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Battle Lake becomes the 19th Minnesota Complete Streets community
Posted 6/16/2011

Battle Lake is now the smallest community in Minnesota (and maybe the country) to pass a Complete Streets policy. The Battle Lake policy is excellent and should serve the community of 875 in the lake country of west central Minnesota well.

New Hope adds Complete Streets policy, St. Cloud Area Planning Organization approves resolution
Posted 6/10/2011

On May 23, the New Hope City Council unanimously adopted a detailed Complete Streets policy that follows up on the resolution they passed in January. It includes this vision:

The New Hope policy also has specific implementation steps that covers everything from staff training and design standards to updates for resident and business involvement. It is one of the most detailed policies in the state and will certainly serve as a blueprint for great progress. Planner Eric Weiss was the champion for this effort that included input from the City Council, other city staff, and a Citizen Advisory Commission. Congrats to Eric and New Hope for setting a high bar with a great policy!

The St. Cloud Area Planning Organization has also joined in supporting Complete Streets by passing a resolution of support on May 26. The St. Cloud APO provides transportation planning and funding for the greater St. Cloud region (Stearns, Sherburne, and Benton Counties) and includes the cities of St. Cloud, St. Joseph, Sartell, and Sauk Rapids. The APO has an active Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which has been thinking about Complete Streets for almost a year and will be working to help implement this resolution as a starting point. Congrats to APO planner Michelle Musser, who has been leading the charge.

Last month, Breckenridge became the 18th local community in Minnesota to adopt Complete Streets when the City Council unanimously passed a policy. Breckenridge is a city of 3,386 people along the Red River and is across the river from Whapeton, North Dakota. It is now the smallest Minnesota community to have a Complete Streets policy! They have been discussing Complete Streets for about a year after being initially alerted to it by the local State Health Improvement Program initiative. Congrats to Councilmember Brenda Woytassek, Mayor Cliff Barth, Public Works Director Dave Freitag, Assistant County Engineer Steve Neppl, City Clerk-Treasurer Beverly Wilson, PartnerSHIP 4 Health staff Patrick Hollister, and everyone else from the City Council, Active Living and Public Works Committees, and Port Authority who was involved in making the policy happen.

Meanwhile, in March, the Independence City Council passed a Complete Streets policy to go with the resolution it adopted last year. A big thanks to Mayor Marvin Johnson who lead the charge there with assistance from Hennepin County active living staff Karen Nikolai. Independence is a growing community of 3,504 on the western edge of the Twin Cities metro area.

Bill introduced in MN House would cut two Complete Streets provisions
Posted 2/25/2011

Last week, Rep. Ernie Leidiger (R-Mayer) introduced House File 518, which includes provisions to remove the Complete Streets reporting requirements for Mn/DOT and remove a subdivision of the Complete Streets law that clarifies that local communities are "encouraged, but not required" to adopt their own Complete Streets policies. The bill keeps in tack the other parts of the Complete Streets law, but is still worrisome.

The main part of the bill isn't focused on Complete Streets directly--it removes Mn/DOT's role in facilitating the process for setting the State Aid Standards, which govern how local roads that receive state funding are designed and built. The bill also takes those Standards out of official rule, and seems to give the power of setting similar standards to some segment of cities and counties, although it isn't clear in the bill as currently drafted. These changes to the State Aid Standards process are being opposed by all of the parties involved, including Mn/DOT, the Association for Minnesota Counties, and the League of Minnesota Cities.

A similar bill has not yet been introduced in the state Senate. The same language is also included in a broader bill (HF 519) by Rep. Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa). We'll keep you posted as things move forward on this or any other efforts to cut back on the state's Complete Streets law.

In other fantastic news that I’m a little slow in sharing, the North St. Paul City Council unanimously approved their “Living Streets” Plan on January 18! They use the term Living Streets, but recognize that it is really Complete Streets with the very intriguing inclusion of “Green Streets” principles related to managing stormwater runoff. Fantastic stuff here!

