Many people think of community clean up events as a traditional way to celebrate and participate in Earth Day (Friday, April 22^nd). Did you know that your travel mode can be another way to honor Earth Day? Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and by carpooling, biking, walking, rolling, scooting, and taking transit, you can reduce your impact on the environment on Earth Day and every day. Make this Earth Day special by trying a new mode or a combination of sustainable transportation options.

Check out the future of sustainable transportation by taking a free ride on one of Metro Transit’s electric buses - they’ll be running up and down Nicollet Mall from 10am to 2pm on April 22^nd. Try biking or walking to other Earth Day events, such as the North Loop Earth Day Cleanup on Saturday, April 23^rd. 

Did you miss our latest webinar on habits, mode choice, and transportation behavior change? Watch a replay here to learn about the science of habit formation, the importance of timing to behavior change, and how scientific principles can be used to encourage shifts to sustainable transportation.

Featuring behavioral transportation expert Jessica Roberts of Alta Planning + Design, with an introduction by Maria Wardoku, Senior Planner at Alta Planning + Design’s Minneapolis office. Many thanks to Jessica and Maria for providing their expertise!

As a sure sign of spring, shared rental bikes and scooters returned to Minneapolis this week. The City of Minneapolis signed a new contract for the year with Lyft, Lime and Spin to provide scooters, and Nice Ride, operated by Lyft, returns with their fleet of classic green bikes and e-bikes. The scooter and bike-share programs have been popular but needed some updates. The 2022 contract includes new rules to enhance accessibility and equity.

Affordability programs are a requirement by the operators as well as clearly defined parking locations, such as bike racks, docking stations and on-street parking corrals. Scooters cannot be driven on sidewalks, must be parked upright and locked to signposts or bike racks, and be kept clear of pedestrian right of ways.

Operators are required to provide educational programs for safe riding and proper parking behavior. Scooters and bicyclists, in turn, must follow state traffic laws. With a renewed focus on equity and safety, at least 30% of each operator's scooters are to be located within "equity distribution areas" in North and South Minneapolis. Meanwhile, no more than 40% of the scooters can be in downtown Minneapolis and downtown neighborhoods.

Look for new scooter options and more e-bike availability throughout Minneapolis. For multi-modal transportation options, look for operators at the 30 mobility hub locations in Minneapolis that connect transit and car-share with scooter and bike-share.

Five Open Streets events have been announced for the summer ahead in Minneapolis! Our Streets has collaborated with the City of Minneapolis to bring our city along the global movement to make streets places that put people first. At Open Streets events, which are some of the city's largest, you can expect to enjoy a safe street that is closed to cars. Each route has local vendors, organizations, artists, and more. Last year, you might have seen the Move Minneapolis team registering guests for Nice Ride For All.

Come tell us about your multimodal commute when you see us this year!

2022 Routes

Lyndale – June 5^th

Franklin – June 10^th

East Lake – August 13^th

West Broadway – September 10^th

Minnehaha – October 1^st

Despite the popularity reaching a peak attendance of 103,500, Our Streets Minneapolis has organized a decade of Open Streets events with $0 cost compensation from the City of Minneapolis. In 2022, the City of Minneapolis is proposing the creation of a new contract that seeks a contractor to organize future Open Streets Minneapolis events, again without compensation. Lack of monetary support creates equity barriers through the necessity of participation costs and limiting the event to well-resourced corridors. In pursuit of funding, 11 organizations signed-on to request budget amendments to fund Open Streets this year and into the future. Especially after Public Works delayed an expected April 14^th funding decision, now is a crucial time for decision makers to hear the value of Open Streets events that are fully accessible and equitable to all.

 May is Bike Month!

There will be a virtual mspWellness Champion Program Information session held on May 4, 2022. Click here to register.

Have questions about your carpool registration? Want to find the best way to commute sustainably to work? Looking for a direct and safe bike route into downtown? Move Minneapolis is there to help you find an easier, faster, more economical, and cleaner way to commute.

The Move Minneapolis in-person office hours are 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Tuesday – Thursday, or by appointment. Our hybrid hours provide service 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday. The Move staff stays in close contact working in the office or from home. What can we do for you?

Move Minneapolis offices with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber in the Young Quinlan Building at 81 South 9^th Street, Suite 200 (Skyway level), Minneapolis, MN 55402.

Support is provided by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant in partnership with the United States Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Council, the City of Minneapolis, MnDOT, Hennepin County, and the downtown community.