representative Ryan Winkler (46A, Golden Valley)

We encourage other legislators to take up the challenge and try transit in their home districts during the legislature’s upcoming Easter/Passover break.

Looking Ahead

The month ahead will be critical in the fight for multimodal transportation funding. There are many exciting, essential ways to get engaged and make sure your voice is heard before the session ends. Below are three big, upcoming dates to add to your calendar. If you want to see transit and safe connections for bicycling and walking funded in 2015, join us!

Senate Transportation Committee Bill Hearing
Friday, March 20, 11 AM, State Capitol, Rm. 107, Saint Paul

Help us pack the hearing room when the Senate Transportation Committee hears SF 87. The bill, introduced by Sen. Scott Dibble, would significantly increase dedicated funding for transit, bicycling, and walking, while also funding roads and bridges in Minnesota. This bill has TLC's enthusiastic support and also closely aligns with the Move MN proposal. Let's make a strong showing for multimodal transportation funding on Friday and ensure SF 87 moves forward.

Move MN Phone Bank (Sponsored by TLC)
Thursday, April 2, 6-9 PM, AFSCME Council 5, South Saint Paul

Transit for Livable Communities is sponsoring the Move MN phone bank on April 2. Volunteer with us! We'll be making calls to ensure a balanced, long-term transportation solution is passed by the state legislature this session. We will help everyone get started and provide a call script—and pizza! Returning volunteers and newcomers are welcome.

Move MN Transportation Rally featuring Governor Dayton
Thursday, April 16, 12-1 PM, State Capitol Lawn, Saint Paul

On April 16, TLC and our Move MN allies need you to join us for a massive transportation rally on the State Capitol lawn! Together we will call on legislators to fund all modes statewide before the 2015 session ends in May. The event will feature Governor Dayton and other leaders. Don’t miss it!

 

Many Nonprofits Are Rethinking Transportation—Are You?

By Hilary Reeves, Strategic Advancement and Communications Director

 

Clark Biegler, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

 

This year, Transit for Livable Communities is working with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits to rethink transportation in the workplace. Specifically, we’re asking nonprofit organizations located along the Green Line (or other high frequency transit) to enroll to be certified as Transportation Leaders. As part of this new initiative, we will be establishing transportation best practices.

It is exciting to hear what some organizations who’ve signed on already are doing. Their experiences and challenges will help us together set a new standard for the ways transportation decisions impact mission, benefits, and interactions with the communities that nonprofits are there to serve.

 

Access & Choice

One of the first organizations to join this new initiative was Fresh Energy. Executive director Michael Noble said Fresh Energy is “committed to all-of-the-above transportation” that provides access and choice to their employees. It’s why they signed on to be a Transportation Leader. When Michael uses his phone to reserve a car2go, for example, a question pops up: “Is this a Michael Noble reservation or a Fresh Energy reservation?” That’s because, he said, “Fresh Energy has an organizational membership in car-sharing, making it easier for staff to get to meetings around town without owning or using their own car.” Organizational HOURCAR memberships are also an option. In either case, this enables staff to commute by transit, bicycling, or walking, even if they anticipate driving to a meeting during the work day. 

 

Environment

For some organizations, the motivation for rethinking transportation comes from the stark picture of air quality along major highways, such as I-94. The Minnesota Environmental Partnership signed on early. Their executive director, Steve Morse, takes the Green Line every day, while other staff bicycle to work along the nearby Charles Avenue bikeway.

 

Air pollution along the I-94 corridor. Source: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

 

When we met with the Minnesota Literacy Council, Associate Director Debbie Cushman immediately thought of their seven sites across the metro. More than 2500 volunteer tutors participate in more than 100 trainings they host every year. Transportation decisions affect not only their staff of 45 but also all the volunteers who need to get to their sites.

