Transit For Livable Communities

Programs: Advocacy/education/community outreach specific activities: -followed and participated in development of the metropolitan council's transportation policy plan, metro transit's service improvement plan, metropolitan council's planning for southwest light rail. Tlc submitted comments about the hennepin county bicycle plan and submitted a letter to the minneapolis city council supporting southwest light rail. Authored bi-weekly columns on aspects of transit/bicycling/walking for the southwest journal and downtown journal. -staff members served on the metropolitan council's transportation advisory board (tab), the steering committee for the minnesota strategic highway safety plan. Contributed to historic inclusion of equity points in the tab solicitation scoring criteria. State highway safety plan elevates bicycle and pedestrian safety in new plan, a result of advocacy by transit for livable communities. -staff members help plan and executive director, barb thoman, spoke at the raymond station celebration for the june 2014 opening of the green line, the region's second lrt line. -maintained web sites and social media channels; disseminated print and e-communications on public transit, bicycling, walking, and transit-oriented development. -staff members presented at the 2014 rail-volution conference in minneapolis and 2014 minnesota council of nonprofits nonprofit technology and communications conference, and organized and participated in activities for the opening of the green line light rail on june 14. -participated in the move mn coalition for transportation. Served as campaign co-chair of 200+ member organizations. Also participated in field, communications, and government relations activities, including regular full coalition meetings and communications. Significant activities included state fair and county fair outreach, and outreach at other events. Developed significant communications materials. Prepared summary document on bicycle and pedestrian project planning across the state. Maintained research on transit state of practice and peer programs and investment levels. Encouraged people to contact their legislators about transportation need. -provided opportunities for members to be involved in activities and events, including tlc's transportation on tap series, annual meeting, and summer ice cream social. -served as a fiscal agent for neighborhoods first.

rethinking transportation - transportation options program-continued and expanded the transportation options program, in which tlc works in partnership with social service organizations to build staff capacity to address transportation as a basic need. Hosted seven workshops with staff of 29 social service organizations. Workshops included information on transportation budgeting, transit, bicycling, and car sharing. Added a major research component: individuals referred by social service partners are provided training and a package of transportation assistance (bus pass, bicycle, car sharing membership). Tlc will track the impact of the use of transportation options on household expenses.

bike/walk program 2014 specific activities: -continued with program activities toward program completion in december. Network-completion projects including bluff street extension of dinkytown greenway, 7th street north pedestrian project, and three new bikeways in saint paul, on charles avenue jefferson avenue, and griggs avenue. Charles avenue provides safe access to and along the green line light rail corridor. All together, the bwtc pilot added 100 miles of new bike ways and sidewalks in the pilot area. Such projects represent significant on-the-ground improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians in the twin cities. -worked with the other pilot communities and rails to trails conservancy under the direction of john a. Volpe national transportation systems center of u. S. Dot to develop a final report on the pilot program that was released in the spring of 2014. The 2014 ntpp report to congress said that while bike walk twin cities investments "increased access for all people in the minneapolis area (from 32 to 48 percent), on a percentage basis, underserved groups benefited most from the pilot investments. "-funding from bwtc and others in 2014 supported the bike library program at cycles for change in saint paul and spokes bike walk connect in minneapolis, making available bicycles, training, and outreach to low-income and immigrant communities. -continued to participate in meetings about the franklin avenue corridor, a high-traffic route that is a key connector for all road users and has a high crash rate for bicyclists and pedestrians. -joined in three open streets community events in minneapolis and saint paul. At the franklin avenue open streets event, tlc focused on elevating community voices and highlighting a need for local multimodal improvements via our envisioning a better franklin avenue video project. -hosted monthly webinars on bicycle and pedestrian topics for transportation professionals and community members through the association of pedestrian and bicycle professionals. -responsibility for fall counts of bicyclists and pedestrians shifted to the cities of minneapolis and saint paul. The monthly counts continued through 2014. A report on seasonal variations in bicycle and pedestrian travel will be released in 2015.