Editor’s Note: Thanks to Jay Walljasper for this new guest blog on the rise of bicycling in NYC, the latest of several cities to follow Minneapolis’s lead in launching a bike share system. Here in the Twin Cities, we’ve also experienced a significant increase in bike ridership as bicycling infrastructure has expanded and improved. Through TLC’s role in administering the Bike Walk Twin Cities nonmotorized transportation pilot program, we’ve fostered and documented these shifts. We’ve also seen firsthand the positive impact on safety and the culture change precipitated by real investments in active transportation. Join TLC Thursday, June 13, at Transportation on Tap for a closer look at another benefit: the economic impact of bicycling.

New York's City's bike share system launched for annual members on May 27 and opened for all users on June 2. Already, Citi Bike riders have pedaled nearly 365,000 miles on "New York’s newest public transportation system." Credit: Citi Bike

Former New York mayor Ed Koch envisioned bicycles as vehicles for the future, and in 1980 created experimental bike lanes on 6^th and 7^th Avenues in Manhattan where riders were protected from speeding traffic by asphalt barriers. Some people immediately roared their disapproval and within a few weeks the bike lanes were gone.

Twenty-seven years later, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and his transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan saw the growing ranks of bicyclists on the streets as a key component of 21^st-century transportation, and began building protected bike lanes in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

These “green lanes” were an immediate hit with the public but a noisy reaction came from a small group of well-connected people. New York magazine declared the situation a “Bikelash” on its cover.

Now two years later, Sadik-Khan is still commissioner and bike lanes continue appearing across the city, including 11.3 new miles of green lanes last year alone. Two-thirds of New Yorkers call bike lanes a good idea in the most recent New York Times poll, compared to only 27 percent who oppose them.

Another of Bloomberg’s and Sadik-Khan’s big ideas to improve New York is now sparking controversy: the Citi Bike bike sharing system, with 6,000 bikes available at 330 stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. A member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board has called the idea—which is already up and running in Boston, Washington, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Chattanooga, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Houston, London, and Paris—“totalitarian” in an unintentionally hilarious “interview” here. But judging from the popularity of bike lanes and success of bike share in other cities, this brouhaha will blow over.

Tim Blumenthal, president of PeopleForBikes and the sister Green Lane Project, stresses, “Bike issues need to be framed in the context of what they mean to the city, not just what they mean to people who bike. In New York City, for example, more green lanes, better bikeway networks, and the new Citi Bike system will benefit all residents and visitors by reducing traffic, noise, and air pollution—making city life a little less frenetic for everyone.”

Other communities will no doubt face their own version of bikelash, but the high-profile debate in New York over bike lanes highlighted two key assets of protected lanes: 

1.  Bike lanes create safer streets for everyone. “It’s the safety stats that carried the day,” notes Ben Fried, editor of Streetsblog, which focuses on transportation in New York City. “They’re pretty indisputable.” Crashes for all road users (drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists) on streets with green lanes drop on average by 40 percent, and sometimes as much as 50 percent, according to a memorandum from Deputy New York Mayor Howard Wolfson. Green lanes also lead to significantly fewer bicyclists riding on sidewalks, Fried notes.
2. Bike Lanes are good for business. Businesses on 9^th Avenue, the first major green lane in the city, saw a 49 percent rise in retail sales, compared to 3 percent across Manhattan as a whole, according to research by the New York City Department of Transportation. Another study of consumer patterns by Portland State University researchers, found that shoppers who arrive by bicycle spend 24 percent more at stores per month than those who drive. 
    

Just one example of the growing network of bicycling infrastructure in NYC, this painted, buffered bike lane provides a highly visible, dedicated space for on-street bicycling.

New, unfamiliar ideas like green lanes always spark opposition—at first. “Push back is inevitable,” Fried explains. “It doesn’t mean the project is flawed. Once it’s built, the constituency for it will grow.”