The Plan includes a very detailed and innovative way to address older residential streets without sidewalks that could be a fantastic model for other cities with similar challenges. Basically, as these streets are reconstructed (which will be happening over the coming years on many roads in North St. Paul), they will be narrowed to 22 feet wide (from 30 feet) with parking on one side and a “yield lane” to calm traffic and they will use the space saved on the roadway width to add a sidewalk on one side and rain garden boulevard areas. Talk about a win-win-win! Less speeding traffic, zero stormwater runoff, and a place for people to walk safely!

They have similar plans for the north-south collector streets, where they will narrow the lanes to 10 feet (not currently legal, but we’re working to change the standards!), and add bike lanes, sidewalks (where they aren’t already), and raid gardens.
Proposed collector "living" street

They also proposed a north-south parkway that will serve as a “green spine” that is extra safe for kids or others that don’t feel as comfortable biking on the more major roads for example.

And, of course, they address cost. Basically, the savings in car pavement can help pay for the improvements for peds/bikes/environment and also will help reduce maintenance costs considerably.

Finally, to top it all off, they are planning a pilot project for the 15th Avenue reconstruction. I can’t wait to visit!

A tip of the hat to Coalition member Barr Engineering, who created the plan! Coalition members/supporters Alliance for Sustainability and Active Living Ramsey Communities! also played an active role in supporting the plan.

The Pipestone City Council unanimously approved a Complete Streets policy on Monday, February 7 after a number of months of deligent work. Pipestone is the 16th community in Minnesota to move forward with support for Complete Streets. You can read the excellent policy here. You can also read about a November workshop that helped lead to the policy. A big thank you to Coalition member Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, who has been supporting active living work in Pipestone for several years.

Detroit Lakes meeting will include Complete Streets and you're invited!
Posted 2/7/2011

Central Clean Energy Resource Teams and the State Health Improvement Program are teaming up for a Sustainable Communities summit on the afternoon of February 24 in Detroit Lakes. The focus will include Complete Streets, and Mn/DOT's Scott Bradley will be among the speakers. Click here for the full agenda and to register (for free).

This summit continues the Lakes Area's work on Complete Streets, with Alexandria and Detriot Lakes amongst the communities interested in safer streets for everyone.

Since the hiatus in website updates in late September, 7 local communities have taken action in support of Complete Streets! Big Lake, Byron, Stewartville, Red Wing, and the Fargo-Moorhead Metro Council of Governance all passed Complete Streets policies while New Hope passed a Complete Streets resolution, and St. Louis Park finalized a comprehensive plan that includes Complete Streets. Hennepin County also expanded on their previous resolution and policy by creating a new Complete Streets Implementation Task Force.

You can find all 14 communities that have taken steps to support Complete Streets, along with links to their policies and resolutions on our State & Local Policy page.

National Safe Routes to School Conference set for Minneapolis in 2011
Posted 9/21/2010

Exciting news! Minneapolis will host the 3rd annual Safe Routes to Schools Conference August 16-18, 2011. Great work Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, who led the effort to bring the conference to Minnesota. To learn more check out the conference website: http://www.saferoutesconference.org/.

A number of Complete Streets allies are beginning to discuss a state policy for Safe Routes to Schools! A strategy meeting will be held on Thrusday, August 26 from 1-4pm at Fresh Energy (408 St. Peter Street #220, St. Paul, MN 55102). For more information, please contact Jill Chamberlain at minnesota@saferoutes.org.

Coalition releases toolkits to help communities interested in Complete Streets
Posted 8/3/2010

The Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition has published the first addition of two toolkits to help support local Complete Streets work. The Local Government Toolkit is geared toward local elected officials and city staff while the Local Advocates Toolkit is for citizens or community groups. Both toolkits include background on Complete Streets, common steps that communities or citizens can take to help make it happen, answers to common questions, and additional resources. The information is geared toward Minnesota and based on the experiences of local and national Complete Streets efforts.