“I’m committed to helping our organization reduce vehicle usage whenever possible,” Debbie said. “I love walking to and from work, which I’m able to do about 20 percent of the time. Our staff are already pretty dedicated to the wellness aspects of biking and walking, and the communities we serve are often reliant on public transportation. We’re fortunate to have 4 of our 7 sites on or near high frequency routes. As we gain an understanding of air quality concerns in the Twin Cities, all these efforts are taking on more urgency. There’s always more we can do.”

 

Health & Happiness

Interestingly, the Minnesota Literacy Council and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN)—our partners in the Transportation Leadership program—share the same landlord. The tenants have formed a green team to work with their landlord on various changes. Clark Biegler, a Policy Analyst for the Minnesota Budget Project at MCN, who bikes to work and serves on the office green team, affirmed:

“The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits is working with several other nonprofits to better our collective offices and work as a unified voice for our shared environmental and wellness priorities, including introducing more bicycle racks. MCN supports these efforts because they want to make our office a healthier and happier place to work.”

 

Flexibility

Staff at the Minnesota Land Trust also bicycle to work. At an organizational level, they also are taking other steps that fit with their nonprofit’s needs and cut down on drive time. Barbara LaMott, director of communications and operations, explains, “Because our work takes us all over the state and often requires flexible scheduling, we just adopted a new cloud-based solution to help all of our staff seamlessly work anywhere—home, office, or on the road. In addition, our location on the Green Line and on a bikeway makes it very easy to offer transit options for volunteers, board members, and staff."    

Other organizations signing on to be certified as Transportation Leaders include Minnesota Public Radio, Operation de Novo, Neighborhood Energy Connection, and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity—and the list is growing.

As we talk to diverse organizations in the metro, we’re hearing about different ways to approach benefits, innovative ways to get visitors to events, and ways that people are using the Green Line for the commute and trips during the day. We are excited to recognize the strides many of these nonprofits already are taking and help them take these efforts to the next level, while also getting new organizations engaged for the first time. Nonprofits enrolling in the program will receive an assessment of their current conditions and options, attend a Transportation Options workshop, and create an action plan with goals for shifting trips and encouraging options other than driving.

We’re having a whole new conversation about how to get around and why it matters. Join us! If you work at a nonprofit in the Twin Cities or know someone who does, urge them to sign up today.

 

Pictured, from top: Clark Biegler, Minnesota council of Nonprofits; Michael Noble, Fresh Energy; Debbie Cushman, Minnesota Literacy Council; Kristina Geiger, Minnesota Land Trust.

 

 

How Nonprofit Employees Get Around

 

By Hilary Reeves, Communications & Strategic Advancement Director, and Erin Kindell, Minnesota GreenCorps Member (TLC)

 

Photo Credit: Metro Transit (Flickr)

Late last fall, in collaboration with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Transit for Livable Communities sent a survey about transportation habits to nonprofit employees in the Twin Cities metro area. Our goal was to find out how respondents get to work, how they get around for other trips, and what amount of travel they have during the day. Survey results will inform our new program to certify and celebrate nonprofit transportation leaders in the Twin Cities. The survey generated 1,328 responses—and some interesting results!

 

Nonprofit workers live close to work

Over 50 percent of nonprofit employees responding to our survey live within 10 miles and 30 minutes of their jobs. Living near work can mean a wider range of options for getting there.  About 50 percent of respondents live within the I-494 beltway, ranging from southeast of Lake Harriet to Roseville and Falcon Heights, and from Columbia Park to West 7^th in Saint Paul. The three biggest zip code clusters (together about 17 percent of respondents) are from the areas around University Avenue in Saint Paul (incorporating Summit-University, Thomas-Dale/Frogtown, Hamline-Midway, and Union Park district councils) and the Powderhorn, Seward, Longfellow, and Howe neighborhoods of Minneapolis. 

      

A multimodal, innovative group

While 72 percent drive alone to work, many people indicated they choose other ways to get around for other trips or at least have tried them before. These nonprofit staffers might be more open to commuting by modes they generally use for other trips or recreation, (e.g., walking, transit, or bicycling).