Complaints about a “war on cars” have echoed around Seattle from a small but persistent chorus opposed to bike lanes. In response, the Cascade Bicycle Club commissioned a poll of Seattle voters (conducted by the independent research firm FM3 using a scientifically rigorous sample of 400 respondents), which found that 79 percent view bicyclists favorably, 73 percent want to see more protected green lanes, 59 percent support “replacing roads and some on-street parking” to build green lanes,” while only 31 percent believe Seattle is “waging a war on cars.”

Increasing numbers of Americans are embracing bicycling to commute, run errands, exercise, and have fun. Green lanes and other new bicycle infrastructure being built across the country are encouraging even more people to ride by making the streets safer for bicyclists of all ages and backgrounds.

Jay Walljasper writes, speaks and consults frequently about biking and other ways to improve our communities. His website: www.JayWalljasper.com

• Instead of an annual increase of 1% in funding for local bus, we have no new funding for local bus service.
• No dedicated allocation of the sales tax for safe, accessible bicycling and walking projects.
• Except for the Southwest LRT (see below) no funds to build-out the regional transit system. No new funds for the Bottineau line, Gateway corridor, other LRT and BRT, or arterial rapid bus on twelve high-volume routes.

• No cuts to general fund allocation to transit ($130 million) plus $18 million for the state’s share of operating costs of the Blue line (Hiawatha LRT), Green Line (Central Corridor LRT, which opens 2014), and Northstar Commuter Rail.
• A one-time $37 million general fund allocation for Southwest LRT, which keeps planning/engineering moving. The project will now need $81 million next year from the state to secure a federal match and start construction. The state’s share of the project is 10% overall.
•  A small increase for transit in Greater Minnesota ($256,000 extra from the general fund plus $10.8 million leased vehicle sales tax). This meets only 60-65% of the need in greater Minnesota, rather than the statutory goal of meeting 80% by 2015.
•  $500,000 for Safe Routes to Schools--the first time the state has allocated funding to this program. 
• Language allowing Minneapolis to cover capital cost of streetcars through tax increment financing.
• $300 million in Trunk Highway bonding for roads. This is not new money, but simply approval to bond against expected future highway fund revenue.
•  Language that requires MnDOT to fund the new Transportation Alternatives program (which funds bicycling and walking projects, among many other categories) under the federal MAP-21 law at the same level as previous years.
• Language that encourages the Met Council to steer some of funds it budgets for public outreach and input to on-the-ground grassroots groups and local business associations.
• Language that facilitates efforts by MnDOT and the Met Council to work more closely with community based employment assistance firms and training facilities to meet the hiring goals set by the state's Human Rights department. Language about economically disadvantaged businesses will encourage more contracting opportunities as well.
• Both transportation policy pieces contain reporting provisions that will help track outcomes and measure progress.

Polls taken early in the session indicated that 91% of Minnesotans support state investment in transit and a majority support including bicycling and walking as part of transportation funding. A business group, The Itasca Project released a study showing a large return on investments in transit. 

Taking action: This week at the Capitol, supporters called on legislators to fund transportation now.

In a surprise move a week ago, freshman senator Melisa Franzen offered an amendment on the Senate floor to the Omnibus Transportation Funding bill to provide new funding for roads and transit. That amendment passed and, soon after, the entire bill was adopted.  HF 1444 (previously SF 1173) includes a phased-in half-cent increase in the metro area sales tax for transit, and a phased-in increase of 5 cents in the state gas tax. The amended bill also includes a small percentage for bicycle and pedestrian connections, and increases transit funding for Greater Minnesota, meeting 70 percent of the need. Together, these investments will put Minnesota’s transportation system on the right path for the future. The question now is whether these elements make it into law this session.

TLC and the Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition have advocated all session for a funding bill that will greatly expand transit, and safe, accessible bicycling and walking connections. This past Wednesday, the coalition gathered outside the Governor’s office and marched to Speaker Thissen’s office. The walls of the Capitol echoed with voices calling, “Transportation Now!”       

