shift
The Quarterly Newsletter of the
Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
November 2014
Saved By
the Bell
Educators learn — and
embrace — bicycle safety
skills to pass on to schoolkids
all over Minnesota.
Quietly over the past year, 10,000
Minnesota elementary students
moved one step closer to getting
to school safely by bicycle. From
Cloquet to Rochester, Moorhead
to Woodbury, 130 school teachers
and alternative educators from a
dozen communities participated in
trainings for BikeMN’s Walk! Bike!
Fun! Pedestrian and Bicycle
Safety Curriculum in 2014. Those
teachers are on the front lines of
sharing safety and skills knowledge
with Minnesota’s next generation of
bicycling enthusiasts.
Those numbers are remarkable,
because bike education has been
absent from Minnesota’s schools
for more than 20 years. We believe
it’s past time to bring it back. Here’s
how we’re doing it.
The curriculum
The Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum
helps children ages 5 to 13 learn
Teachers in Rochester learn the basics of bicycle control.
traffic rules, potential hazards
on and near roads, and handling
skills needed to bike and walk
safely through their community.
It’s a two-part program designed
specifically for Minnesota’s schools
and is structured to meet the state’s
education standards in physical
education and health.
Michelle Breidenbach, BikeMN’s
Safe Routes to School Education
Coordinator, leads the day-long
development sessions for teachers,
which include lessons for on-bike
skills, instruction coaching, and
general awareness of traffic laws.
New tools
We realized that to pass on safe
biking skills to teachers, we needed
to get them in the saddle. So this
summer, thanks to MnDOT, BikeMN
added a fleet of 40 adjustable Bike
Fridays to its teaching tool kit.
These bikes are highly versatile
— their telescoping seat posts,
top tubes and stems allow them to
accommodate a person from 4’2” to
6’2” tall. We also acquired a 17-foot
Sprinter van that we’ve modified to
hang bikes from the ceiling, as well
as a trailer to tow behind it. They’re
maintained by our new Education
Specialist, CJ Lindor (see page 4).
In addition to curriculum trainings,
we’ll be using the fleet, van and
trailer for many educational events
around the state.
Looking to 2015
We’re growing the program for
2015, with the ultimate goal of
providing curriculum trainings in 10
more communities and advocating
for bicycle education for every
student in Minnesota. More Online
Download the Walk! Bike! Fun!
curriculum online at
www.walkbikefun.org
www.bikemn.org
who we are
The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) is a statewide bicycle
organization with a vision that “bicycling in the state should be a
safe, easy, fun and cool choice for everyone.” BikeMN’s mission
is to provide leadership and a unified voice for bicycle education,
advocacy and efforts to make Minnesota more bicycle friendly so
that more people will ride bicycles more often.
To serve this mission, BikeMN has identified four program
areas: education programs tied to the League of American
Bicyclists and Walk! Bike! Fun! curricula; advocacy
and partnerships with other organizations for
bicycle friendly laws, policies, programs and
funding; events and promotions to encourage
more biking; and assisting businesses and
communities in being more bicycle friendly.
BikeMN is the producer of Minnesota’s
biggest one-day bicycle event and
several smaller bicycling events.
Gearing up
for 2015
Making bicycling safer and
more convenient
Two years ago, BikeMN joined a
coalition of more than 200 partners
called Move Minnesota (Move MN)
with the goal of collaboratively
passing a comprehensive, multimodal transportation funding
package. Such a funding package in
Minnesota that includes bicycling
and walking has never been
presented before — this could be
the single most important measure
to transform Minnesota into the #1
Bicycle Friendly State in the nation.
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How it works
All organizations and individuals that
support MoveMN have committed to
finding a long-term funding solution
that is sustainable, dedicated, and
balanced between the Twin Cities
metro area and Greater Minnesota.
The MoveMN proposal currently
consists of a modest, but indexed,
gas tax increase and a dedication
of all the sales tax paid on leased
vehicles to transportation instead
of some going into the General
Fund. It also includes an increase
in the seven-county metro sales
tax, which would bring us more in
line with other large metro areas.
The bill, which has passed the MN
Senate and House Transportation
committees, dedicates 10 percent
of the proposed metro sales tax to
bicycling and walking. That would
triple current bike/walk funding.
Finally, if the gas tax pie gets bigger,
the Legislature would encourage
MnDOT to double the bike/walk
funding in Greater Minnesota using
flexible federal funds.