About 30 percent have tried some form of car sharing, (e.g., HOURCAR, car2go, Lyft, Uber, or taxis). This shows a willingness to try new things, perhaps capturing the nonprofit propensity for innovation! These employees may be the most willing to integrate a different mode for a day or two a week.

 

 

Common commute window

Most survey respondents work Monday to Friday during “typical” work hours (8-9 a.m. to 4-6 p.m.). Since transit service is at its highest levels during the peak commute times, these people should have more options for using different modes. In addition to the bus or train, common commute patterns present a big opportunity to carpool, walk, or bicycle with others.

Appointments during the day, stops before or after work 

About one-third (34 percent) said they often have work-related meetings, appointments, or events away from their main work site. And a little under half (46 percent) said that several times a week they have other places they need stop on the way to or from work (e.g., child care, school, activities, appointments). About 75 percent do not have children under the age of 16—a common reason for not using other modes.

These stats leave a significant group who are mainly just responsible for getting to and from work every day. While our survey showed the majority of nonprofit respondents have a car, there is an opportunity to save money by leaving the car at home, especially on days they do not have multiple meetings or errands. Employees also could have an opportunity to get in the habit of walking, busing, or bicycling to scheduled or reoccurring meetings when it is easy to do so.

  How do these stats compare?

There are similar questions on the Metropolitan Council Travel Behavior Inventory (TBI), which also is based on a survey of metro-area residents. While about the same percentage drive alone to work (72 percent of nonprofit respondents, 75 percent in the TBI), we found that nonprofit respondents take transit more (10 percent versus 6 percent in the TBI) and bicycle or walk nearly twice as much (3 percent walk and 3 percent bike in the TBI versus 6 percent bike and 5 percent walk in the nonprofit survey).

This suggests that nonprofit workers already are above average when it comes to choosing sustainable, green transportation options. But, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits salary survey indicates that benefits are not keeping up with commute patterns. While 30 percent of nonprofits pay the cost of parking or share it with employees, only 4.6 percent have a transit benefit and 1 percent or less financially reward those who arrive by carpool, walking, or bicycling.

 

Recognizing nonprofit transportation leaders

This year, nonprofits along the Green Line—those already ahead of the curve and those who want to be—can enroll to be certified as transportation leaders. These nonprofits can show they care about equal benefits for employees and the community benefits of diversifying transportation choices. These benefits range from reduced pollution (each mile we drive puts a pound of CO2 into the air) to workplaces that reflect and attract a more diverse workforce. And that’s not to mention the reduced stress and extra exercise that come from getting out from behind the wheel from time to time. Certified organizations will be recognized at the 2015 Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Annual Conference. To enroll or find out more, click here.

 

 

 

Fixing Transportation: The Latest Proposals

 

By Dave Van Hattum, Advocacy Director

 

TLC's Dave Van Hattum, co-chair of the Move MN campaign, with others at a January 8 press conference announcing Move MN's transportation proposal.

 

The legislative session got off to an exciting start this month for Minnesotans who want a better transportation system. All three leading voices at the State Capitol—Governor Dayton, Majority Leader Bakk, and Speaker Daudt—have identified transportation as a 2015 legislative priority. And now, three weeks in, there are a range of funding proposals on the table.

On Monday, Governor Dayton announced a comprehensive, ten-year plan to fix Minnesota’s transportation problem. In the lead-up to the announcement, TLC members and other Minnesotans called on the Governor to propose a long-term solution with dedicated, statewide funding for transit, bicycling, and walking (along with anticipated funding for roads and bridges). Thanks to all who took action! Your multimodal messages ensured Governor Dayton's transportation proposal does invest in all modes across the state! While Transit for Livable Communities thinks more funding is needed for transit and safe streets, we applaud Governor Dayton’s leadership and agree: it's time for the state legislature to pass a comprehensive transportation bill.

Already this session, Senator Dibble (Senate Transportation Committee Chair) has introduced an excellent bill that would fund all modes statewide, and provide the critical new investments in transit, bicycling, and walking that TLC has been fighting for. This Senate bill (SF 87) very closely aligns with Move MN’s proposal. The bill includes the ¾-cent metro sales tax needed to grow the metro-area bus and rail system as well as dedicated funding for Greater Minnesota transit and for pedestrian and bicycling improvements statewide. It also includes a 6.5 percent wholesale gas tax dedicated to road and bridge needs across the state.

