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Like everyone else in Washington, D.C., bicycle and pedestrian advocates expected a Republican surge in last week’s midterm elections. We knew a conservative Congress would have major implications for the next federal transportation bill. We were bracing ourselves for new faces and fresh challenges on Capitol Hill.

What we were not expecting was the loss of one of our most dependable and powerful champions — Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar.

Oberstar was elected to Congress in 1974, and, since his very first term, served on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. For three decades, the Minnesota Democrat pushed to get bicyclists and pedestrians recognized and treated as “intended users” of our public roads. In the last wave election in 2006, when Democrats took control of the House, Oberstar was elected chairman of the transportation committee. A few months after he claimed leadership, he told a crowd at the National Bike Summit: “We’re going to convert America from the hydrocarbon economy to the carbohydrate economy.”

Well, now we’ll have to do it without him. In a race decided by a mere 4,000 votes, Oberstar lost his reelection bid to Republican Chip Cravaak.

Jonathan Maus, reporter and editor of BikePortland.org, might have summed it up best. “Oberstar’s loss signals the end of an era for America’s bicycle movement,” he wrote. “[He] was a titan of non-motorized transportation.”

Andy Clarke, over at the League of American Bicyclists, outlined the Congressman’s key role in a variety of bike-ped victories. “Over the past 20 years, you can trace many of the gains we’ve made straight back to the desk of Jim Oberstar,” Clarke wrote. “Broad eligibility for transportation funds, the Safe Routes to School Program, state bicycle coordinator positions, the requirement to plan for bicyclists at the state and regional level, the non-motorized pilot projects — all started with him.”

Oberstar wasn’t out of bold, new ideas, either.

Last year, the Minnesota Democrat released the House transportation committee’s first stab at our nation’s next — and already overdue — federal transportation bill. The bill roundly criticized our over-reliance on automobiles. It established an Office of Livability, which would study cyclists’ rights and dramatically expand research on biking and walking. The bill also gave significant support to the creation of a U.S. Bicycle Route System.

Unfortunately, we won’t have Oberstar advancing such progressive and needed ideas when Congress tackles transportation reauthorization next year.

In his concession speech, the 18-term Congressman spoke at length about his transportation legacy, giving equal attention and pride to improvements and projects for cyclists and pedestrians as he did major bridge and highway projects.

“The Lake Walk in Duluth will survive long after my service,” Oberstar said. “People will be walking and biking and enjoying a better quality of life… The extension of the Sunrise Prairie Trail will link Canada and the Twin Cities with a continuous bicycle facility that will be the envy of the nation… The Paul Bunyan Trail, for which I have great affection, when we first started promoting it had 40,000 users. Last year, it had 650,000 users and was an engine of economic growth and stability.”

His legacy extends far beyond the borders of Minnesota. It’s not just the hundreds of thousands of people who bike and walk the Paul Bunyan who are flooding his inbox with their gratitude. Oberstar is — and should be — getting thank-you notes from every corner of the country.

Deb Hubsmith, the executive director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, was among the first to write an open letter to Oberstar last week. “Through your 36 years of inspired leadership as a Congressman, you reformed the transportation system to make it multi-modal, institutionalized walking and bicycling within state Departments of Transportation, and ensured that the safety of children on the trip to and from school is a priority for transportation planning and construction,” Hubsmith wrote. “Thanks to your leadership, foresight and hard work, many thousands of schools and communities across the country are now making it safer for children to walk and bicycle to and from school, and in everyday life.”

Caron Whitaker, at America Bikes, hopes many bicycle and pedestrian organizations follow Hubsmith’s lead. “[Oberstar] was a bulldog on our issues and in a position to push for us with leadership,” she wrote last week. “We should consider how to thank him.”

Please take a moment this week to send the Congressman a note on behalf of you or your organization — .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Another, and perhaps even more important, way to thank Oberstar, though, is to start building on his legacy. To do that in a difficult and divided political climate, we need to start mobilizing at the local and state level to educate our newly elected U.S. Senators and Representatives. “We want to make sure these new members of Congress are aware that there is a well-organized constituency for bicycling and walking in their district/state,” Whitaker suggested. “They may not have formed their positions on transportation yet; now is a good time to introduce them to our issues.” So, reach out to your Congress member and set up a meeting before they head to Washington.

At his press conference, Oberstar said he’ll find a way to continue his service to the American people, though it won’t be from Capitol Hill. “There will be opportunities for public service,” he said. “I’ll reflect for awhile and look for something in the public arena.”

Clarke, for one, hopes the Congressman saves room in his schedule to take advantage of the fruit of his labors; set aside some time to cruise the Prairie Sunrise or Paul Bunyan trails he worked so hard to fund and promote. “If anyone deserves to enjoy the simple pleasure of a bike ride,” Clarke wrote, “it’s Jim Oberstar.”

Photo: Congressman Jim Oberstar

When a federal judge ruled that Canadian Pacific Railway had no obligation to give up land for the St. Paul Greenway, the trail easily could have been declared dead. But local advocates aren’t letting the ambitious plan flat line just yet.

Late last month, St. Paul Smart Trips packed a gymnasium for a visioning session that breathed new life into the Greenway concept — an off-road path for cyclists and pedestrians that would connect the Twin Cities.

The air buzzed with energy and excitement as a crowd of more than 120 listened to presentations from Laura Baum, Smart Trip’s residential outreach specialist, and then broke off into smaller groups to get their vision down on paper.

Baum says the participation sent a loud and clear message that residents want the greenway built, no matter how long it takes. And Smart Trips is taking the mantle to make sure it happens.

“They encouraged us to keep at it and continue to build support for the project,” she says. “The legal setback was certainly a disappointment, but we’re energized by the enthusiasm we continue to hear from people and plan to keep working to get a world-class biking and walking facility built in this corridor.”