Why BikeMN supports this
BikeMN believes that Minnesota
needs better options for bicycling,
ensuring that more people have
opportunities to do so safely and
conveniently. Supporting the whole
package would mean many more
miles of shoulders on our rural
roads — the single most important
roadway safety feature — would be
built, bicycle friendly transit options
would increase statewide, and
funding for bicycling and walking
infrastructure and programs would
increase significantly.
This is truly needed. Bicycling and
walking are increasingly popular, yet
the current level of funding for the
expansion of related infrastructure
can only complete a small portion
of planned projects. The demand for
BikeMN’s bicycle friendly consulting
and education services shows that
communities across the state know
that being bikeable and walkable is
a quality-of-life asset that will help
them attract the businesses and
residents that will sustain them.
The impact of bicycle and
pedestrian connections can also be
seen on businesses’ bottom lines.
Studies have found that for every
dollar invested in building bike and
pedestrian connections, nearly $3
can be saved in health care costs
associated with physical inactivity.
continued on next page
Move MN
continued from previous page
Bloomington-based Quality Bicycle
Products, a company with 700
employees, has seen a 4.4 percent
decrease in per-member per-month
health care costs thanks to the
company’s corporate commitment
to using bicycles and public
transportation during a time when
the national health care costs have
increased by nearly 25 percent.
Minnesota needs to dedicate
investments to infrastructure
that promote and encourage
more bicycling so residents and
businesses can choose a healthy
and energy efficient transportation
option.
How you can help
Contacting your state and local
elected officials or writing a letter
to the editor for your local news
Vulnerable user protection
Vulnerable road user bills were
introduced in 2013 and 2014.
Neither passed out of a committee.
With a number of fatal crashes
involving Minnesota bicyclists that
happened over this past winter,
spring and summer, we still believe
increased penalties for distracted,
careless and reckless drivers is
absolutely crucial to increasing
awareness of this problem. We will
keep refining our case.
Right on track
We plan to change language in the
Operation of a Bicycle M.S. 169.222
statute that states on-road cyclists
should ride “as far to the right as
practicable” to “as far to the right as
safe as determined by the cyclist.”
This law will also make it legal to
ride through a right turn lane without
turning right. But, we’ll need strong
support from Greater Minnesota
legislators.
Flexibility in road design
The Minnesota State Aid Design
www.bikemn.org
outlet are both great ways to share
your concern about transportation
in our state. Visit bikemn.org
and movemn.org (look for the
fact sheets) for more information.
Together, we can Move Minnesota
forward!
—Dorian Grilley
Executive Director
Our Other Legislative
Priorities in 2015
Standards, the set of requirements
for use of state highway trust fund
money, need to be updated. Adding
legal flexibility would ease the
implementation of Complete Streets
policies. The standards are more
rigid than most other states’ and are
less flexible than national standards
like the American Association of
State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO) “Green Book”
or the equivalent from the National
Association of City Transportation
Officials (NACTO). BikeMN is
exploring options that would give
local governments the option to use
AASHTO or NACTO guidelines.
Federal issues
The more things change the more
they stay the same, especially at the
federal level. The national highway
trust fund is facing issues similar to
Minnesota’s, but Congress has dealt
with it by simply passing extensions
of the current legislation. BikeMN
will continue to collaborate with
other bicycle advocacy organizations
to protect the bicycling, walking and
Safe Routes to School provisions
that Congressman Oberstar
championed.
Save the Dates!
The 2015 National Bike
Summit in D.C. will be
March 10-12, 2015.
Watch www.bikemn.org
for an announcement
about the Minnesota Bicycle
Summit on Capitol Hill.
3
Seven Tips for Safe Winter Cycling
Minnesotans are some of the hardiest bicyclists out there, braving frost bite
and snowplows to stay on two wheels all year long. Here are a few pointers to
keep you safe throughout the winter biking season.
Get in Gear Switch to mittens, wear
a hat or balaclava under your helmet
and lace up your winter boots.
Additionally, think about investing in
a pair of studded tires.
Know the Conditions Check the
weather. Seriously. If conditions are
too cold or dangerous, consider
a different option, such as public
transportation or dog sled. Mush!
Watch for Cars Motorists are less
aware of cyclists in the winter. Make
eye contact, ride predictably and
use off-street trails where available.
Slow Your Roll Slow down, plan
ahead for extra travel time and allow
for a longer distance when braking.
When possible, keep to bare
pavement or non-compacted snow.