Meanwhile, leadership in the Minnesota House has put forth a short-term plan focused exclusively on road and bridge needs. The House bill (HF 4) recently introduced by Representative Kelly (House Transportation Committee Chair) relies on funding from the one-time budget surplus, unspecified efficiencies, and GO bonding. It unfortunately includes zero additional funding for transit or for safe walking and bicycling routes. House leaders, however, have signaled a willingness to look closely at the transportation funding deficit and to discuss solutions as the session progresses.

TLC and Move MN supporters recognize that a statewide transportation solution will require new revenue from modest tax increases. Per the Governor’s numbers, the average cost to residents in the Twin Cities would be about $6 per week. Residents in Greater Minnesota would be about $2 less per week, as the metro sales tax increase for transit is proposed for only the seven-county metropolitan region. To put it in context, these costs add up to considerably less than a monthly cell phone bill. And we know that this smart investment in Minnesota’s future will pay for itself many times over via a stronger economy, healthier communities, and better access to jobs, opportunity, and affordable transportation options.

With your help, we have worked successfully to make this the “Transportation Session.”  Now we need to keep up momentum to convince the legislature to pass a strong bill that meets urgent needs in the metro region and in Greater Minnesota.

Get involved! On Thursday, February 12, join Transit for Livable Communities and Move MN for Transportation Day at the State Capitol! We will meet at the Minnesota Armory in Saint Paul from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. to hear from state and coalition leaders before delivering 10,000 postcards to lawmakers—reminding them that Minnesotans from across the state support a multimodal transportation solution in 2015. Let us help you schedule a February 12 meeting with your legislators so you can personally share your story about why transportation matters and why action is needed.

As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send them our way.

 

Transportation on Tap: Youth and Active Transportation

 

By Erin Kindell, Minnesota GreenCorps Member (TLC), and Hilary Reeves, Strategic Advancement and Communications Director

 

Photo credit: Kirk Johnson

It’s clear that Millennials are influencing transportation trends, and using a range of options to get around, stay connected, and save money. But what about teenagers and younger kids? What’s their transportation world—and what should it be? 

On December 9, TLC members and allies gathered at Republic in Minneapolis to explore the topic of “Youth and Active Transportation,” as part of TLC’s Transportation on Tap series. The final event of 2014 featured panelists Amber Dallman, Physical Activity Coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Health; Nicole Campbell, Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Coordinator at MnDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Section; and Casey Pavek, General Manager at Venture North community bicycle shop. Thank you to the panelists and everyone who joined us for a great conversation! For everyone else, here is some of what you missed:

 

Moderated by TLC's Hilary Reeves, the last Transportation on Tap panel of 2014 brought us a smart, engaging conversation about youth and active transportation.

 

Barriers and Successes: Access, Infrastructure, Education

Casey Pavek emphasized that access plays a major role in how everyone get around; if kids are equipped with bicycles, they will use them. But, there are barriers that make it harder. Venture North works with nearby schools and neighborhood youth. They’ve noted infrastructure barriers, such as a lack of bicycle lanes or safe crossings at major roads. Another problem is a lack of safe places to park or store bicycles. Casey also said sometimes drivers tell bicyclists to get on the sidewalk, and sometimes kids on bicycles are associated with loitering or bad behavior. Overcoming these misperceptions, while also addressing access and infrastructure issues, is essential to supporting a new generation of bicyclists and pedestrians.

Nicole Campbell noted that some parents are opposed to their children walking or bicycling alone, in cold weather conditions, or in seemingly unsafe areas. Although the idea of “stranger danger” originated several decades ago, that idea is still very prominent. Nicole explained that although infrastructure changes are necessary and welcome, these need to be paired with education and programming for parents and students. This could include walking or bicycling clubs, “walking school buses,” or teaching bicycling and walking safety skills in school. Students exposed to this type of engagement are more likely to be open-minded to a variety of travel habits as adults.

