We are excited to announce that the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition is now Our Streets Minneapolis!
The name change comes after the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition announced last fall its expansion to work on walking issues as well as biking.
“After eight years of successfully advocating for safer bicycle infrastructure, our new name and mission really underlines the importance of walking advocacy to this organization as we move forward,” said LaTrisha Vetaw, Our Streets Minneapolis Board President. “The expansion of our work and rebrand aligns with the Coalition’s goal to reach out to and better serve communities of color. I see this change as a big win for the community members I work with daily. We are excited to continue working to bring people together to support a great city for everyone.”
The rebranding comes after months of conversations following the announcement of the expansion to serve those walking and rolling, and includes an expanded mission, vision, and priorities.
Mission
Our Streets Minneapolis works for a city where biking, walking, and rolling are easy and comfortable for everyone.
Vision
We envision a city where:
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Biking, walking, and rolling are easy and joyful for people of all backgrounds and identities in all parts of Minneapolis;
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Streets and trails are vibrant community spaces with people walking and biking year-round;
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Kids and families feel safe and comfortable walking and biking to neighborhood schools, parks, and businesses;
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Older adults and people with mobility challenges are healthy, independent, and connected with their communities through streets and sidewalks designed for them; and
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Abundant biking and walking contributes to happy people, a healthy environment, and a strong economy.
Our initial priorities for walking and rolling include working to:
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Make street crossings safer for people walking and rolling;
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Improve winter sidewalk maintenance; and
- Improve stop lights for people walking.
If you want to get involved to support better walking in Minneapolis, our Pedestrian Work Group meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6pm. We always welcome new volunteers. Contact [email protected] (new emails coming soon!) to get plugged in.
We also will certainly continue to work to make biking safer and more comfortable for everyone. We are continuing work toward our 2020 goals to double biking in Minneapolis (from 2014 levels), see 30 new miles of protected bikeways built, and reach platinum Bicycle Friendly Communities status.
You can read all about our current priorities here.
And, we've got new spoke cards! Stop by to see the Our Streets Minneapolis booth at Open Streets Lyndale June 4 (by 31st Street) or Open Streets Downtown June 11 to get yours!
