Thinking Outside the Trail Box Building the Mississippi River Trail Bikeway

2013 APA Conference - Chicago

Ciara Schlichting and Liz Walton

Agenda

• Mississippi River Trail (MRT) Bikeway Planning Ciara Schlichting, Stantec

• MRT Marketing and Outreach + Partnerships Liz Walton, Minnesota Department of Transportation

What is a Bikeway?

you all know what a trail is…

Mn Statute 169.011 – DEFINITIONS

Subd. 9.Bikeway.

"Bikeway" means a bicycle lane, bicycle path,

or bicycle route, regardless of whether it is

designed for the exclusive use of bicycles or is

to be shared with other transportation modes

Bicycling (and bike-friendliness) is good for:

• Health

• Economic vitality

• Community mobility

Contributes to:

• Improved individual health

• Improved public health

• Transportation plays role in

inactivity-diseases

• Active transportation can reduce

health care costs

Health

Contributes to:

• Environmental health

– reduced fossil fuel use

– air quality…

Health

Economic Vitality - Individuals

Portion of Income Spent on Housing/Transportation

T4America: Transportation, Economic Opportunity, + America’s Future

About 1/3 of the population does not drive. Includes:

• Children

• Seniors

• Disabled

• People who cannot afford car

Mobility

What is the Mississippi River

Trail Bikeway?

1938: Great River Road

Planned with cars in mind

1996: Mississippi River Trail

Planned for bicycles

• Borrows much routing from the

Great River Road

• Safest route with highest quality river

experience

• Over 800 miles long

• Called “trail” – but largely on roads

outside Twin Cities

• A “masterpiece in the making”

Minnesota’s MRT Route

Begins at Lake Itasca

Photo credit to Scott Schroeder

Mississippi Headwaters

Itasca State Park to Bemidji

Mississippi Northwoods

Bemidji to Grand Rapids

Photo credit to Mn Historical Society Forest History Center

Paul Bunyan/Heartland

State Trails

MRT: Cass Lake to Brainerd

Photo credit to Explore Minnesota Tourism

Mississippi Crossings

Grand Rapids to Little Falls

Scenic Mississippi

Little Falls to Elk River

St. Cloud: Musinger Gardens

Metro Mississippi

Elk River to Hastings

National Park:

MNRRA

(Mississippi

National River

and Recreation

Area)

Minneapolis: Stone Arch Bridge

St. Paul

Minneapolis: Fort Snelling

Mississippi Bluffs

Hastings to Iowa Border

Apple Blossom Scenic Drive

Reads Landing

3,000 miles later…ends at Gulf of Mexico

Photo credit to Bob Robinson

Photo credit: Louisiana Office of Tourism

Like the Great River Road…many jurisdictions

• 65% county, local, and township roads

• 20% state and U.S. highways (MnDOT)

• 15% state, regional, and local paths/trails

• 67 cities

• 21 counties

• 88 townships

• 2 state agencies

MRT Connections

Connects communities, plus:

• 8 state parks

• 1 state recreation area

• 1 national park

• 2 reservations/tribal areas

Itasca State Park: photo credit to Mn DNR

Frontenac State Park

John Latsch State Park

MRT Connections

Connects:

• 3 state trails

• 10 regional trails

MRT is for all ages and abilities

• Specific segments = all (beginner-expert)

• Overall route = comfortable sharing roads

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How was the Mississippi River

Trail Bikeway “Built”?

Three-Year Agenda

1. Establish the route

2. Route maps and signs

3. Collaborative management

4. Marketing and outreach

5. Bicycle-friendly concept

6. Promote and celebrate

Award Winning Planning Approach

• 2013 APA Transportation

Planning Achievement Award

• 2013 MN Chapter of ASLA

Planning Achievement Award

• 2012 MN Chapter of APA

Innovation in Planning Award

• Series of regional

workshops

• Diverse

participation

• Identified route

evaluation criteria

• Collaborative

decision making

Revisit the 2002 Route

Bicycling

"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn

the contours of a country best, since

you have to sweat up the hills and

coast down them. Thus you

remember them as they actually

are…"