Help Out If you see a problem that
involves plowing, shoveling, or
other obstacles, call 311 (or 612673-3000 outside of the TC metro).
Meet CJ!
technical assistance to partners
implementing these programs.
As BikeMN’s first Education
Specialist, CJ Lindor is helping
to make Minnesota the #1
Bike Friendly State in the U.S.
CJ Lindor (pictured right) is
BikeMN’s newest team member.
Read on to learn more about what CJ
will be doing for Minnesota cycling.
What are some of the things
you’ll be doing in your role?
My primary responsibility will be
supporting schools and community
groups in implementing the
Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum. I’ll
be maintaining BikeMN’s fleet
of bicycles for use in educator
trainings. I’ll also be providing
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Freeze Dry Store your bike
somewhere cold, like a garage.
A warm bike can melt snow and
increase the likelihood of your
brakes and gears freezing up later.
Embrace the Cold! Winter biking
is one of the most rewarding ways
to stay active outdoors during a long
winter, especially when done safely.
—BikeMN staff
Outside of cycling, what are your
hobbies, passions, and major
things happening in your life?
The most exciting thing that has
happened in my life recently was
the arrival of our first child Theodore
(“Theo”) this past March. Before
that...I think I used to have other
hobbies and interests...? Just
kidding. He’s kept us very busy, but
I still enjoy going to see live music,
reading news and non-fiction, and
being active outdoors all year.
For you, the most fun a person
can have on two wheels is...?
Without question, I have the most
fun riding mountain bikes on flowy
singletrack through open forests.
CJ with one of BikeMN’s
40 adjustable Bike Fridays,
which fit anyone from 4’2”
to 6’2” tall.
The State of Our
Bicycle Friendly State
What does “bicycle friendly” really
mean? Bike racks, bike lanes and
trails come to mind first. These
are some, but not all, of the many
components involved in being
bike friendly. The Bicycle Friendly
America program of the League
of American Bicyclists recognizes
states, communities, businesses
and universities for their efforts to
promote bicycling, educate children
and adults and provides roadmaps
to improve.
There are plenty of examples here
in Minnesota—which, by the way,
became the #2 Bicycle Friendly
State in 2014—many of them
officially recognized earlier this year!
Image courtesy of MnDOT
Businesses
Northern Minnesota had a grand
showing in 2014, with eight
businesses in Duluth taking home
awards. From a five-person coffee
roasting company to a multi-branch
engineering consultancy, the
industry of the portside city built on
a steep hill is serious about its bike
culture. True North Health Care in
Bemidji, the Convention and Visitors
Bureau of Little Falls and a handful
of other regional Minnesota cities
proved a business doesn’t need to
be in the big city to be bike friendly.
www.bikemn.org
Communities
Target Corporation joined the
ranks of 57 other Bicycle Friendly
Business (BFBs) in Minnesota —
but also happens to be the country’s
very first Fortune 100 company
to achieve the “Platinum” award
level. The corporation’s top-notch
bike facilities, free onsite bike
repairs and monthly safe riding and
maintenance classes put Target
in good company: 3M, Wells
Fargo, Peace Coffee, Ameriprise
Financial and General Mills are also
Minnesota-based BFBs.
The City of Edina became
Minnesota’s second bike friendly
suburb and 11th Bicycle Friendly
Community (BFC). Edina was
awarded a “Bronze” designation
for its breadth of efforts, including
the implementation of a bicycle
master plan, dedicating more than
$1 million to bicycle/pedestrian
improvements every year and
completing planning for the Nine
Mile Creek Regional Trail. Check
our web site to hear about the next
round of BFCs.
5
thank you
We extend our deep gratitude to all the members, donors, volunteers
and supporters who make BikeMN a great and effective organization. The
list below represents contributors between mid-June and mid-October.
Silver Sponsor
$1,000 - $4,999
First Service Residential Fund for
Community Excellence
Aluminum Level $500 - $999
Thomas and Katherine Leslie Kottke
Steel Level $250 - $499
Greystone Real Estate Group, Inc.