With just one meeting Smart Trips added another 50 signatures to its petition and rallied residents for monthly meetings to maintain the momentum.

Read more from Smart Trips about the Greenway project.

In 2009, Dorian Grilley never would have put the small, upstart Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota in the same sentence as a corporate powerhouse like Blue Cross Blue Shield.

But just last month, the two organizations were sharing a press release and celebrating a mutual victory.

Last year, Grilley (pictured right) and another board member from the fledgling Minnesota nonprofit traveled to Denver to attend an Alliance Winning Campaigns Training. One hot campaign that the two considered was complete streets legislation; a bill that would ensure that DOT officials provide safe and accessible accommodations for all citizens, including bicyclists and pedestrians, in future road projects. “We spent a fair amount of time evaluating our capacity and, as a new organization, we really didn’t feel we had the capacity to take on complete streets all by ourselves,” Grilley said.

They didn’t have to.

In an effort to create safer, more active communities, Blue Cross Blue Shield, a major health insurance company, had dedicated itself to the passage of a state complete streets policy. Along with the AARP and other experienced environmental organizations, BCBS gave the new Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition a huge microphone. But they had a hole in their base of support.

“They realized that bicyclists could add significantly to the building of the coalition,” Grilley said. So the Bicycle Alliance ED joined the Coalition steering committee and, with 65 organizations making the case for complete streets, the Minnesota legislature took notice. Both chambers passed a measure that requires the Mn/DOT consider community needs and all likely users in planning future road projects. Last month, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the bill into law.

Kathy Mock, senior vice president for public affairs at Blue Cross, applauded the passage in the Coalition’s press release. “This is smart policy because it provides benefits on so many levels: safety, health, clean transportation choices, and makes transportation dollars stretch farther,” she said
. “
Blue Cross actively supported this effort because making it easier for people to get around on foot or by bike is a great way to encourage more physical activity and thereby improve overall health.”

It boosted the credibility — and pride — of the Bicycle Alliance, as well. Grilley said he was proud the group helped assemble and lead the successful campaign: “It ended up being a great relationship builder for a new, bike nonprofit organization and it really helped grow our membership.”

They’ll need that clout to continue the complete streets push.

“Our work has just begun, because the legislation applies only to state-funded roads,” Grilley said. “We will participate in Mn/DOT’s complete streets implementation committee. But, perhaps more importantly, BikeMN staff and members will need to continue our work of encouraging local units of government to adopt and implement complete streets policies.”

Read about other successful efforts in the Alliance’s recently released Guide to Complete Streets Campaigns, or learn more about the Bicycle Alliance and Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition. 

St. Paul Smart Trips held its second annual Transportation Summit on March 3. According to the organization, “Over 100 representatives of St. Paul workplaces and neighborhoods attended the two hour networking and informational event. Speaker highlights included:

Councilmember Russ Stark spoke about how a new transportation committee will address all modes of transportation and provide a more cohesive perspective on the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, drivers, youth and the disabled.

Councilmember Melvin Carter spoke about the impacts of the three new Central Corridor light rail stations planned for the intersections of University Avenue at Western, Victoria and Hamline avenues.

Robin Caufman from the Central Corridor Project Office gave updates on the whole of the Central Corridor project including information about mitigating construction impacts on traffic and commerce.

Bruce Howard gave an overview of Metro Transit’s plans for the year including a sneak peak at a new website feature that allows users to track bus locations in real-time on a map.

Karri Plowman from the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce / OnBoard Midwest spoke to the benefits of high speed rail and the Union Depot project.”

Learn more: Star Tribune article on the new transportation committee
View: Slides from the presentations (PDF 6.2mb)
View: Photos from the event
More on St. Paul Smart Trips

On Monday, February 8th, the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota and other members of the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition celebrated the introduction of the “Complete Streets” bill, (SF 2461/HF 2801) in the Minnesota legislature. Upon introduction, the bill had widespread support from environment, health, and transportation advocates throughout the state as well as bipartisan support in both legislative bodies.  Following the example of 18 states and more than 100 communities, the legislation aims to make Minnesota roads safer and more accessible for those who utilize all forms of transportation including transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians. A statewide poll by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership found that 73 percent of Minnesotans back the mission of the legislation, which would ultimately create policies that make the state’s roadways safer for all, especially the young and old.

For more information on the legislation visit :
http://www.bikemn.org/news_detail.cfm?id=783DB9CD-FCE9-45B4-B1B2-D80AAA96BFAB
or http://www.mncompletestreets.org/

On January 25, BikeMN attended a key US DOT listening session on Surface Transportation Reauthorization with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Congressman Jim Oberstar in Minneapolis. Dorian Grilley, Executive Director of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN), made a statement on the organization’s behalf about inconsistent spending of 402-safety money on bike/ped issues and the importance of establishing performance measures for bike/ped safety similar to those measures for motorized modes of transportation.

Taking this opportunity to highlight their issues, the MN Complete Streets steering committee also met with Barbara McCann, Executive Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition for breakfast, and the organization co-sponsored a forum for the candidates for governor, bringing 11 candidates and plenty of bike/ped advocates.

For more information on BikeMN, please visit:
http://www.bikemn.org/index.cfm

On December 9, St. Paul Smart Trips launched a campaign with the city of Saint Paul to educate renters and property owners about the rules for sidewalk snow removal.

Timed with the first major snow storm in the Twin Cities, residents were encouraged to pick up informational door hangers at local distribution points and to leave them at problem properties in their neighborhoods.

The campaign will run throughout the winter with the goal of ensuring safer and more accessible sidewalks for all users, with particular regard to transit-riders, those with disabilities and the elderly.

The door hangers and more campaign details can be viewed at http://www.smart-trips.org/sidewalks.