Ernest Hemingway

Evaluation rides for unresolved segments

Maps and Cue Sheets • Printable maps

• GIS-interactive maps

• GPS download

• Turn-by-turn (cue sheets)

U.S. Bicycle Route System

• Adventure Cycling Association – develops with DOTs

• AASHTO – designates numbered routes

U.S. Bicycle Route System

Adventure Cycling

routes

MN’s US Bicycle Routes

Source: U.S. Bicycle Route System

Collaborative Management

• MnDOT doesn’t own the MRT

• MnDOT’s role is convener/partner and road authority

• Developing a management model

• Success depends on local enthusiasm and support

Marketing and outreach

• The bicycle-friendly 5 “Es”

• Bicycle-friendly (BFC) examples and resources

• MRT Marketing Toolbox

Sign plan

Partnerships and outcomes

Agenda

Marketing and Outreach

• Bicycle-friendly America program

• Bicycle Alliance of MN

• Marketing/promotion

• Former MN Tourism Director

• Distributed marketing strategy

Info to all MRT partners:

Crosby .

Host Communities

• 19 “early adopters”

• 6 received assistance

• 1 in each destination area

• Realize MRT transformative power

• Improve local bicycling conditions

• Connect routes to MRT

• Simultaneous w/ marketing

• Presence on MN MRT website

• Bemidji = 13,646

• Aitkin= 2,100

• Crosby = 2,395

• Brainerd = 13,646

• Little Falls = 8,349

Host Community Populations

• MNRRA (National Park Service)

25 communities, including: • Minneapolis = 377,392

• St. Paul = 288,488

• Lake City = 5,048

• Winona = 27,592

Bicycle-Friendly America Program

• MN/state = no. 2

• Communities = 5 (+2 Honorable Mention)

• Businesses = 35

• Universities = 1

4 MRT Bike-Friendly Communities

Bemidji (Bronze) St. Paul (Bronze)

Minneapolis (Gold) Winona (H. Mention)

•Engineering

•Education

•Encouragement

•Enforcement

•Evaluation and Planning

The 5 “Es”

BICYCLE-FRIENDLY BASICS

Photo credit: Laura Kling

Photo credit: Bike Walk Twin Cities

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Photo credit: Chicago DOT

Engineering: infrastructure and connections

Parking:

Convenient, visible, adequate, and secure

Photo credit: Ashley Hahn-Philadelphia Bike Coalition

Photo credit: Erik Hess

Education: What exists to educate cyclists & motorists?

• Teach motorists how to share

roads safely with cyclists

• Teach cyclists to “drive” safely League Cycling Instructors

(Traffic Skills 101)

Do you distribute safety information?

• Tip sheets (helmet fitting)

• Safety tips via bike maps

• Driver’s education

NHTSA

Encouragement: Do you promote/encourage

bicycling?

• Bike Month and Bike to Work

Week events

• Bike maps

• Route signs

• Community bike rides (Mayor’s ride)

• Commuter incentives programs

• Safe Routes to School program

• Maintenance

Encouragement

Types of Bicyclists (Portland, OR)

1% 6%

60%

33%

Strong & Fearless

Enthused & Confident

Interested but Concerned

Not a chance

HOW CAN WE ENCOURAGE THE “INTERESTED”?

MAML (middle-aged men in lycra) + women, families…the rest

Encouraging the Interested but Concerned

Photo credit: Patrick Clark

Photo credit Women Bike

Photo credit Women on Bikes St. Paul

Encouragement – Safety in Numbers

Enforcement: is your enforcement informed/equipped?

• Rules of the Road

• Share the road

• Violations - statute sheet

• Land use planning

• Community bicycle master plan

• Public road/trail networks

Evaluation: Are you planning for the future?

Evaluation: Are you evaluating programs?

