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May, 2000 Volume 6, Number 5 Craig Wilkins, Office of Communications Conference explores moving biking further into the traffic mix mainstream Commuters in Mendota Heights put their bikes on their cars, drive to a trail head, then bike into downtown St. the 2000 Minnesota State Bicycle Conference held March 31 and April 1 in St. Cloud. Participants heard from joe McKinnon, senior engineer Bemidji, discusses bike design issues with Julia Cucnia, a park planner and member of the State Bicycle Advisory Committee, during the annual bike conference held in St. Cloud. Paul. Other commuters ride out of Minneapolis' west side, hit the Cedar Lake Trail and arrive downtown refreshed and energized for the workday. Other commuters, less noticed, bike on a county road or a city street. Increasingly, biking is becoming a mode of transportation, not just recreation. Ways to integrate biking fully into the world of transportation posed the basic issue at presenters such as Jurg Tschopp, a biking advocate from Switzerland, and Dave Glowacz, a bike educator and author from Chicago. Tschopp recounted Switzerland's change in emphasis from motorized traffic to transit, pedestrian and bike transport in the early 1970s. The notion that all European countries have always been bike-friendly is false, Tschopp says. Switzerland, he says, was concentrating on building new roads and bridges at the expense of bike transport until its program was stalled by the fuel crisis. That interruption gave cycling supporters time to organize. With cyclists' support united, the Swiss government relented and changed its tack. Since then, Tschopp says, bicycling is a major part of the country's transportation system. Swiss transit companies were persuaded to provide bike instead of car parking adjacent to rail stations, for example. Parking shelters for bikes have evolved into bike centers where commuters can get bikes repaired and washed, rent a bike or buy a new one. Many commuter trains have cars reserved for cyclists who carry their bikes aboard and continue their trips by bike. Bikes are used to provide many services including package delivery and mail service. Police officers frequently ride bikes as well. Lynn Moratzka, Dakota County planning director, said in many ways Minnesotans ■:■ New bike map guides cyclists to most suitable, safest routes You can get there from here—and you can do it by bike. Mn/DOT's latest version of its state bike map makes bike travel easier, safer and more predictable. The new map set rates roads for their Mark Feirs, Sustainable Transportation Unit, shows the latest version of the state bicycle map to Lynn Moratzka, planning director for Washington County, at the state bicycle conference biking suitability based on criteria such as paved shoulders, shoulder width and vehicular traffic volume and speed. The map also shows off-road trails, major recreational areas and state parks. Mark Fiers, Sustainable Transportation Initiatives, says the new map is based on geographic information system (GIS) data which makes it more accurate and easier to update as biking suitability ratings change. The map will also be available on Mn/DOT's Web site. Web users, Fiers says, will be able to print specific sections of the map for their needs. Future plans call for an automated program that will guide cyclists along the most optimal travel routes. "This generation of Mn/DOT's bike map created with GIS data means we can update the map quickly to reflect changes in the system and meet cyclists' needs," Fiers says. have integrated biking more than we might think. She said, for example, that planners count bike trips as bike trips, no matter what their purpose, unlike vehicle trips, which are categorized by travel, commuting, recreation or other purposes. She says, however, that biker might be going to the store, school or the library. That means a non- recreational trip. She adds that when they get a driver's license and some adults feel they lack needed physical skills, says Dave Glowacz. Children need safety education and basic skill training. Teenagers, he says, need encouragement that biking is still "cool." Adults, he adds, may need a skills refresher and help with buying suitable biking gear. Michael Jackson, Mn/DOT's A tandem bike and two cargo trailers provide a people-powered alternative to a motor vehicle for long-distance trips. children using bikes for such trips also eliminate the need for a vehicle trip. The conference also looked at ways to attract or keep Minnesotans riding their bikes. Teenagers often stop biking IN THIS ISSUE biking coordinator, says the conference combined expertise from many disciplines and viewpoints. "It's important for us to reach out," he says. Workers memorial installed in CO Quality teamwork honored Help for family caregivers .....-.- 2 2 3 OFTf Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Communications Mail Stop 150 Transportation Building 395 John Ireland Boulevard St. Paul, MN 55155-1899 FIRST CLASS U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 171 St. Paul, MN
