State Non-motorized Transportation Advisory Committee
Minutes
February 9, 2012
3:00pm-6:00 pm
MnDOT Central Office, Room G22
Mission: To promote non-motorized transportation in Minnesota.
Vision: Individually and collectively we will strengthen and encourage community support for non-motorized transportation throughout the state. We will do so through continuous and active participation with government agencies and allied organizations, through education, public affairs campaigns and political initiatives.
Members Present:Anna Kerr, Tim Anderson, Dan Breva, Grant Scholen, Tom Engstrom, Amber Dallman, Jenny Smith, Nick Mason, Steve Sanders, Randy Oppelt, Andy Mueller, Paul Frenz, Susan Koschak, Kelly Wosika, Muhammad Khan, Benita Warns, Mark Weber, Gordy Pehrson, Danny McCullough, Anne Johnson, Chris Potter and Sulaam Khan for Mark Vizecky
Members Absent:James Andrew, Emma Pachuta and Gayle Junnila
Others Present:Tim Mitchell, Fay Simer, Michelle Musser, Lisa Bender, Lisa Austin, Ciara Schlichting, Antonio Rosell and Andru Peters
Call to Order
Chair Anna Kerr called the meeting to order and those present introduced themselves.
Chair Updates
Chair Anna Kerr updated the Committee on the District 6 vacancy.
MnDOT Updates
Tim Mitchell informed the group of the technical memorandum concerning rumble strips. The adopted version provides for more flexibility and discretion.
Lisa Austin provided an update on Bike Month. She elaborated on the monthly webinars, Living Green Expo and possible proclamation by the Governor.
Lisa Bender reported on Safe Routes to School and the spring non-infrastructure solicitation. MnDOT will be providing -
-Bicycle and pedestrian curriculum to several pilot programs across the state
-Technical assistance and training to schools - beginning fall of 2012
-Support for planning assistance and non-infrastructure implementation grants
Fay Simer announced that the RFP for the statewide Pedestrian Safety Campaign has been completed.
Bike MN Update
Nick Mason updated the group on the latest from the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota -
-2012 Minnesota Bike Summit - March 5th
-Vulnerable User Law
-Mississippi River Trail and Bicycle Friendly Assessments
-Living Green Expo - May 5th and 6th
-Funding Legislation
-Pedal Minnesota
-Minnesota Bicycle Manual
Gordy Pehrson informed the group of Minnesota House File 1873. Sponsored by Representative Kahn, the bill provides funding for a bicycle light safety pilot program.
Mississippi River Trail
Liz Walton reported that MnDOT owns just 25 percent of the Mississippi River Trail (MRT). MnDOT is working on the second phase of the two-year effort which includes additional statewide meetings, development of a signage plan, marketing and research. MnDOT is working with its route partners to collaboratively develop a model to manage the route.
Statewide Bicycle Plan
Ciara Schlichting, AICP, an Associate with Stantec, explained that the MnDOT Bicycle Planning Study will provide policy recommendations, inventory bikeway facilities to create a state bikeway registry, create a state bikeway map and establish bicycle-related performance measures. She engaged the group in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis related to bikeway planning and implementation.
Website Discussion
Anna Kerr and Michelle Musser led a conversation on the SNTC website. After much discussion, it was decided that the SNTC website would be hosted on the MnDOT site.
Bicycle Friendly State Application
Tim Mitchell led a discussion on the Bicycle Friendly State application. He asked for input on the state’s most impressive aspects of bicycling and areas needing improvement.
Round Robin
Chris Potter -The Fargo/Moorhead area will be the site of a bicycle summit in September.
Jenny Smith - The Cuyuna Lakes Whiteout (winter bike race festival) will be held March 2nd and 3rd
Benita Warns - In 2011, Mr. Michaels Recycles Bicycles provided 678 bicycles. Year to date, 63 bicycles have been given away.
Dan Breva - Good participation at the MnDOT Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan open house (Minneapolis).
Gordy - Friday, March 16th, Jackson Elementary School (Shakopee), Youth Bike and Pedestrian Safety Outreach.
Danny McCullough: Three Rivers is conducting a trail crossing inventory of their system which includes more than 360 intersections. Also, two courses on bicycle laws will be offered free of charge in March and April to law enforcement officers.
Amber Dallman: Matthew Dyrdahl has accepted the Active Transportation Coordinator. She also updated the group on the latest Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) grants.
Paul Frenz: At almost 2,000 members, the Twin Cities Bicycling (TCBC) is one of the larger bicycling clubs in the country. In 2011, members logged 890,000 in approximately 2,000 separate rides.
Muhammad Khan: An updated of the Rochester Area Bicycle Master Plan is underway.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 pm.