Camden is a great community. It’s filled with people who care about the future of their community, and its residents are well-known for working together to make the neighborhood even stronger.
Camden is achieving great things. It can also achieve small victories…like a bike rack in front of a school, a neighborhood commercial hub or a recreation center.
A bike rack can be just a place to park a bicycle. It can also be the symbol of something much bigger: a neighborhood commitment to providing convenient, healthy and affordable ways to get around.
Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) is a local nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of life in Minnesota communities through a transportation system that encourages transit, walking, biking and transit-oriented development. In 2005, Congress designated Transit for Livable Communities as the administrators of a $21.5 million federal initiative to increase walking and bicycling in the Minneapolis area.
The Board of Directors for Transit for Livable Communities recently allocated $200,000 to the City of Minneapolis to install more than 1,000 bike racks at schools, recreation centers, transit stops, and other gathering places. It also designated $150,000 toward the cost of developing the city’s first pedestrian plan, which will identify strategies to make walking easier and safer in Minneapolis.
Recently, Transit for Livable Communities issued a request for applications for bicycle and pedestrian projects. Up to $7.3 million in funding will be competitively available to the City and the 14 communities and two agencies bordering the city.
The initiative has the potential to change how people get around. For Camden, this means that neighborhood residents have a strong incentive to talk to the city about bicycling and walking needs in the community. The City of Minneapolis will submit applications to Transit for Livable Communities which reflect what the city believes to be the highest bike/pedestrian priorities for the city.
The city can’t do this without your input; it wants to hear from communities like Camden to understand what the people need to make walking and bicycling safer and more convenient. They would also like to hear of places that need bike racks. To speak with someone in the bicycling/ pedestrian division of the City of Minneapolis, call 612-673-2335 and say that you have questions or ideas about the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program.
Transit for Livable Communities welcomes questions about the program; it values community input, which is why the organization is working with a 29 member advisory committee consisting of representatives from neighborhood organizations, non-profits, small businesses, citizen activists, elected officials, and agency partners. For info contact Steve Clark, Program Manager, at 651-767-0298 x119. For info on bicycling in Minneapolis visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles/.
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