I have a colleague from the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee, on which I serve, that created a mission statement for an education and promotion campaign we discussed five years ago. Unfortunately, this effort stalled. Nonetheless, this statement is printed on a strip of paper hanging prominently on my refrigerator. It reads, “Minneapolis; Best bicycling city in the USA. Any destination is a quick, safe, and pleasant bike ride – year-round.” A few weeks ago when the weather started to turn I thought about the system we have here in the city, and I am realizing what a world-class system it is. For those who are keeping score the city is not a designated LAB Bicycle Friendly Community, but I believe that is from lack of trying.

On my first long ride of the season, I decided to revisit the miles of bikeways that circle and dissect the city. It is a system that, in effect, lowers the bar for those who wish to start biking but are hesitant to battle vehicle traffic. Here in Minneapolis, we have supported a system that strives for a bike trail within a mile of any home and at least an on-road bike lane within a half-mile. This coverage of bikeways makes it very easy for a novice to find a sanctuary for riding so that he or she can improve on his or her skill and confidence. And these amenities are working.

As of the 2000 Census Supplementary Survey, Minneapolis had the highest mode share for bicycle commuters in the country. Even though this is only 2.63 percent of all commuters in Minneapolis (see chart), we were ahead of such cities as Sacramento (2.59 percent mode share), Portland, OR (2.55), Tucson (2.22), Fresno (1.96) and Tampa (1.96). Now I have not been to all of these cities in January, but I will predict that Minneapolis is colder and snowier. By contrast, Saint Paul, our twin to the east ranked 19th at 0.69 percent. Saint Paul’s bicycle system is not as developed and probably a truer projection of a typical mode share for a northern city.

7

Who is commuting via bicycle?

Source: Bicycle Commuting and Facilities in Major U.S. Cities: If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use Them – Another Look; Jennifer Dill and Theresa Carr, Portland State University

Rank	City	% Bike Commuting	Lanes per sq. mi	Lanes and Paths per capita on ped/bike	Avg. State spending per captia on ped/bike	Days of Percepitation (hist. avg.)
1	Minneapolis	2.63	0.47	20.65	$0.45	116
2	Sacramento	2.59	1.42	48.89	$0.09	58
3	Portland, OR	2.55	1.05	36.48	$0.94	153
4	Tucson	2.22	1.54	70.27	$0.26	53
5	Fresno	1.96	0.00	3.23	$0.09	45
6	Tampa	1.93	0.41	21.58	$0.58	106
7	San Francisco	1.80	0.44	5.21	$0.09	68
8	Oakland	1.77	0.09	2.75	$0.09	63
9	Mesa	1.64	0.36	11.61	$0.26	36
10	Anaheim	1.59	0.29	6.78	$0.09	32
11	Boston	1.48	0.01	2.29	$0.42	127
12	Washington, DC	1.42	0.10	8.39		113
13	Seattle	1.23	0.25	8.70	$0.83	151
14	Albuquerque	1.16	0.31	24.74	$1.29	61
15	New Orleans	1.14	0.00	2.06	$0.29	114
19	Sain Paul	0.69	0.65	35.49	$0.45	116

Given the climate and the stark difference in the percentage of bicyclist that commute compared to that of our closest neighbor, the bicycle system has a tremendous impact on how we travel. Since the early 1990s, Minneapolis has worked tirelessly to build bicycle infrastructure. We have miles of rail-trails, parkways, and bicycle lanes criss-crossing the city taking users from neighborhood to neighborhood. In a recent study from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, Kevin Krizek and Gary Barnes surmise that the riders are not only more likely to cycle if there are facilities for them to use, but they will choose to take a longer route to work to use these bicycle facilities.

From the seasoned bicycle commuter’s perspective, these facilities have made my travels more enjoyable many times over and I will continue to push for additions, so Minneapolis will continue to mind the gaps in the system. However at the beginning of the 2006 season, a milestone for motorman – the tenth anniversary of my bicycle commuting start, I have to reflect on the tremendous progress. We here in Minneapolis, are fortunate to have driven public works staff and a committed city government dedicated to bikeways working closely with our biggest funder – the Federal Government. Minneapolis is fortunate to have the consummate leader-by-example in Congress, the Honorable Martin Olav Sabo, representing us in D.C. for the past three decades, and bicycling best friend, the Honorable James Oberstar, to hail from the land of 10,000 lakes and representing Minnesota’s eight district. These two are big reasons for the facilities that have supported the 2.63 percent and growing. Congress member Sabo recently announced his retirement, THANK YOU MR. SABO, YOU CANNOT BE REPLACED AND YOU WILL BE MISSED! Congress member Oberstar recently secured $25 million for a non-motorized 4-year pilot program. This will continue to increase Minneapolis’ bicycle capacity.

As a celebration of the Minneapolis bicycle system I will chronicle this year’s first tour of the bicycle system (a 50+ mile loop) as the backdrop for a exploration of this wonderful bicycle system. I will showcase how is so simple to use that the commuter share will continue to grow regardless of the wind chill. I even go out of the city to spotlight the our famous western suburban rail-trail system and to the foundations of Saint Paul’s bikeways. Check back for the last three parts of this series over the next two weeks.

In the meantime, motorman says ride, baby!