This week, the Minnesota House and Senate have been conferencing the bold Senate bill with a “lights on” House Transportation funding bill that offers no increase in funding, but rather keeps status quo transportation budgets in place.  The Conference Committee is comprised of the following legislators.

There is still hope that end-of-session negotiations will get the job done on transportation. One possibility is that the half-cent sales tax will be packaged with $300 million in trunk highway bonds and as yet unnamed additional funding for roads. Another funding effort is a House bonding bill, championed by Rep. Alice Hausman, with funding for Southwest light rail and other key transit projects. 

All session, Governor Dayton has remained committed to his budget proposal, which includes a half-cent increase in the metro sales tax to significantly expand the metro area transit system. Let’s thank the Governor (click here or call 651-201-3400) and inspire him and legislative leaders to get the job done in the final few days.

The Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition will remain engaged in legislative action right up to the final bell—in this case, Monday, May 20.  We encourage other transit, bicycling, and walking advocates to do the same, and to keep the pressure on your elected officials through the weekend!  

Take action: send a quick message to your state legislators right now.

Photo Credit: Val Escher

Throughout this legislative session, Transit for Livable Communities has been facilitating the Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition. Our coalition’s name emphasizes the positive economic impact of increased transit, but the benefits of public transportation are broad. Not surprisingly, the list of Transit for a Stronger Economy’s 52 member organizations is equally broad, representing a variety of sectors, including public health. Earlier this spring, coalition partner Rachel Callanan, Regional Vice President of Advocacy for the American Heart Association and Chair of the Minnesotans for Healthy Kids coalition testified in favor of increased funding for transit, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements. In her testimony, Callanan made a strong connection between transportation and health. As she emphasized, greater investments in transit and active transportation options are likely to have positive health implications for Minnesotans, while also saving our state money in health care costs.

Lack of physical activity is associated with a number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and obesity. The Surgeon General recommends that adults get at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity. Almost half of American adults do not meet this recommendation. But as  Callanan noted, “Increased access to public transportation may provide more opportunities for physical activity as most transit trips begin and end with walking.” In fact, Callanan said, “Public transit users spend an average of 19 minutes daily walking to and from transit. . . . This modest amount is significant enough that it could reduce the obesity epidemic and its related health costs.”

Improved physical health is not just important for individuals who currently don’t exercise. We will all benefit from lower health care costs. Callanan shared research conducted by the American Heart Association that predicts that the “healthcare costs from obesity alone could exceed $861 billion by 2013, which would account for at least 16 percent of U.S. health expenditures.” By acting now and increasing funding for transit, bicycling, and walking, we can prevent this astronomical increase in health care costs. 

Transit, bicycling, and walking are good for Minnesota’s economy, but these transportation options are also good for our health. As the diversity of our coalition members reminds us, the potential benefits we will see when the legislature passes a comprehensive transportation funding bill are many—hopefully too many for elected officials to ignore. 

When the Metro Red Line opens on June 22, it will be the region’s first station-to-station Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. It will travel on bus-only shoulder lanes along Cedar Avenue, with stations at Apple Valley Transit Station, 147th Street, 140th Street, Cedar Grove station in Eagan, and the Mall of America, where connections can be made to the Blue Line (aka the Hiawatha light rail line). Unlike commuter bus service, the Red Line BRT will run frequently all day, every day—so frequently you won’t need a schedule, says the Metropolitan Council. The operating hours will be from 5 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, and 7:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday and Sunday.

Metro Red Line buses will serve each station with level boarding, real-time signs, and other transit advantages, much like service on the light rail (LRT). Credit: Metropolitan Council.

When the Red Line opens June 22, some MVTA bus routes will change to feed to and from the Line. Commuter bus service will not change. Credit: Metropolitan Council.

With the expansion of the transit network in the south metro, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) will adjust bus schedules to feed into the Red Line and back. While commuter buses from the MVTA will not change, the combination of bus, BRT, and LRT will make it easier to get to key destinations by transit.