Joe and Jean Crocker
Century Level $100 - $249
Bill and Beth Blank
John and Jane Ciecko
Dean Doering
Robert and Nancy Erickson
Gregory Forrester
John and Anne Hollenbach
John Johnston III and Ellen Hale
Andrea and Jeff Kaiserman
Esti Koen and Andy Meltzer
Mike Palmer and Dianne Gregory
William and Cydney Perkins
Nickolai Plattes
Melanie Sullivan and Jim Brown
Paul and Julie Teske
Thomson Reuters My Community Program
Jeremy Williams
Buck-a-Week Level $52 - $99
Tom Adair and Julie Hartley
Rachel Callanan
Elizabeth Carroll-Anderson
Michael Connelly
David Goodger and Mayumi Takahashi
Mark and Debra Goodman
Richard Gwynne
Paul and Janice Klaus
Ben and Kerri Larson
Tessa and Matt Mielke
Howard and Sophie Milstein
Varick Olson and Louise Fawcett
Tavia Parker
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Jeff Ricker
Craig and Heather Schardt
Amy Schwarz and Tyler Teggatz
Robert Sorenson
Pete and Julie Theismann
Barb Thoman and Charles Welling
Margaret Weglinski
Deborah Zavitka
Individual & Household Level
$30 - $49
Jim Aardema
Nelson Adamson
Robert Aderhold and Audrey Kingstrom
Jill Alleyne
Emily Ambrosy
George Anderson
Bruce Anderson
Henry Anderson
Cindy Angerhofer
Ken and Roberta Avidor
Gary Bachowski
Susan Bastian
Bridget and Deanna Bayley
Larry Beckel and Jean Brandes
David and Christina Bellert
Kathleen Bennett
Marc and Julie Berg
Jamie Bergstrom
Bob Bierscheid
Jere Blanchfield and Teresa Engstrom
Jay Blomquist
Steve Boatman
Roger and Claire Bock
Ginny and Rich Borncamp
Mark Bornhorst
Bruce and Char Bostrom
Rex Boutelle
Robert Bowen
Leila Brammer
Michael and Debbie Braun
Lisa Breu
Laura Butterbaugh and Steve Lindeman
Nicole Campbell
Morgan Christian
Bob Cieslak
Patricia Clancy
Robert and Rebecca Clark
Patty Clauson
Cathy Colby
Jay and Page Cowles
Benjamin and Michele Crandall
Emily Crumley
Christine Curtiss
Kristin and Jeff Dahl
Eric Davis
David Dayton
Philip Deering and Carol White
Kathy and Gregory Dehler
Jim and Michelle Dehler
Susan DeNuccio
Ronald Deraas
Ruth and Gary DeVore
Donald and Melinda Deye
David and Cheryl Dinger
Eleta Donaldson
Steven and Anna Dreger
Robert Ellis
Kathleen Erbes
John Escritt
Robert Fier and Jane Hansen
Kevin Filter
Michael and Mary Flaherty
Kathryn Forss and William Droessler
Richard Franco
Kurt Franke
Beverly Free
Mary Frost
Cynthia and Frank Fuller
Sandra Fultz
Brett Furber
Lee and Linda Ganske
Jim Gausman and Susan Burns
Patrick Geraghty
Michael and Sharon Giesen
Stephen and Pat Gavan-Gordon
Peter Grasse
Paul Graupmann
Norman Greenberg and Beth Silverwater
Bob and Diane Hagstrom
William and Marlene Haider
Kathryn and Tom Hall
George Hamm and Mike Fry
Mary Kay Hamm and John Voigt
Greg and Michele Hanson
Craig and Anne Hanson
John Hardy and Dawn Wilson
Edward Harris
Amy Hart
Eric Hart
Gail Heaberlin
Dan and Kristen Heesch
Loras Holmberg
Thomas and Nancy Houlton
Kathy and Kim Hovey
Donald and Pamela Jakes
Tom Jandric
Steven Johnson
Karen Johnson
Kari Kehr
David and Ann Kelling
James Kernik
Michael King
Marcia Kircher
Kurt and Barbara Klussendorf
Stuart and Mary Ellen Knappmiller
Michele and Johannes Koomen
Bill and Jeanne Kosfeld
Jim and Julie Koska
Ivan Kowalenko
Jackie Krammer and Daniel Shaw
Fred Kueppers
Christina Kunz
Bob Kunze
Robert Kusnetz
Douglas Landers
John and Susanne Langworthy
Janice Leichter
Carol and Dennis Lindeke
Jayne Lindesmith
Charles and Jan Lloyd
Stephanie and Zoltan Lohse
Sharon Long and Peggy Schulte
Jesse Lorenz
Kathryn Lowery
Andrew Luft
Ron and Jean Lugge
Josh and Maureen Lyons
Ted and Catherine Madison
