Hennepin County officials say they’re planning a major revamp of the County Bike Plan and want help from residents.

Working with the Three Rivers Park District and local cities, the officials want to update the existing plan, first developed in 1997, to shape the vision and priorities for bicycling in the county.

The plan also will help determine preferences for bikeway types — bike lanes or trails. And it will look at barriers to biking, such as lack of bike lanes, hills and other factors.

Three Rivers Park District Board Chair John Gunyou said:

“The update of the county bike plan offers a great opportunity for people to help influence the future of biking in Hennepin County. I encourage people to take advantage of the ways they can share their feedback about where they like to bike and how biking in our communities can be even better.”

Here are the ways officials say you can have your voice heard on the matter:

  • Attend a public workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at St. Louis Park Rec Center, 3700 Monterey Drive, St. Louis Park.
  • Make comments on routes or destinations on the Hennepin County Bike Map WikiMap.
  • Fill out the Hennepin County Bike Plan survey.
  • Attend a community listening session where staff from Hennepin County, Three Rivers Park District will listen to input from many groups.

    The goal, they say, “is to gather input from routine bikers, recreational bikers, drivers, pedestrians and more to make sure that the plan reflects the needs and concerns of all persons using the county roads.”

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2 Comments

  1. Input

    As a bike commuter you can bet I’ll provide input for the plan one way or another. We need to pony up and spend a buck or two on bike infrastructure if we want to entice more people out of their cars.

  2. Like Todd, I’m going to pipe up, too, at this request…

    …for input at a time of reconsideration of a broad range of policies related to biking.

    Biking should no longer be regarded as a side issue in overall transportation policy, but rather as a fundamentally important mode of transportation in Hennepin County.

    The number of bikers is growing and will continue to grow further as the inexorable vise of gridlock closes in on commuters with the population growth of Hennepin County.

    Bikes are a very important part of the solution. Biking gets cars off the road, making driving more tolerable for those who stay in their cars. For this reason alone, auto users should consider advocating reasonable accommodations for bicyclists.

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