Transportation funding is a top issue at the Minnesota legislature this year. January 12, Minneapolis State Senator Scott Dibble (chair of the Senate Transportation Committee) introduced a new comprehensive transportation finance bill.
Proposal includes gamechanging funding for walking and biking
Part of the proposal (full bill here for the wonky) is the first-ever dedicated ongoing state funding for biking and walking. The bill would dedicate 9-10 percent of an increased metro areas sales tax to fund biking and walking projects. This would mean more than $30 million a year in the Twin Cities for biking and walking (an additional $16 million for bike/walk in Greater Minnesota is also included in the bill).
This funding would be a game changer for biking and walking. It is more money each year than Bike Walk Twin Cities was over 7 years. Minneapolis would likely receive an average of at least $4 million a year for protected bikeways, greenways, trail connections, safety improvements, accessibility fixes, crosswalks, and more.
Solely in protected bikeway terms, $4 million in a year could: build 10-20 miles of new protected bikeways with flexible posts or build 8-12 miles of protected bikeways with planters or 5-8 miles of protected bikeways with new curbs. It could fully fund the rest of the Bikeways for Everyone vision (30 new miles by 2020) with a year or two of funding.
We are committed to Minneapolis building a truly great and connected bike network that serves everyone from families with kids to active seniors and all communities and sections of the city. This network can be transformative for quality of life in our city from so many perspectives. But it will take funding and more funding than we can reasonably expect solely from City funding sources. That network can be built quickly and maintained with this new funding. And it can also support big projects like the North Minneapolis Greenway, filling gaps like a potential Midtown Greenway connection over the Mississippi River to connect to St. Paul and a completed Grand Rounds in NE, and addressing local intersection challenges. It would open up a lot of valuable opportunities!
You can see our list of 8 reasons why biking and walking should be part of transportation bill.
Projects from downtown protected bikeways, to bike safety improvements, to the potential North Minneapolis Greenway could be supported with dedicated biking and walking funding in the state transportation bill (along with many others).
Ask Governor Dayton to include bike/walk in his transportation proposal
Governor Dayton is finalizing his budget proposal, which is sure to include a transportation bill. We want that to included dedicated biking and walking like in Senator Dibble's proposal. Please send him a message telling him to include biking and walking as a strong part of that proposal. This is an important time--please take action.
Online form or leave a message at 651-201-3400
General Message: Please include biking and walking strongly in your transportation proposal
More detailed message:
Thank you for your support of important investments in transportation. Transportation investment is important for Minnesota. Biking and walking is a critical part of that--and growing rapidly. Please include biking and walking strongly in your proposal.
*tell your personal reason why biking and walking is important for you.