We hope that they prove useful and that you will be inspired and empowered to be a champion for Complete Streets in your community!

The Coalition will make updates and additions to the toolkit as warranted. A future toolkit will include comprehensive information about the technical engineering side of Complete Streets to help with implementation of Complete Streets. If you have any comments about either of the toolkits, please contact Vayong Moua with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota at Vayong_Moua@bluecrossmn.com. We want to hear ways that we can make the toolkits even better!

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) held its initial Complete Streets External Advisory Committee meeting to get feedback on their work to fully implement the new state policy. Mn/DOT Commissioner Tom Sorel kicked off the occasion by saying that he thinks that Minnesota can lead the way on working in partnership toward Complete Streets and serve as a model for other states.

On Saturday, May 15, Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the transportation policy bill, which include Complete Streets! That transportation policy bill had passed the House 109-25 and the Senate 58-3. You can read the full language of the law here (pdf). Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen! Work will now begin to partner with Mn/DOT to implement the policy.

Join us Tuesday, May 18 from 2:30-3:00 at Newell Park in St. Paul (900 Fairview Ave N; map) to celebrate all of the progress made on Complete Streets!

On Monday, the Complete Streets language was successfully amended onto the Senate Transportation Policy Omnibus bill (SF 2540). The omnibus bill passed the Senate today on a 63-4 vote and will go to a conference committee once the House has passed their version of the bill, which will hopefully be next week.

On April 21, the Complete Streets bill passed the Minnesota House of Represenatives with a bipartisan 92-37 vote. Preceeding the vote was nearly an hour and a half of debate. You can watch recording of the action online.

Now that the Complete Streets bill has passed the House, we will proceed with the Capitol event this Monday.

11:45 -- Meet at Minnesota Environmental Partnership offices at 546 Rice Street

From there, we'll "parade" over to the Governor's office at the Capitol (it is 3 blocks away) for a brief press conference at 12:15. At 12:30, we'll deliver more than 5,000 postcards to the Governor's office in support of Complete Streets.

We’re hoping for a big group for the T.V. cameras. They’re will be elementary school kids coming from Eagan and St. Paul to join us as well.

Hope to see you then!

The Capitol event has been tentatively moved to Monday, April 26th. Fesitivities start at 11:45 at the Minnesota Environmental Partnership offices at 546 Rice Street in St. Paul before a "parade" to the Capitol. We still may need to move the event, so register below to keep updated.

Yesterday, the bill passed the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee--both on split voice votes. The bill now heads to the House and Senate floors for full votes. That could come as early as Monday, April 19th. There are language differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill, so unless one body accepts the other's language, there will need to be a conference committee. That wouldn't take long if it is required as the differences are fairly minor. After a final vote to agree to the same language, the Governor will have 3 days to sign the bill.

Things are close to the end, so make sure to let your legislators know that you support Complete Streets!!

As the Complete Streets bill takes its final steps at the State Capitol, the Coalition is planning a grassroots event to celebrate the progress and show the broad and diverse support for the effort. The event will include a "parade" and a delivery of more than 5,000 postcards of support to Governor Tim Pawlenty, who will have the final task of signing the bill into law.

The event is tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 19th at noon (this could change depending on the legislative schedule) and will start at the Minnesota Environmental Partnership offices at 546 Rice Street and continue 3 blocks to the Governor's office in the Capitol.

Timing
The very latest word is that House Ways and Means and Senate Finance are focused on the budget, and likely won’t start cranking through bills for another week or two. With the legislature on break from March 30 through April 5, it seems unlikely that the bill will be heard before April 6. These things can change quickly though!!!

Once it passes the final two committees, it could go to the floors very quickly (within a week) or relatively slowly depending on the work load at that time. There is really no way to estimate that at this point, but it seems most realistic to think that the bill would be heard on the floor sometime between the 2nd and 4th weeks of April.