Monica and Ron Makela
Brian Manke
Steve Marquardt
Holly Martin
Joseph McCormick
Ronald McGlennen and Janet Evans
Patrick and Rebecca McGuire
Ann and Charles McKinstry-Luepke
Monnie McMahon
Todd Milbrandt and Mary Beth Magyar
Robert Milius
Roger Miller and Mary Zweber
Tina Moen
Paula Mohr
Siglinde Moore
Brian Mumma and Michelle Whitlow
Joe and Molly Muniz
Lindsay Nauen and Richard Weil
Doug Nelson
Scott Nelson
John and Susan Neuville
Pat and Beth Nunnally
Thomas Olin
Jan Ormasa
www.bikemn.org
Iven Ose and Michelle Vincent
Chris Paidosh
Rick Panning
Steven Parsons
Greg Pates
Robert Payton
Beth Peck
Matthew and Sejal Peckosh
Jessica Peterson
Karen Peterson
Andrew Peterson
Andrew Petrun
Chris Pitcher
Brenda Pohlman
Greg Post
Greg and Pat Pratt
Steven Prusak
Todd and Anne Purtell
Robin Raplinger
Jack Rayburn and Beth Christiansen
Marty and Dave Raymond
Julia Reed
Laurel and Claude Riedel
Robert and Carole Ries
Jeanie Ringwelski
Daniel Rischall and Karen Blumberg
JoMarie Robbins
Cynthia Robertson
Dan Rochel
Leann Rock and Brian Anderson
Win and Binky Rockwell
Linda and Orvin Rosaasen
Ken and Teresa Rowe
Diane and Patrick Ruhr
Gretchen Sabel
David Sanderson
Rich and Laurie Sathe
Joseph and Andrea Satter
James Scheeringa
Melvin and Ellen Schmidt
Jessica and Mike Schmitt
David Schneider and Trish Perry
Judie and Dale Simonson
Robert Sipkins
Bruce and Cheryl Skalbeck
Jeanette Sobania and Pam Nelms
David Spoelhof
Ada Stasny
Randy and Pam Steinhoff
Carol Stephens
Gerard and Theresa Ferrell-Strauss
Sheldon Sturgis
Kerstin and Peter Suby
Wesley Sweigard
Mark Ten Eyck
Dennis and Lisa Thompson
Brent Thompson
Dave and Janet Throne
Tom Tumms
Dave Van Hattum
Larry Vanden Plas
Jeni and Ryan VanDomelen
Paul and Amy Vargo
James and Rohanda Victorsen
Donovan Walker
Carol Anne Wall
Steve Wallin
Joe Waln and Stacy Lindstedt
Cecilia Warner and Colin Campbell
Clayton Watercott
Jason Waye
David Webb
Peter Weber
Abraham and Sara Welle
Jason Wellmann
Jean Whalen
Phillip Williams and Katherine Christopher
Michelle Williams
Jaclynn Willis
Jennifer Wiseman and Susan Kundel
Jonathan and Martha Wittrock
Kirk and Valerie Yatckoske
Sharon Young
Steven Zinsli
Student & Senior Level $20
Tom and Sandy Ahlstrom
David Beeson
Douglas Burt
Gregory and Roberta Chandler
Rowan DeBold
Robert Donnelly
Tracy Farr
Paul Finsness
Kathleen Graham
Michael Hennen
Thomas Hurwitz
Curtis Jackson
Donna Kazanowski
Terry Kerber
Phillip Lawson
Brendan Murphy
Joseph Olson
Victor Olson
Paul Parish
Peter Parshall
Paul Pesek
Liz Reach
Warren Salveson
Thomas Saylor
Robert and Joye Sigelman
Bill Simpson
David Siskind
Patricia Smith Welles
Tony Ulmen
Robert Wagner
David Wee
Sandy Weisberg
Would you like to add your
name to this list? Find a
donation form on the back
of this newsletter or donate
safely and securely online at
www.bikemn.org/JoinRenew
7
Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
PO Box 5078
Saint Paul, MN 55101
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BikeMN’s dream
Imagine a system of bike routes connecting
communities that have their own internal
systems of on-road routes, off-road trails
and protected bikeways. What if school
children could safely walk or bike to school
and were taught bike safety, riding skills and
the rules of the road as part of their school
curriculum? Wouldn’t it be cool if cycling
was a middle and high school sport? Think
of a culture where bicycle commuting is
welcomed by businesses.
Our dream is for every Minnesotan to see
these great things happening in their own
community.