One MVTA route adjustment will give families an affordable way to get to the Minnesota Zoo. Starting June 22, take the Red Line to the Cedar Grove Station (ask for a transfer) and catch the MVTA bus for a 15 minute ride to the Zoo, with hourly service every day of the week, from morning to early evening. Kids under 5 years old travel for free (the limit is three free kids per one adult). The off-peak fare is $1.75 per adult or child over age 5. And, use your transfer to get discounted admission to the Zoo. Given that regular Zoo admission is $12.00-$16.00 and parking for cars is $6.00, the Red Line-MVTA combo could be a money-saving option!

If you’ve got tickets to one of the summer concerts at Minnesota Zoo’s Weesner Family Amphitheater this summer, MVTA also is offering special express bus service (route 475) from the University of Minnesota through downtown Minneapolis to the Cedar Grove Transit station, arriving at the Zoo by 7:00 p.m. for 7:30 concerts. Buses will leave the Zoo at 10:30 p.m. The fare is $5.00 round trip, paid as riders board the bus to the Zoo. The Zoo concert series runs through the end of August. For more information about the special route, click here.

Thanks to Robin Selvig at MVTA for her help with details about changing service.

# # #

Energy around a streetcar revival has been steadily building in the Twin Cities—and with good reason. The modern streetcar is far more than an ode to the dominant transportation mode preceding today’s ubiquitous car culture. Streetcars provide a valuable transit option uniquely suited to dense urban settings and with strong opportunities for new commercial and residential development. But are streetcars likely to make a major comeback here in Minnesota?

Streetcars (referred to as trolleys outside North America) have been part of the U.S. transit system since the late 19^th century. By the 1920s, they were commonplace, even spawning the term “streetcar suburb” for their notable influence on development patterns and commuting habits.

As local authors John Diers and Aaron Isaacs describe in Twin Cities by Trolley, many older Minnesotans fondly recall riding the 520-mile streetcar network that once stretched from Stillwater to Lake Minnetonka, with dense grids of track serving Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Passengers boarding a streetcar at Hennepin Ave. & 9^th St. in Minneapolis, part of the extensive network that once served the Twin Cities metro area.

After declining in the 1940s and 50s for a variety of reasons, including growing suburban development and the emergence of rubber tired buses, streetcars are reappearing in more and more cities across the country—not only as a way of moving people from one place to another, but as part of a comprehensive development plan.

Peer Cities Embrace Modern Streetcars

Today, modern streetcars operate in Charlotte, NC, Portland, OR, and the Seattle-Tacoma metro area.. New streetcar service will launch in Dallas and Washington, DC, later this year, and is under construction or procurement in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Salt Lake City. Historic streetcars still operate in Boston, Memphis, New Orleans (replica), Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

  
Passengers about to board a modern streetcar in Portland, OR.

These streetcars operate in urban cores and make frequent stops. They are smaller and less expensive than light rail vehicles, but larger and more expensive than buses. Popular models can accommodate 41 seated passengers and 100 standing passengers. They can either operate with autos on existing streets or, like LRT, on their own rights of way.

*Sources for cost estimates: Streetcars 101, City of Saint Paul website; LRT based on cost of Hiawatha, Central, and Southwest LRT cost, Metro Transit Arterial BRT Study.

Credit: City of Minneapolis

Streetcars, with their high visibility and fixed routes, encourage economic development and mixed-use land development. For example, since streetcar service began in 1996 in the historic South End of Charlotte, NC, property values have increased from $20 million to $360 million. The streetcar is now considered “the spine of the district.”

Portland, OR, first began operating Central City Streetcar in 2001. Since then, there has been $3.5 billion in development within two blocks of this streetcar line (over 50 percent of total downtown development). Much of this development has been mixed residential and commercial, with residential properties averaging just 0.6 parking spaces per unit. Not long after opening a streetcar line, Portland birthed United Streetcar, the only manufacturer of modern streetcars in the U.S.

It is easy to see why many American cities are choosing to invest in streetcars, but will the Twin Cities join them?