We'll keep you posted here as things will surely change a few more times before the end! In the meantime, please use the extra time to contact your legislators and engage your family and friends.

Fiscal note
Mn/DOT has estimated that the bill will cost $41,000 over the next three years in their final fiscal note. These costs are for the reporting requirements of the bill. The agency has agreed to absorb those costs within their existing program budgets. The bill will not cost any General Fund money. We do not anticipate that this small fiscal note will be a problem, although a couple members of the House Finance Committee mentioned it in negative comments.

US Dept of Transportation releases Complete Streets-like policy!
Posted 3/17/2010

“…transportation agencies should plan, fund, and implement improvements to their walking and bicycling networks, including linkages to transit. In addition, DOT encourages transportation agencies to go beyond the minimum requirements, and proactively provide convenient, safe, and context-sensitive facilities that foster increased use by bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities, and utilize universal design characteristics when appropriate. Transportation programs and facilities should accommodate people of all ages and abilities, including people too young to drive, people who cannot drive, and people who choose not to drive.”

“While DOT leads the effort to provide safe and convenient accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists, success will ultimately depend on transportation agencies across the country embracing and implementing this policy.”

Congrats to the National Complete Streets Coalition and all of our other partners who have worked hard to get to this point. Let's keep the momentum going!

The Complete Streets bill passed its second committee on Tuesday--this time the Senate Transportation Committee on another unanimous voice vote! The next stop in the Senate is the Finance Committee. Janelle Waldock from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Gary Anger, the principal at Red Pine Elementary School in Eagan, provided fantastic supportive testimony. Several committee members spoke about various positive elements of the bill.

On the House side, the bill will be in the Finance Committee on Monday, March 8. The expectation is that this hearing will be quick and focus solely on the $50,000 from MnDOT's budgets for reports. Given that the amount is relatively low and that there is no general fund money involved, we are not anticipating serious concerns. This should be the final House committee stop before a vote on the floor.

You can read the current version of the House bill here. This version reflects the amendments that have been made to appease the county engineers. Despite removing the state aid flexibility pilot program, we are still confident that this bill sends a clear signal for change, and will pave the way for successful implementation at the state level.

The Complete Streets bill passed the House Transportation Finance Committee yesterday on a unanimous voice vote! The bill was amended slightly to reflect input from county engineers. The fiscal note for the current version of the House bill is an estimated $50,000 over four years within MnDOT's budget--so no general fund money.

The Senate bill is confirmed to be heard in the Transportation Committee on Tuesday, March 2 at 12:30pm in Capitol Room 15. Join us if you can!

The Complete Streets bill will likely be heard in the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, March 2 at 12:30pm in Capitol Room 15. Join us if you can and we will make sure to let you know when it is finalized.

The Complete Streets bill will be heard again in the House Transportation Finance and Policy Division on Thursday, Feb 25 at 4:30pm in State Office Building Room 10. This hearing will be short as this committee already had more than an hour of testimony and discussion on the bill Feb 16. At that time the committee decided to await the final fiscal note before voting on the bill.

The final fiscal note is in now, and estimates that the bill will cost the Minnesota Department of Transportation $200,000 spread over 4 years at $50,000 per year. This estimate is to manage the pilot program and meet the reporting requirements in the bill. This money would be absorbed within MnDOT's regular budget and would not require any General Fund money.

The House bill now has 7 more co-authors bringing the total number of House co-authors to 22! The new authors are:

The Senate bill is still awaiting its first hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee, which may be as early as Thursday, Feb 25.

Complete Streets bill in House Transportation Committee 2/16/2010
Posted 2/17/2010

The Complete Streets bill--H.F. 2801--was heard last night in the House Transportation Finance and Policy Division. After a little more than an hour of discussion, the bill was laid over for the Committee to revisit once a final fiscal note is available. We expect that will be soon--maybe as early as next week.

Most of the discussion focused on a few technical points rather than on the nature or value of the policy as a whole. If you are interested, the video of the hearing is archived online.