A walking school bus is one way to make walking to school a fun group activity for young students.

 

Amber Dallman echoed the need for education and outreach to encourage active transportation. Through initiatives such as the St. Paul Smart Trips Frogtown Neighborhoods Program, she has seen kids become champions of bicycling and walking and see their neighborhoods in new ways. Amber also noted that some believe active transportation “doesn’t work” in rural communities because of longer distances between destinations and busy roads. But, in Greater Minnesota, she has seen successful collaboration between service groups, seniors, and kids around active transportation. The local Kiwanis or senior group, for example, will volunteer to monitor bicycle rides or kids walking to school, bringing the community together.

 

Frogtown Youth Crew, Summer 2013. Photo credit: St. Paul Smart Trips

 

Ages 9 to Adult: Engaging Community & Cultivating the Next Generation

Community bike/walk centers can be important incubators for the next generation of bicyclists and pedestrians. In North Minneapolis, Venture North engages youth in different ways at different ages. The Earn-a-Bike program teaches participants ages 9 through adult to fix and maintain bikes as they earn their own bike. The Bike Mechanic Apprenticeship program employs and trains community youth ages 15-23 about bicycling and walking in addition to professional skills for future employment. Many younger kids visit the shop with older siblings and become interested in bicycling. Around age 10, kids start being interested in taking bikes apart but might not be able to put them back together. At about age 12, they might start doing both. As they transition into teenage years, they begin to understand how the shop operates as a business. By demonstrating how bicycling and walking can be inexpensive, fun, and practical, kids are more likely to integrate those activities into their daily lives.

 

Venture North engages kids ages 9 and up with Earn-a-Bike and other programming.
Photo credits: Venture North.

For the Future: Changing Trends & Supporting Multimodal Families

According to the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, the number of children walking or bicycling to school plummeted significantly, from about 50 percent in 1969 to only 13 percent in 2009. The panelists described programs that are helping to reverse that trend, in terms of the communities we build, the options at hand, and the decisions we make daily about how to get around. A key component of getting more kids and teens into the lifelong habit of bicycling and walking for transportation is ensuring that more young families can leave the car at home. Amber currently walks her children 2 miles to and from school every day, and frequently uses transit and bicycles to destinations. Because she utilizes these modes on a daily basis, her kids view vehicle trips a lot differently. Her four-year-old son’s reaction when she tells him to get in their vehicle is often something like “But that’s going to take forever!” He associates car rides with traveling to visit family in Wisconsin. 

 

Winter Bicycling 101

By Pamela Moore, Transportation Options Program Director, and Jennifer Harmening Thiede, Communications and Member Engagement Manager

 

 

Winter can be a particularly challenging time for all of us in Minnesota to get where we need to go. Traveling by bike is no exception. Still, if you think you’re seeing more people biking year-round, you’re right: data from Bike Walk Twin Cities monthly counts confirm winter bicycling is on the rise in the Twin Cities. This winter, we expect some of those cold-weather bicyclists will be participants in our Transportation Options program.

Through Transportation Options, Transit for Livable Communities has been connecting people with the knowledge and resources essential to getting around via bicycling, walking, transit, bike sharing, and car sharing. In late November, with the cold and snowy season on its way, we invited Transportation Options participants and volunteer consultants for a mini-workshop on winter bicycling basics to ensure anyone interested would be well prepared.

Bill Dooley, a year-round bicyclist and active member of the Minneapolis bicycling community, led the hour-long workshop with a focus on safety, proper gear, and advice for navigating through snow and ice. Here are some of his key tips for safe and enjoyable winter bicycling:

1. Dress for success. Sure, it’s winter in Minnesota, but when you’re bicycling, it is surprisingly easy to get overdressed and overheated. You don’t need a down jacket. Instead, Bill’s go-to layers include:

• Wool sweater from thrift store
• Two pairs of sox (with the thickest layer on the outside)
• Long john pants and top
• Balaclava/face mask
• Light weight wind-resistant jacket
• Wool pants or wind pants
• Neck gaiter (to keep wind from going down into jacket)
• Insulated hiking boots (and wider bike pedals as needed)
• Bucket bike helmet (to keep your head safe and warm)
• Lobster gloves
• Road ID wrist band in case of emergency

 

 

Bill gives Transportatation participants and volunteers advice about proper clothing for pedaling through a Minnesota winter.