Studies are underway to evaluate streetcar feasibility and determine the best routes for streetcars in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

In Minneapolis, an Alternatives Analysis (AA) has narrowed the most feasible routes to a single starter line. From downtown, the line would travel south on Nicollet Ave. to Lake St. and northeast on East Hennepin and Central Ave. We imagine this starter line will have strong potential for future development and would attract visitors and downtown workers to a wide variety of restaurants, shops, and other attractions. The AA will also examine a longer route—from 46^th St. South to 41^st St. North—that may follow a successful starter line.

Other promising routes include a streetcar along the Midtown Greenway connecting the Hiawatha LRT and the future Southwest LRT (a project being studied by Metro Transit) and a streetcar along West Broadway serving North Minneapolis. Particularly given that the proposed Bottineau LRT route skirts North Minneapolis, a new streetcar on West Broadway could bring welcome reinvestment potential to that area of the city along with more frequent transit service.  

These potential streetcar routes and many others are simultaneously being assessed as possible rapid bus corridors.

Saint Paul is also studying streetcars. By the end of 2013 when the City’s streetcar feasibility study concludes, it will have identified one to two priority corridors for implementation. Over a dozen corridors are currently being examined, including Snelling Ave., Payne Ave., Lexington Pkwy., West 7^th/East 7^th St., Rice St., Ford Pkwy., Robert St., Grand Ave., and several others. Evaluation criteria include ridership potential, development potential, and transit-supportive land uses.

Streetcar Funding

Both Saint Paul and Minneapolis still need to identify a funding source for any future streetcar lines. Streetcars are not currently identified in the Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Policy Plan, nor eligible for funding through the Counties Transit Improvement Board (1/4-cent metro area sales tax for transit), or by Metro Transit, which has had very limited resources to increase bus service over the past decade.

Given the potential of streetcars, however, a variety of new funding sources are being explored. These include: 1) allowing streetcar construction and operation as one use of an increase in the metro area sales tax (HF 1444), 2) value capture legislation (HF 617), which would allow Minneapolis to secure a portion of capital costs by borrowing against future property tax increases in locations served by a streetcar, and 3) federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s Small Starts program.

Want to get involved and learn more? Weigh in on bringing streetcars back to Saint Paul. Stay informed about ongoing Minneapolis streetcar planning efforts and upcoming opportunities to participate: Nicollet-Central or Midtown Corridor.

Find more on Portland’s streetcar system and development-oriented transit here.

The amendment includes funding for transit (bus and rail), bicycling and walking projects, and road and bridge projects statewide. The bill, now through the Senate, if enacted would increase the regional sales tax for transit in all seven metro counties by 1/4 cent sales tax now, with 1/4 cent next biennium. The bill would also raise the gas tax by 2.5 cents now and 2.5 cent gas tax next biennium. The bill also increases funding for Greater Minnesota transit and safe routes to school.

All eyes turn next to the House-Senate conference committee.

The Metropolitan Council’s new regional development plan, Thrive MSP 2040, will set the framework for how the Twin Cities metro area will grow over the next 30 years.  It will influence the footprint of the developed area, including how much land will be converted from farmland and open space to housing and employment sites. It will set targets for affordable housing and establish goals for parks and water quality. And Thrive MSP will also influence our region’s future mix of transportation options: Will we invest in more highway lanes and new interchanges? Or will our region shift investments to additional public transit, bike routes, and sidewalks along with the repair of existing roads?  

You Have the Power to Influence this Plan

This spring, the Metropolitan Council is seeking input on the plan. We strongly encourage you to tell the Council what investments matter most to you, and what kind of community you want to live in going forward. Your ideas matter! Share them online, or participate at an upcoming Thrive MSP Roundtable Discussion near you. These roundtables will focus on four issue areas: 1) Regionally significant economic places, 2) land use and transit, 3) affordable housing priority, location and need, and 4) water supply and a thriving region.