The Complete Streets bill will make its first--and only--House committee stop in the Transportation Finance Committee on Tuesday, February 16 at 4:30 in State Office Building Room 10. Join us if you can!

While the bill is mostly about policy not finance, it was referred to the Transportaiton Finance Committee because it includes reporting requirements. The reports are important and will not require any general fund money to complete. The rest of the bill will not have a fiscal impact.

As it heads to committee, the bill has gained 10 co-authors! The original House authors--Rep. Obermueller (Eagan), Rep. Lieder (Crookston), Rep. Norton (Rochester), Rep. Severson (Sauk Rapids), Rep. Sterner (Rosemount)--have been joined in sponsorship by

Make sure to thank your representative if they have signed on as a co-sponsor. Check here for more details on contacting your legislator today!

Now Bikes and Fitness
Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman
Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin

The Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition held a press conference today with Rep. Mike Obermueller (Eagan) and Sen. Tony Lourey (Kerrick) to announce the introduction of state Complete Streets legislation. H.F. 2801 and S.F. 2461 will be heard in the transportation policy committees this month.

Precinct caucuses are Tuesday, February 2 at 7pm. They provide a great opportunity to build support for Complete Streets. Here is a sample resolution that can be introduced as well as some background information to help answer questions that might come up.

First, the U.S. Department of Transportation hosted a listening session related to a new federal transportation bill with USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood, Senator Klobuchar, and Representatives Oberstar, Ellison, and McCollum. Complete Streets was a central point of conversation throughout the day. Barbara McCann from the National Complete Streets Coalition participated on the main panel of the day, and Mn/DOT Commissioner Tom Sorel talked extensively about Mn/DOT's work to create a Complete Streets partnership to implement a state policy. Coalition members Barb Thoman (with Transit for Livable Communities), Michael Huber (with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota), and Ethan Fawley (with Fresh Energy) all participated on an afternoon panel on safety, livability, and sustainability. There is clearly a lot of interest in a new federal Complete Streets policy!

Later in the day, the Coalition was a co-sponsor for a gubernatorial candidate forum on transportation, land use, and the environment. 10 candidates participated from the three major parties in Minnesota, and more than 500 people came to watch. Complete Streets was mentioned by several candidates, and most candidates in attendance expressed strong support for walking, biking, and transit.

Several members of the Coalition had a very good meeting recently with Mn/DOT staff to discuss next steps on Complete Streets. Their work plan is very encouraging and we will likely have a full Coalition meeting soon for Mn/DOT to present their vision for moving forward with Complete Streets implementation.

Complete Streets legislative language is nearly finalized. Thanks to our chief authors Sen. Tony Lourey (Eagan) and Rep. Mike Obermueller (Eagan) for their great work. Thanks also to the numerous Coalition members who have been involved with policy discussions that began back in August! We will post the language here once we receive the final version that will be introduced at the legislature.

We know that Complete Streets will help make our roads safer, give people more transportation options, and help make our communities better places to live. But we also know that it is individual stories that help people understand what Complete Streets is really about.

Two examples to get you started: Gina, a nine-year-old who rides her bike to school in a bike lane – except for the last two blocks, where she must ride in traffic that includes parents dropping their kids off at school.

And Marcia, a blind woman who must decide how she and her guide dog will get safely to the state fair since the stop for city buses (not the park and ride buses) has no sidewalk to guide them to the entrance.

Why do you support Complete Streets? Is there an "incomplete" street that makes it hard for you to get where you need to go safely? Is there a really good "complete" street in your neighborhood that helps support successful businesses and better connections with your neighbors? Share your story today with this easy form! We will soon add a story section to the website to highlight why safe, "complete" streets are important for Minnesotans.

At a December 14 event of the Regional Council of Mayors, Mn/DOT Commissioner Tom Sorel told 30 Twin Cities mayors about the agency's work on Complete Streets.