 

2. Prepare your bike. Bill uses an old bike for winter rides. He wipes the chain and cleans the rest of the bike once a week. Swapping in studded tires can be helpful for snowy conditions. Fat tire bikes are also growing in popularity, although the expense doesn’t work for every household budget. With short winter days, though, lights are essential. Bill rides with two front lights and two back lights. Between trips, he keeps them in a clear plastic zippered toiletries kit in his bike bag. (This way they are easy to find and you can see if you left a light turned on.)

 

 Bill rides his bike year-round in almost any weather. Lights are essential.

 

3. Adjust your route. Bill recommends riding on slightly busier roads in the winter as the riding conditions are better. Don’t be afraid to take the lane. This time of year, bicyclists will need to ride farther left to stay out of messy, slippery areas. During winter months, Bill’s routes of choice also include well-maintained bicycle boulevards and off-street trails such as the Midtown Greenway.

4. Take it slow. Bill has noticed many drivers are courteous to people pedaling through the winter. Still, slippery black ice and snow pose risks for all road users. He recommends bicycling slowly to be safe. Brake early, especially when riding downhill and approaching intersections.

Adjusting your route and your ride for winter road conditions can help ensure you have a safe trip.

 

5. Combine options in bad weather conditions. Bill rides his bike almost every day of the year, including days when the temperature is well below zero. On days when it is snowing and roads are very slippery, however, he puts his bike on the bus or train. Taking transit or combining multimodal options is a great alternative when road or weather conditions are beyond your comfort level.

 

All Metro Transit bus and trains are equipped with bike racks, making it easy to combine multimodal options and get where you need to go in any season. 

 

Special thanks to Bill Dooley for leading our Winter Bicycling 101 workshop and sharing your experience with participants and volunteers in the Transportation Options program!

 

Success: Making Transportation a Top Issue

 

By Bethany Winkels, Move MN Field Director

 

With a new session on the horizon, elected officials are primed to address Minnesota's transportation needs, which span all modes and all areas of the state.

 

The last few months have been busy for the Move MN campaign. We have been traveling the state, meeting with supporters, businesses, and community groups—from Minnetonka to Duluth, Owatonna to Moorhead, and Worthington to Burnsville. It’s clear that people throughout Minnesota want to see greater investments in transportation. Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in the campaign, we successfully made Minnesota’s urgent transportation needs a key issue this fall.

 

As we move forward, we are excited to report that transportation funding will be a top issue during the 2015 legislative session! Governor Dayton, Presumptive House Speaker Kurt Daudt, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk have each acknowledged the need for a transportation solution next year. The type of solution will be up for debate. Move MN will continue to advocate for a funding package that is balanced, comprehensive, sustainable, and gimmick free. We know that we need investments statewide, from Greater Minnesota to the metro region, and suburbs to cities.

 

Minnesotans also favor a multi-modal approach. A recent poll released by the Minnesotans for Healthy Kids Coalition showed that a majority of Minnesotans from every region in the state want bicycle and pedestrian investments included in new transportation funding. We also need more public transit options both in the metro and in Greater Minnesota, and we need safe roads and bridges in all of our 87 counties. Our transportation system needs to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks per year. We need reliable, predictable funding to make sure that it can. No gimmicks!

 

 Are you among the significant majority of Minnesotans (65%) who support additional funding for bike/ped infrastructure? 

