MnDOT Seeks Public Comment on Statewide Bicycle System Plan

MnDOT is seeking public comment on the statewide bicycle system plan.

A draft of the plan is online for review. Interested persons may email comments on the plan to [email protected]. Comments may be submitted through Nov. 16.

The plan represents the agency's vision and goal for bicycle transportation, implementation strategies and performance measures to evaluate progress toward achieving its vision. MnDOT developed the plan through consultation with the public, agency staff and partners at state, regional and local planning agencies.

More than 4,500 Minnesotans participated in nine statewide open houses and workshops last spring to help MnDOT identify and recommend routes, improve existing facilities in the bike system and more effectively address the needs of bicycle riders in Minnesota.

"We achieved one of the highest levels of participation recorded in a statewide planning initiative," said Tim Mitchell, MnDOT bicycle and pedestrian programs manager. "We learned that state bikeways create opportunities for inter-community travel across the state. We also learned that people value opportunities for local bicycle travel more than statewide bicycle travel."

He said that local and regional bicycling networks support trips within and around communities and in places where state highways overlap with a community's local network. MnDOT can improve the safety and comfort of bicycling conditions by investing in infrastructure on or across the state highway.

"MnDOT's stakeholders strongly expressed preference for separated bicycle facilities. These can take the form of shared use paths or bikeways on the road that are separated from motor vehicle traffic by a physical barrier such as curbs, flexible posts, parked cars or planters," Mitchell said. "This plan will help us move forward to address bicycling needs in the state."