Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program Update

(April 2006)

TLC hires Steve Clark

Transit for Livable Communities has hired Steve Clark to be the Program Manager for our new bike-walk program. Steve’s primary responsibility includes implementation of the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Project. Steve has a strong background in bicycling and walking. Steve was the first manager of the bicycling and walking program in Boulder Colorado, he is a past president of the League of American Bicyclists, and he oversaw development of the northern portion of the Ice Age trail in Wisconsin. Steve has also written bike/pedestrian plans for a number of US cities.

Program Status

TLC is working on several key administrative tasks including development of a project work plan and budget for submittal to the Federal Highway Administration and MnDOT, information gathering in conjunction with the other three pilot communities on measurement and evaluation, exploration of a fiscal agency relationship with a local government entity, and continued evaluation of best practices in bicycling and walking. Due to federal funding cuts and obligation limits, TLC and the other pilot communities have been informed that the first year funding for the pilot communities will be $5.3 million for 2006 rather than the $6.25 that had been authorized in SAFETEA-LU.

National Bike Summit

TLC staff members Barb Thoman and Steve Clark joined a number of other Minnesotans at the National Bike Summit in Washington DC last week. TLC, Marin County, and the City of Columbia Missouri all participated in a conference session about the pilot program. Thoman and Clark also met with members of the Minnesota Congressional delegation including Congressman Oberstar, staff from Congressman Sabo’s and Congresswoman McCollum’s offices, and key staff at the Federal Highway Administration charged with oversight of the pilot program.

The League of American Bicyclists, the hosts of the National Bike Summit, held its annual awards reception for “bicycle-friendly communities” as part of the event. Forty-seven communities in the US have received special designation as a bicycle-friendly community with Davis, California being the only city with the highest designation - Platinum. Boulder, CO, Corvalis, OR, Palo Alto, CA, and Portland, OR all have a gold designation -- the second highest rating. Ten cities including Chicago have a silver designation and 31 cities are in the bronze category. No city in Minnesota has yet participated in the program which began in September 2002. For information on the awards program go to www.bikeleague.org

Briefing with MnDOT Staff

In late February, Lea Schuster and Barb Thoman, along with Tom Sorrel Minnesota Division Director at Federal Highway, and Connie Kozlak from the Metropolitan Council gave a short update on the status of the Non-Motorized Pilot Program to Commissioner Carol Molnau and her staff. Commissioner Molnau said the department is excited about the program and is looking forward to working with all the partners. MnDOT has assigned Bob Works to be the department’s contact for the program.

Oberstar Forum

The annual Oberstar Forum (sponsored by the Center for Transportation Studies) held on April 10th focused on bicycle and pedestrian travel. The keynote speaker is Berthold Tillmann, the Mayor of Munster Germany, described how his city has achieved a bicycle mode share approaching 40 percent. TLC Executive Director, Lea Schuster participated in a panel discussion at the forum with the three other communities that have been awarded Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program grants. For more information see www.cts.umn.edu/oberstarforum

Project Advisory Committee

A project advisory committee (PAC) will be established to help guide the program and advise the TLC Board. The PAC will draft program guidelines and selection criteria, score project applications and help with program promotion and evaluation. A kick-off meeting of the PAC, with a special presentation on best practices and innovative projects, will held in May. TLC intends to keep the PAC to an efficient and manageable size. We will provide many opportunities for public participation in the development and implementation of the program. Contact Steve Clark if you are interested in learning more about the PAC.

If you have questions about the Non-motorized Transportation Program please contact TLC Walking and Bicycling Program manager Steve Clark (stevec@tlcminnesota.org).