• Bike counts

• Identify crash/fatality rates and

problem areas

• Staged bike plan

implementation/priorities

• Next steps for improvement

• League of American Bicyclists: Quick scorecard & booklet

• Adventure Cycling Association: Bicycle Travel Friendly Town guide

Quick Evaluations and Info

Steps to a Bicycle-Friendly Community

• Review 5 Es

• Identify opportunities/insufficiencies (BFC scorecard)

• Plan strategy

• Gather broad support

• Meet and involve interested/influential parties

• Act • Start small

• Plan for long-term

• Meetings (advocates, leaders, schools, businesses, staff…)

• On-bike assessment (or van)

• Take people where want to go

• Observations & recommendations

• Action steps based on “5 Es”

• Resources for future steps

MRT Bicycle-Friendly Assessments

• Formal and effective collaboration

• Bike culture

• Political & staff leadership

• Breadth of “Es”

• Tourism support

• Innovative leadership - Higher Ed

• Annual rides – BRRRRmidji (Jan 1)

• Momentum – BFC in October 2012

One of coldest places in lower 48 states!

Bemidji (population = 13,468)

Bemidji

• Best practice: on-street bike parking

• Mode share is high

• 72-miles of riverfront – 2 sides

• Shared goals

• Minimum Design Guidelines

• Partner in ATP (Alternative Transp. Plan)

• Partner in Companion guide (boat, bike, history)

MNRRA (Mississippi National River & Recreation Area)

MNRRA Bikeable Community Workshop (2012)

• All MNRRA communities invited

• Focus : professional staff/elected

• BFC basics

• Classroom and on-bike

• Partners:

• MnDOT

• MN Health Dept. (MDH)

• Bicycle Alliance of MN (Bike MN)

• National Park Service (MNRRA)

• Led to statewide program via MDH/Bike Alliance

Winona (population = 27,592 )

• Political & staff leadership

• Demonstrated innovation

• Bike blvd. & on-road lanes

• Best practice: mapping

• Tourism support

• Mode share increasing

• Momentum - BFC (H. Mention)

Marketing and Outreach

• Simultaneous w/ bike-friendly work

• SWOT analysis

• Strengths

• Weaknesses

• Opportunities

• Threats

• Develop marketing action plans

MRT Marketing Toolbox

• Enhance existing efforts

• Promote consistently • MRT goals/“brand”

• Products and service

• Bicyclist types

• Key messages

• Supporting tactics

• Downloadable

Help communities market their MRT segments

Create Individual Plans

• MRT vision

• MRT setting

• Why market

• MRT product

• Target audience

• Marketing strategies

• Marketing partners

• Supporting info

Create Individual Plans

Website and Facebook

Promote and celebrate

Promote and celebrate

Additional marketing

• Greater interest in biking

• Pedal MN campaign (2012)

• Bike tourism “summits”

• Enhance existing efforts

• Free: print, TV, social media

Tourism office + partners

Signs

• 2009 – partially signed in MNRRA

• Statewide sign plan (SE MN installed in 2013)

• U.S. Bicycle Route sign (next MUTCD)

• Regions are “smaller” on a bike. MRT can:

• Bring communities together

• Promote an understanding of local and regional issues

• Cooperative solutions/and broader outlook

• New partnerships:

• Urban meets rural

• From engineers to parks and rec./trail staff

• Bicyclists…+ bus, train, canoe, and other modes

Community Partnerships

Partnership Results

New agency partnerships

DNR: • Joint planning - future bikeways

• Develop interim trail connections

Health: • Bikeable Communities Workshop

NPS: • Joint park/transportation planning

• Matching funds

Lessons learned

• Develop a compelling alignment

• Identify ideal route; review how many jurisdictions

• Sell the multiple benefits

• Don’t oversell benefits

• Don’t undersell obligations (i.e. signs)

• Determine if /when need resolutions and agreements

• Not everyone moves at the same pace

Bikeways can provide:

• Cost-effective bike routes

• Links to where people want to go

• Enhanced recreation

• Active transportation

• Alternative access to river/public lands

• New local economic activity

• Better return on investments

• Enrichment and social cohesiveness

And partnerships that bring adventure…

Photo credit to Mpls. Star Tribune

…NOW

For more info:

Liz Walton, Landscape Architect MnDOT – Bicycle and Pedestrian Section

liz.walton@state.mn.us 651-366-4186

Web: www.dot.state.mn.us/bike/mrt

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MRTMinnesota

Ciara Schlichting, Senior Planner Toole Design Group

cschlichting@tooledesign.com 612-616-0469

Web: www.tooledesign.com