Upcoming Thrive MSP Roundtable Discussions:

• Tuesday, April 30, 6:30-8:30 PM, Eagan
• Saturday, May 4, 10 AM-Noon, Saint Paul
• Thursday, May 9, 6-8 PM, Shoreview
• Thursday, May 16, 6-8 PM, Minneapolis

Setting Goals for Land Use and Transit

With regard to land use and transit, here are three key points to keep an eye on when you comment on Thrive MSP:

** Affordability = Opportunity. Thrive MSP should make sure the entire region has convenient access to transit and safe, accessible bicycling and walking options.

The Thrive MSP Transportation Goal should include the word “affordably.” Today’s transportation system works pretty well for people who can afford to drive a car, largely connecting motorists with destinations safely and reliably. But it nearly requires owning a car—a huge cost to families in the region. For young adults, the elderly, people with a disability, or others without the means for car ownership, this burden limits opportunity and makes home ownership, educational advancement, and personal health harder to achieve.  We can advance Thrive MSP’s equity principle by prioritizing affordable transportation options. For example, materials for the Thrive MSP Roundtable discussions ask, “How could transit investment decisions enhance access to opportunity for low-income and people of color. . . . ?” We think the best way to enhance access to opportunity is to increase investment in transit, bicycling, and walking – affordable options.

** Connect the Dots to Climate Change. Thrive MSP should help achieve Minnesota’s goal to reduce climate change by setting and measuring goals for the percent of trips by transit, bicycling, and walking in our region.

If our region is to dramatically reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, Thrive MSP needs to include a specific goal (as is already in state statute) for the share of trips made by public transit, bicycling, and walking that will help to achieve the state climate goals. To make progress toward those goals, the Met Council needs to explicitly advocate for the funding and policy change necessary to expand the availability of these transportation options.  Transit emits a fraction of the pollution of driving alone, and bicycling and walking are emissions free.

** Transit-Supportive Land Use.  Thrive MSP should encourage most new development inside the I-494/I-694 beltway and along transitways or near high-frequency transit.

As Thrive MSP Roundtable materials state, “Over the last 60 years, our rapidly expanding region built a network of highways and grew outward around them. This new development provided jobs, homes, schools, and recreation for the region’s residents. However, this development pattern is not sustainable.”  We agree with the Metropolitan Council. Planning for the majority of new growth (housing and employment sites) to occur where there is current infrastructure (roads, utilities, schools, etc.) in place, along major bus corridors and transitways, and inside the I-494/694 beltway where density levels are favorable for providing efficient transit makes good economic and environmental sense.

These materials also ask, “How could local land-use decisions improve the future viability of transit?” The Council can do this by ensuring that Thrive MSP is more specific, with clear goals, identified growth areas, and by channeling incentive funding into investments that help to achieve the plan’s goals.

Stay Informed, Get Involved

The Metropolitan Council will be working on Thrive MSP through the end of 2013, with adoption planned for February 2014. Because this plan will provide a strategic vision for the Twin Cities for decades to come, we encourage you to get involved, online or in person, throughout the process.

For more on this topic, don’t miss our other recent blogs in the Thrive MSP series:

Top Ten Elements in Regional Plans: Our Peers Have Set a High Bar

Thrive MSP 2040 – Why and How to Create a Shared Vision

Supporters of comprehensive transportation funding filled the Capitol Rotunda at a lively rally Wednesday morning.

Comprehensive transit /transportation funding bills are still alive in the Minnesota Senate and House. The metro area transit funding package that TLC has advocated includes substantial new funding for buses, rail and bicycle and walking options. There have been numerous ups and downs (as is typical for a major bill). A Senate bill being voted on today, however, gives us renewed hope. See more detail below.

Transit advocates appreciate Governor Dayton’s leadership. His proposed budget  includes a ½ cent increase in the metro area sales tax for transit. There is consensus by Capitol experts, however, that this plan will only be passed by the House and Senate if it is combined with significant new funding for roads and bridges. The logic for this is that Minnesota legislators have always addressed transportation as a statewide issue. Greater Minnesota legislators are more likely to vote for a package that addresses road, bridge, and transit needs in their districts.  

