by Ethan Hiedeman
Hennepin County is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live in this county that is home to Minneapolis and many western suburban communities. So it’s great news that Hennepin County is working with Three Rivers Park District to update the Hennepin County Bike Plan to reflect current and growing uses of bicycling in the region.
Photo: Jill Boogren
Some Sierra Club members in have already weighed in during Listening Sessions such as a recent one held at SPOKES, but Hennepin County needs to hear from you by Thursday. Here are two important messages to include in your survey response:
1) The Bike Plan needs to identify specific, measurable goals to increase bicycle ridership.
2) The Bike Plan should outline a network of separated, protected bike lanes – These facilities are the best way to get more people riding bikes.
There are two easy ways to provide the County with your input: You can leave comments on a fun interactive map or take the bike plan survey. Either way, act now: the deadline is this Thursday, December 5!
The Hennepin County Bike Plan is an essential part of creating a more livable and accessible Minneapolis because the city’s most-biked streets (including Franklin Ave, Cedar Ave and Lake St. among many others) are Hennepin County roads – that means that all decisions regarding bike-friendly improvements to those streets are governed by the county. So let them know that you support goals like a network of protected bike lanes that improve safety for everyone.
Contact Land Use and Transportation Program Manager Joshua Houdek at joshua.houdek@sierraclub.org with questions. And let him know you took action!
Take the bike plan survey and participate in this fun interactive map today!.
Ethan Hiedeman is a Social Media and Blog Writer Intern with the North Star Chapter. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College in environmental studies and political science and hails from Hastings, MN. Ethan loves to write and aspires to tell the important stories of the environmental movement and how people interact with their planet.
Sierra Club North Star Blog 
1) The Bike Plan needs to identify specific, measurable goals to increase bicycle ridership.
Why? Is there some county goal that would be served?
2) The Bike Plan should outline a network of separated, protected bike lanes – These facilities are the best way to get more people riding bikes.
What’s the evidence that “separated, protected bike lanes” get more people riding bikes, and why is getting more people riding bikes desirable? There’s been a number of studies looking at weather facilities encourage mode shift and the most positive reports say, “only a little” while other say “not at all”. In general, people choose the mode that offers the best advantage.
To increase bike mode share we’ll have to make biking more advantageous — faster and more comfortable — than other modes. But that’s hard work. Easier just to add facilities.
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1) The Bike Plan needs to identify specific, measurable goals to increase bicycle ridership.
2) The Bike Plan should outline a network of separated, protected bike lanes – These facilities are the best way to get more people riding bikes.
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