He reitterated that "we [Mn/DOT] are trying to re-craft our work to be more multi-modal" and said that "to have a world class transportation system, we need Complete Streets." He sees "Complete Streets as a change in culture" and that "to be truly transformational, we need to work in partnership." He described how Mn/DOT has already started to work on that partnership because "we recognize how important Complete Streets is."

The Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition applauds the leadership of Commissioner Sorel on Complete Streets and is very much looking forward to continue to work with him and Mn/DOT on the implementation of this important policy.

Mn/DOT seeks to form Complete Streets partnership!
Posted 12/11/2009

In late November, several representatives from the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition met with Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel. Commissioner Sorel is very supportive of Complete Streets and Mn/DOT staff are now actively working with the Coalition to create a partnership with relevant state agencies, local governments, and other stakeholders to move forward with Complete Streets.

This is a very exciting opportunity!! We will keep you updated as things progress.

There has been lots of action since our last update here. The Coalition now has 41 official members and supporters. Welcome to our newest members:
Blue Zones--Dan Buettner
City of St. Paul
Friends of Washington County
Joe Urban, Inc.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in Minnesota
Red Wing Housing and Redevelopment Authority
The Arc of Minnesota

We are also very excited to be working with Sen. Tony Lourey (Kerrick) and Rep. Mike Obermueller (Eagan), who will be the lead authors on Complete Streets legislation in 2010. Work continues with key stakeholders to craft the best possible Complete Streets legislation.

There will be a full Coalition meeting on Thursday, December 17 from 1:30-4:30 in Minneapolis. If you are interested in attending, please contact Ethan Fawley at fawley@fresh-energy.org for complete information.

Complete Streets Grassroots training session Nov. 21
Posted 11/21/2009

Join us!

Find out how you can work for legislation to make Minnesota's streets safer for everyone, regardless of age or ability. Transit users, bicyclists, children, seniors, people with disabilities: everyone deserves to be able to safely arrive at their destination.

Learn about policies being proposed to require planners to consider the needs of all users when designing or re-designing a street in Minnesota. Share your story and collect others' stories to strengthen the case for this legislation!

9:30 Registration and coffee
10:00 Program begins

When Saturday, November 21, 2009
9:30 AM - 12 PM
Where Macalester College
Weyerhauser Hall
http://www.macalester.edu/about/mapbynumber.html

ONLINE REGISTRATION

Comment on Mn/DOT's draft Complete Streets report by Nov. 9!!!
Posted 11/2/2009

On Oct 16, Mn/DOT posted a revision of their Complete Streets Feasibility Report. We are also very pleased that the current draft recommends Complete Streets! "Mn/DOT should build on existing CSS practices and develop and implement a
statewide Complete Streets policy..."

You can view this important and valuable report on Mn/DOT's website. The main part of the report is a quite manageable 25 pages (do not be overwhelmed by the 136-page PDF document, which also includes lengthy appendices).

Mn/DOT has also created a public comment period, which runs through 4:00PM on November 9. The Coalition is very excited that Mn/DOT is offering this opportunity to get more good ideas in that can only benefit the report.

Now, we need your help!!

Please take a minute to offer positive comments before Nov. 9 by filling out the online feedback form or by mailing a letter to:

Minnesota Department of Transportation
395 John Ireland Blvd. – M.S. 500
St. Paul, MN 55155
Attention: Complete Streets

Here are some potential talking points. Please make sure to CUSTOMIZE your letter to offer your important perspective. You can check out Coalition member Fresh Energy's detailed comment letter for more ideas as well.

We have had three new organizations join in the last month: Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group, and the Minnesotans for Healthy Kids Coalition. Welcome!

Welcome to our newest members: HealthPartners and Transportation for America's Minnesota Coalition! The Coalition is now at 30 members.

Complete Streets News Sept 25
Posted 9/25/2009

The Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition is tweeting away on Twitter at MN_CompleteSts! Below is a list of our latest tweets to Complete Streets news in Minnesota and beyond. Check back next Friday for another update! Check below for last week's update.

