IN the community.” ~Anthony Taylor of Slow Roll MSP.
Photo by Devon Young Cupery.
Joshua Houdek
After a two year pandemic hiatus, the Land Use and Transportation (LUT) Team brought back the popular annual Sierra Club Bike Tour this fall. On a brisk and beautiful September morning this event, now in its 25th year, highlighted the diverse neighborhoods of North Minneapolis and its backyard: the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
What made this event such a genuine and powerful experience was not the biking, or even the post-ride tacos (although both were fantastic), but rather the partnerships gained and the stories told by the people who live in and know the Northside. This year’s Bike Tour was led by Anthony Taylor and Slow Roll MSP, who guided us on roads less traveled to explore hidden gems of the neighborhood. As Taylor told StreetsMN in their recap of the event , “People who bike know the texture of the street in the community. That is why a bike tour connects perfectly with what we were learning about.”
The Bike Tour, like the LUT Team, focuses on the challenges and opportunities of equitable transportation planning. Our 15-mile ride included stops to highlight efforts including Bring Back 6th, the METRO Blue Line Extension, the new Great Northern Greenway, and the new Metro Transit Micro service. The LUT Team supports individuals and organizations working on these initiatives, while also leading other clean transportation initiatives such as transit advocacy and the equitable advancement of electric vehicles.
The LUT Team generally meets the first Monday of the month. Our current projects include:
- Fighting traffic-inducing highway expansions and advocating for fast, efficient Bus Rapid Transit on I-94 and Highway 252
- Extending the Midtown Greenway over the Mississippi River to connect Minneapolis and Saint Paul
- Defending the nation-leading Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan
- Increasing transit funding at the State Legislature
To learn more, go to https://www.sierraclub.org/minnesota/land-use-transportation and reach out to joshua.houdek@sierraclub.org
Joshua Houdek is senior program manager for Land Use and Transportation. He loves exploring the Twin Cities on two wheels.