 

The only way to ensure that we see the right solution come out of a bill this legislative session is by staying engaged and organized. On February 12, Move MN will be holding a rally for Transportation Day at the State Capitol. Mark your calendars! We will be delivering 10,000 postcards to lawmakers in support of transportation funding. If you can’t attend in person, there will be other opportunities to get involved. In the meantime, check out the Move MN website and take action online. You can let your local community know that you support investments in transportation by writing a letter to the editor, contacting your lawmaker, or signing our petition. We can move Minnesota forward, but only if we have strength in numbers! Keep up the good work!

 

For more opportunities to get involved in the Move MN campaign, contact me at 651-789-1406 or [email protected].

 

 

Our Newest Program: Rethinking Transportation in the Workplace

 

By Hilary Reeves, Strategic Advancement and Communications Director, and Erin Kindell, Minnesota GreenCorps Member (TLC)

 

Our newest initiative will focus primarily on nonprofits along or near the Green Line.
Photo credit: Allison Osberg, TLC.

 

Surveys show that many people consider their trip to work part of the workday. They may not be paid for that time, but it affects how they feel when they get to work and when they get home. With the opening of the Green Line and more bicycle routes and options for car- and bike sharing, more people have a choice about how they commute. These same new options also can open up new ways of approaching the workday, with results that are more environmentally friendly, save money, and create better connections with the community.

 

This year, TLC is launching a new program to encourage nonprofit organizations to be leaders in re-thinking transportation in the workplace. We’ve teamed up with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) with the goal of establishing transportation best practices and certifying nonprofit transportation leaders.

 

In this first year, we’ll be focusing primarily on nonprofits along or near the Green Line in Minneapolis and Saint Paul We want to encourage employees to consider options other than driving alone. And we want to help organizations foster an equitable, sustainable, multi-modal workplace and establish themselves as leaders in innovative transportation best practices. We’re particularly excited to work with nonprofits because of their commitment to community and to squeezing the most out of hard-won funding.

 

Earlier this month, we attended the MCN conference to share plans for the program and hear about the ways transportation comes up in the work of nonprofit organizations. Many nonprofits already have pioneered ways to reward cleaner, greener transportation choices—or to think creatively about how visitors reach their location. We’re eager to document these stories and hear more.

 

 

TLC's certification program will encourage use of options other than driving alone. 
Image credit: Erin Kindell, TLC.

 

Transit for Livable Communities also collaborated with MCN on a recent survey about how nonprofit employees get around. We received 1,328 completed surveys that will inform our work on this new program! A few of the survey results include: the distance and time of employee commutes, their typical mode of transportation, the number of vehicles in their household, and current barriers to using modes other than driving alone. The survey helps us get a baseline picture of commuting habits for the certification.

 

Nonprofits enrolling in the program will receive an assessment of their current conditions and options, attend a Transportation Options workshop, and create an action plan with goals for shifting trips and encouraging options other than driving. We’ll also work with organizations to track changes in travel habits. Nonprofits that complete the certification will be recognized at the 2015 Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Conference!

 

Our intent is not only to shift trips (work and otherwise) for employees, but also to make sure that organizations incorporate the full range of transportation options in the way they carry out their work. This initiative is designed to benefit nonprofit staff and organizations as a whole, as well as the communities, volunteers, visitors, and clients they serve.

 

TLC’s new certification program will continue to develop over the winter months as we encourage nonprofits to sign on and participate in this leadership opportunity.

 

If you are interested in learning more, contact us!

 

• Hilary Reeves, 651-789-1415 or [email protected]
• Erin Kindell, 651-789-1403 or [email protected]

 

A Brighter Financial Future: New Partnership to Make Transportation Costs Visible

An Interview with Cally Ingebritson, Prepare + Prosper

By Pam Moore, Transportation Options Program Director

 

Cally Ingebritson, Financial Capability Manager at Prepare + Prosper.

Recognizing that transportation is an unmet basic need for many low-income Minnesotans, TLC’s Transportation Options program addresses the high cost of getting around by combining workshops for social service staff and one-on-one assistance for low-income participants. To date, TLC is partnered with three community-based organizations to work with individuals and families via coaching and financial assistance. These participants are all motivated to move toward economic self-sufficiency and are open to utilizing affordable transportation options—such as biking, walking, transit, car sharing, and bike sharing—to get there.