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Transcript | May, 2000 Volume 6, Number 5 Craig Wilkins, Office of Communications Conference explores moving biking further into the traffic mix mainstream Commuters in Mendota Heights put their bikes on their cars, drive to a trail head, then bike into downtown St. the 2000 Minnesota State Bicycle Conference held March 31 and April 1 in St. Cloud. Participants heard from joe McKinnon, senior engineer Bemidji, discusses bike design issues with Julia Cucnia, a park planner and member of the State Bicycle Advisory Committee, during the annual bike conference held in St. Cloud. Paul. Other commuters ride out of Minneapolis' west side, hit the Cedar Lake Trail and arrive downtown refreshed and energized for the workday. Other commuters, less noticed, bike on a county road or a city street. Increasingly, biking is becoming a mode of transportation, not just recreation. Ways to integrate biking fully into the world of transportation posed the basic issue at presenters such as Jurg Tschopp, a biking advocate from Switzerland, and Dave Glowacz, a bike educator and author from Chicago. Tschopp recounted Switzerland's change in emphasis from motorized traffic to transit, pedestrian and bike transport in the early 1970s. The notion that all European countries have always been bike-friendly is false, Tschopp says. Switzerland, he says, was concentrating on building new roads and bridges at the expense of bike transport until its program was stalled by the fuel crisis. That interruption gave cycling supporters time to organize. With cyclists' support united, the Swiss government relented and changed its tack. Since then, Tschopp says, bicycling is a major part of the country's transportation system. Swiss transit companies were persuaded to provide bike instead of car parking adjacent to rail stations, for example. Parking shelters for bikes have evolved into bike centers where commuters can get bikes repaired and washed, rent a bike or buy a new one. Many commuter trains have cars reserved for cyclists who carry their bikes aboard and continue their trips by bike. Bikes are used to provide many services including package delivery and mail service. Police officers frequently ride bikes as well. Lynn Moratzka, Dakota County planning director, said in many ways Minnesotans ■:■ New bike map guides cyclists to most suitable, safest routes You can get there from here—and you can do it by bike. Mn/DOT's latest version of its state bike map makes bike travel easier, safer and more predictable. The new map set rates roads for their Mark Feirs, Sustainable Transportation Unit, shows the latest version of the state bicycle map to Lynn Moratzka, planning director for Washington County, at the state bicycle conference biking suitability based on criteria such as paved shoulders, shoulder width and vehicular traffic volume and speed. The map also shows off-road trails, major recreational areas and state parks. Mark Fiers, Sustainable Transportation Initiatives, says the new map is based on geographic information system (GIS) data which makes it more accurate and easier to update as biking suitability ratings change. The map will also be available on Mn/DOT's Web site. Web users, Fiers says, will be able to print specific sections of the map for their needs. Future plans call for an automated program that will guide cyclists along the most optimal travel routes. "This generation of Mn/DOT's bike map created with GIS data means we can update the map quickly to reflect changes in the system and meet cyclists' needs," Fiers says. have integrated biking more than we might think. She said, for example, that planners count bike trips as bike trips, no matter what their purpose, unlike vehicle trips, which are categorized by travel, commuting, recreation or other purposes. She says, however, that biker might be going to the store, school or the library. That means a non- recreational trip. She adds that when they get a driver's license and some adults feel they lack needed physical skills, says Dave Glowacz. Children need safety education and basic skill training. Teenagers, he says, need encouragement that biking is still "cool." Adults, he adds, may need a skills refresher and help with buying suitable biking gear. Michael Jackson, Mn/DOT's A tandem bike and two cargo trailers provide a people-powered alternative to a motor vehicle for long-distance trips. children using bikes for such trips also eliminate the need for a vehicle trip. The conference also looked at ways to attract or keep Minnesotans riding their bikes. Teenagers often stop biking IN THIS ISSUE biking coordinator, says the conference combined expertise from many disciplines and viewpoints. "It's important for us to reach out," he says. Workers memorial installed in CO Quality teamwork honored Help for family caregivers .....-.- 2 2 3 OFTf Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Communications Mail Stop 150 Transportation Building 395 John Ireland Boulevard St. Paul, MN 55155-1899 FIRST CLASS U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 171 St. Paul, MN |
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