Update on Mn/DOT Complete Streets study--Thanks for your comments!
Posted 9/23/2009

Mn/DOT recently released the first draft of their Complete Streets feasibility report. The Coalition is happy that Mn/DOT is doing this important study and is looking forward to the final release in December.

More than 50 Complete Streets supporters sent good letters to Mn/DOT with ideas on how to improve this initial first draft. Great work everyone! Here is a sample with Coalition member group Fresh Energy's comment letter to Mn/DOT Commissioner Sorel and Fresh Energy's initial more detailed comments on the draft.

Mn/DOT and the consultants for the study--SRF--are doing a good job of reviewing these comments and are making significant changes to the study.

There was a meeting of the advisory groups that have been working on the study on Monday, Sept 21. There was some good discussion and a general consensus to move forward with some significant positive changes.

The consultant and the members of the Project Management Team will finalize updates and submit the committee draft of the report to Commissioner Sorel on Oct. 15. There will not be any public process ahead of that release, but we hope that Commissioner Sorel will provide an opportunity after that point.

Check back here after Oct. 15 for more information.

The four Coalition sub-groups are busy working on promoting a statewide Complete Streets policy. Check out the Upcoming Events tab for more details. Contact Ethan Fawley if you are interested in being involved with any of these groups.

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits has joined the Coalition this week. Welcome!

Albert Lea has passed a Complete Streets subdivision policy! That makes 3 local policies in Minnesota!

In 2008, the Minnesota Legislature required the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) to perform a study of the cost, benefits, and feasibility of Complete Streets (Mn/DOT web page for the study). Last Friday, the consultant for the project released a first draft of the study (link to the document and link to the appendices).

For this first draft, comments will only be accepted through Thursday, Sept 16, so there is a very short window to comment! Check back on this page on Wednesday for more information about how to comment and some basic notes about the initial draft. This study has the potential to be very important for Complete Streets and we hope that you will take the time to offer some comments.

If you have a chance to review the study and have some thoughts, please send them to Ethan Fawley at fawley@fresh-energy.org. He will be collecting ideas and impressions.

Within the last couple of weeks, several new partners have joined the Coalition. Welcome to: Fit City Duluth, Conservation Minnesota, Bloomington City Councilmember Steve Elkins, and the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota!

Also, 42 individuals joined the Coalition last week!

If you, your organization, or your business might be interested in supporting a statewide Complete Streets policy, please contact Ethan Fawley at fawley@fresh-energy.org.

The Coalition held a half-day Complete Streets strategy session on August 24. More than 40 people attended to begin work to promote a statewide policy for the 2010 legislative session.

The Coalition decided that work will continue in groups focused on four campaign areas: 1) Coalition Building and Grasstops; 2) Communications; 3) Grassroots Outreach and Engagement; and 4) Legislative Work and Policy Development. Each of these groups is open to anyone that wants to work to promote a statewide Complete Streets policy.

The overall direction of the Coalition will be supported by a steering committee lead by Fresh Energy, Transit for Livable Communities, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, and the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota.

Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition News Aug 20
Posted 8/20/2009

On July 30th, forty people came out for an introductory coalition meeting that hailed the beginning of the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition. This formative session was co-hosted by Fresh Energy, Transit for Livable Communities, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Since then, over 20 organizations and elected officials have joined the Coalition, and the group is moving forward toward successful passage of a strong statewide Complete Streets policy in the 2010 Minnesota legislative session.

On August 24, Coalition members and supporters are meeting to plan for this campaign. The Coalition will also be a part of many upcoming events that help foster more and safer travel options for Minnesotans. (See Get Involved)

If working toward these goals is important to you or your organization, we’d love to hear from you—whether by formally joining the effort or by helping let others know about us or upcoming events.

We’ll be updating these pages regularly as the work unfolds, new events are lined up, members join, and to share information about progress toward Complete Streets that’s being made in Minnesota and elsewhere.