Our newest Transportation Options partner organization is Prepare + Prosper in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Recently, we followed-up with Prepare + Prosper’s Financial Capability Manager, Cally Ingebritson, to get her take on this partnership and how it fits with her organization’s ongoing work to help move Minnesotans out of poverty.

TLC: Tell us about the mission of Prepare + Prosper. Who do you serve?

CI: Prepare + Prosper is a robust and multifaceted organization focused on economic justice and financial capability. Working with more than 550 volunteers, our work is about leveraging the “money moment” of tax time to help more than 13,000 households work toward a brighter financial future. With the support of staff, our volunteers are the core of our ability to provide these services in our community each year.

We continue to grow as an organization and currently I lead our new volunteer-based financial coaching program, Money Mentors. Money Mentors is a volunteer-based financial coaching program in which we aim to help participants boost savings, eliminate debt, and improve credit. We are in the first year of launching this program. The decision to start Money Mentors came after offering free tax preparation and financial services for over 40 years as we wanted to grow as an organization to help the community with their financial goals in a deeper way.

 

Financial coaches and mentees in Prepare + Prosper’s Money Mentors program.

TLC: Why were you interested in attending a Transportation Options workshop? What were your key takeaways from the workshop personally and professionally?

CI: Personally, I became much more aware of and enthusiastic about the numerous transportation options available in the Twin Cities after attending a Transportation Options workshop. I was even inspired to become a Nice Ride member and have begun walking to work. Hopefully this new habit keeps up over the winter! I have told many people about the training I attended at TLC! Recently I attended a concert at the Target Center and my friend, girlfriend, and I chose to use Nice Ride bikes instead of driving and paying for parking. Afterward my friend told me, “Riding the bikes through downtown Minneapolis was almost as fun as the concert!”

Professionally, I saw the benefit of partnering with Transit for Livable Communities through sharing this information with the volunteer financial coaches I supervise and encouraging them to pass this information along to our participants. We also altered some of the financial coaching activities we lead with our participants to discuss transportation more directly. No longer should transportation be an invisible, unspoken expense—it should be viewed as part of everybody’s overall financial life.

 

TLC: Share the value you see in partnering with the Transportation Options program. What impact do you expect it will have for your participants?

CI: By attending Transportation Options, I was motivated to have TLC train our volunteer financial coaches. Through TLC’s hands-on, interactive training our volunteers learned how the various transportation systems work in the Twin Cities. Our goal is to send five participants to TLC to receive additional support to make new transportation options a regular habit and save money in the process. The coach who referred our first participant to TLC has discussed saving money and using light rail, bus, bike, or some combination of these.

 

All featured photos are courtesy of Prepare + Prosper.

Meet Joan: New TLC Board Member

 By Jennifer Harmening Thiede, Communications & Member Engagement Manager

 

This fall, Transit for Livable Communities welcomes Joan Gangl to our Board of Directors. Joan is both a daily transit rider and an experienced accountant. She is a strong fit for our organization and we are happy to have her service on the board as well as on our Finance Committee.

 

“I am really looking forward to working with the TLC board. I commute to work every day on the bus, have enjoyed many of the wonderful trails that we have here in Minnesota, and find myself using light rail and the train as well. I have been looking for an opportunity to share my expertise with a nonprofit, and wanted to find one that shared my core values. I love the idea of promoting a transportation system that also protects our natural resources. Transit for Livable Communities is an organization that I can get excited about!”

 

Joan Gangl is a Certified Public Accountant with more than twenty-five years of experience, including estate planning, year-end tax planning, charitable planning, and review of individual, trust, and estate tax returns. Joan has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business, as well as a Master’s in Business Taxation from the same school. She lives in Blaine and works in Minneapolis.

 

Keep an eye on our events calendar for opportunities to connect with Joan and with other TLC board members and staff in person later in the year.