Moving separately in the House is a capital investment bill championed by Representative Hausman that includes significant bonding for public transit, Safe Routes to School, local roads, bridges, and trails. The Senate has yet to take up a bonding bill this session, so the path for adoption is still unclear.

Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak with supporters at today’s rally for transportation funding.

Transit advocates are joining with proponents of funding for roads and bridges, working hard at the Capitol, reaching legislators through phone banks, and hosting a Rally at the Capitol today.

All these efforts reflect the strong support for major transportation investments this session. We believe the Governor and legislative leaders (speaker Thissen in the House, and Majority Leader Bakk in the Senate) should pass into law a balanced transportation bill that addresses the statewide need for transit, roads, bridges, and bicycle and pedestrian connections.

In her remarks at today’s rally, transit advocate and North Minneapolis resident Kenya McKnight emphasized that all communities need transit options, safe roads, and bicycling and walking connections.

The bill supported by TLC and the Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition earlier this session included increased transit funding as well as substantial new dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the metro area. We’re happy to report that these elements remain in place in both the Senate transportation bill (which will be heard Wednesday evening in committee) and in a House bill that is working its way through various committees.

The resounding message at the Capitol today: transportation is essential for a stronger economy, transportation bills are jobs bills.

Senate Transportation Bill includes the following:

Transit/bike/walk

•          ½-cent increase in the metro area sales tax for transit (buses and trains), which will rapidly accelerate the build out a 21-st century transit system.

•          Dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and planning studies for streetcars.

•          $10 million additional funding per year for Greater Minnesota transit.

Roads/bridges

•          A tax at the distributor level on fuel (this exists already in more than a dozen other states) combined with a reduction of the gas tax.

After the rally, TLC and Transit for a Stronger Economy coalition partners headed to Governor Dayton’s office to deliver hundreds of postcards and messages supporting increased funding for transit and safe, accessible bicycling and walking.

The message is clear: we need a comprehensive transportation bill and the Senate has a good plan. The Senate bill will be heard in committees over the next week. We are hopeful that the House will take up a similar bill. Please help us keep the pressure to pass a strong and balanced bill this session (take action here). It’s essential for a stronger economy for all Minnesotans.

By Barb Thoman, Executive Director

Every year, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety releases a report about death and injuries on Minnesota’s roads. The 100-plus page report, with the title Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, contains information and statistics about crashes—who is involved (car, motorcycle, pedestrian), the likely causes, when and where they occur, etc. I’m always surprised that the annual release of this report isn’t more widely covered in the media.

TLC took a look at the most recent report and summarized the information about bicycle and pedestrian crashes in a new policy brief. The latest report, Crash Facts 2011, found that motor vehicle crashes that involve a bicyclist or pedestrian were 3 percent of all crashes, but 12 percent of fatalities. Over the last 10 years, an average of 40 pedestrians and 8 bicyclists died on Minnesota’s roads annually.

TLC’s policy brief also addressed information on bicycle crashes that occur, but are not included in Crash Facts. Because of federal reporting protocol, bicycle crashes that occur on public roads but do not involve a motor vehicle are not included. A separate database maintained by the Minnesota Department of Health showed that five times as many people were injured in a bicycle crash as were reported in the 2011 Crash Facts. One of the people injured was my husband, who fell after hitting a rock in a bike lane in Saint Paul. He had surgery to repair several bones in his hand.

Despite ongoing safety concerns and growing rates of bicycling and walking, bike and pedestrian safety has long been underfunded. The new federal transportation law, MAP-21, increases funding for traffic safety. TLC hopes that the state’s new traffic safety plan, which will be developed in 2013, will increase attention and funding for programs and projects that improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. Bicycling and walking are good for public heath, the environment, and community livability. The safer it is to walk and bicycle, the more people will participate.

To learn more, including the leading causes of bicycle and pedestrian crashes, read our brief on Crash Facts here.

Read the full Crash Facts report here.