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JULY 2009

Events Calendar

Here's a sampling from our online events calendar!

July 4
St. Anthony Park Grand Parade
July 7
Central Corridor: Community Summit II

July 8
Central Corridor: Public comment on Downtown Station Area Plan

July 8 - 12
Bicycle Film Festival

July 16 & 19
Traffic Skills 101 (2 day bike safety course)

August 15
Square Lake Film Festival

Send us your events! events@smart-trips.org

Quick check-up for your bicycle


Jason from Sibley Bike Depot

SPNN won a Commuter Choice Award last November in part for their work with Sibley Bike Depot on a series of great bike maintenance videos.

Watch the videos here!

The intersection of art and community


Photo by Twin Cities Streets for People

Last month two communities in St. Paul painted intersections in their neighborhoods to create community gathering places and calm vehicle traffic.

See coverage (no pun intended) of these events or learn how to create your own!
 
Quick Links

Bicyclists try to avoid
a pothole so big it has its own waterfall. more...

Whether or not you like cats, we can all agree that invisible bikes are funny. more...

A reminder to transit riders that not all disabilities are visible. more...

Tips on riding Megabus, Greyhound's biggest  threat in the Midwest. more...

Have a beer, trade your car for a bike, benefit the Midtown Greenway. more...

Free telework resources for employers


We've partnered with a new state-sponsored project called eWorkPlace to help St. Paul employers establish or expand an existing telework program.

Learn more!

What we're following

Complete Streets: Integrating Safety and Livability into the Next Transportation Bill - National Complete Streets Coalition

Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities - New York Times

How To Convince A Conservative To Support Public Transportation - The Infrastructurist

Interview with Mn/DOT's Tim Mitchell - Bike Walk Twin Cities

Oberstar's transportation bill a direct challenge to administration - Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul Smart Trips logo
We're a non-profit that improves access and mobility for those who travel in and around St. Paul.

www.smart-trips.org

Snelling Pedestrian Safety Campaign a hit!


Pictured left to right: Samantha Henningson (Councilmember Stark's office), Ramsey County Commissioners Toni Carter and Janice Rettman, and Saint Paul Fire Chief Tim Butler. Photo by Chas Jensen.

St. Paul Smart Trips, in conjunction with the Union Park District Council and Ward 4 Councilmember Russ Stark's office, hosted a Pedestrian Safety Campaign Kickoff on June 22 to raise awareness of Minnesota's crosswalk law and pedestrian safety issues on Snelling Ave between Summit and Selby.

Over 30 people attended the event, including St. Paul Councilmembers Melvin Carter and Pat Harris and St. Paul Fire Chief Tim Butler. Ramsey County Commissioners Toni Carter and Janice Rettman were there to lead a group of walkers through the crosswalk at Snelling and Ashland to see if cars would stop. Residents and volunteers held signs demonstrating their support for the crosswalk law and kids participated in a pedestrian safety game led by the Fire Department.

In the days leading up to the kickoff, flyers were distribute to announce the upcoming week-long campaign and raise awareness of the crosswalk law. Throughout the week of June 22 police issued tickets to drivers and pedestrians who violated the crosswalk law. Failure to observe the law is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a $700 fine, or both.

Video: View KSTP coverage of the event
Photos: Check out our photos from the event!
Know the law: Text of the MN crosswalk law
 
Need a little push to try bike commuting?


Photo by Metro Transit

Curious about commuting by bike? Bike2Benefits is a free program that we offer in partnership with Metro Transit and our regional partners to encourage people to give it a try.

Since the launch of the program during last year's Bike Walk Week, participants have biked more than 500,000 miles. By riding bicycles instead of driving alone, members have conserved approximately 24,000 gallons of fuel and reduced CO2 emissions by 230 tons. They've also picked up a lot of great prizes and the healthy habit of biking to work.

Want to give it a try? It's not too late to get started. Choose an eight-week period that works for you, get registered and then start tracking your trips online to watch how you're doing and win!

Sign up: Fill out this online registration and you're on your way!

Grand Avenue businesses go bike-friendly!


Photo (left) by Amy Mingo. Photo (right) by Flickr user smcgee from Grand Old Day.

Pictured left to right: Councilmember Pat Harris, James Lockwood (Mayor's office), Beth Bergman (Wet Paint), Chad Skally (GABA), Councilmember Dave Thune.

At Grand Old Day last month, the first of 70 new bike racks going in along Grand Avenue was unveiled outside of Wet Paint, an art supply store near Grand and Snelling.

The racks, which will provide parking for 150 bikes in total, are the result of a partnership between the City of Saint Paul, the Grand Avenue Business Association (GABA), the Summit Hill Association and the Macalester Groveland Community Council. The racks are being installed at 40 locations along Grand Avenue by Dero, a local bike rack manufacturer.

Now it's your turn! When you're out shopping by bike, be sure to thank the businesses along Grand Avenue for making this investment in our city's livability!
 
Griggs bicycle and pedestrian bridge to reopen


Photo by St. Paul Smart Trips (taken June 23, 2009)
The Griggs bicycle/pedestrian bridge crossing Interstate 94 between Lexington and Hamline in St. Paul is anticipated to reopen in September (Correction: the bridge may be open as soon as August 1).
 
The bridge is a vital north/south connection for bicyclists and pedestrians to safely cross the interstate and will play a major role in providing access to the Central Corridor light rail line when it opens in 2014.

The decision to rebuild the bridge was made last November due to the loss of concrete from the bottom of the bridge beams.

Help envision future crossings: Learn more about this opportunity by sending an e-mail to brady@smart-trips.org.

What should a St. Paul Greenway look like?


Detail of a map by Roberta Avidor created in 2005, depicting a St. Paul Greenway

St. Paul Smart Trips has established a committee to develop a vision for a St. Paul Greenway. This Greenway is a proposed extension of Minneapolis' Midtown Greenway across the Mississippi River east to Pascal Avenue and then south along the Ayd Mill corridor eventually connecting to the Sam Morgan Trail (see map link below).

The committee will meet over the next several months to draft a vision for how this Greenway should look and function. The draft will be brought to the adjacent district councils for their input and the process will culminate in an inter-neighborhood Greenway summit to ratify and build support for the vision. We're looking for community members from across St. Paul to join this committee- consider joining us!

Get on the committee: e-mail laura@smart-trips.org
View the 2005 map: Midtown Greenway - St. Paul extension (pdf)

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