While it appears that for now BEAST is one step ahead of the U. of MN in terms of bike-sharing, things might be changing soon. Check out this massive new project the university is embarking on!


peace,

joe

 



State-of-the-art U of M bike center and 1,000 bike sharing program receive Bike Walk Twin Cities federal grants

~ President Bruininks, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Lea Schuster of Transit for Livable Communities to speak at Tuesday announcement ~



When: 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 10

Where: Oak Street Parking Ramp, 401 Oak Street S.E., Minneapolis

Who: President Robert Bruininks and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak

Contacts: Ryan Maus, University News Service, (612) 624-1690, maus@umn.edu

Katie Eukel, Transit for Livable Communities, (651) 767-0298, Ext. 115

Cathy Kennedy, (612) 309-3951, cathryn@cathrynkennedy.com







Two innovative bicycling projects -- a new U of M Bike Center with a first-of-its-kind rider frequency program and a 1,000 bike sharing program in Minneapolis -- are among the more than $4 million worth of biking and walking improvements which will be announced by Tuesday by Bike Walk Twin Cities, a federally-funded initiative to increase biking and walking and reduce driving in Minneapolis and neighboring communities.



University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will be the featured speakers at a special announcement ceremony beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 10 at the site of the to-be-opened U of M Bike Center in the Oak Street Parking Ramp, 401 Oak Street S.E., Minneapolis. Lea Schuster, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities (TLC), will announce a total of six Bike Walk Twin Cities projects, including grants to St. Paul and Edina. TLC is the nonprofit organization designated by federal law to administer the $21 million Bike Walk Twin Cities initiative. Bruininks and Rybak will speak about how these biking innovations will help transform the U of M and the city of Minneapolis into more bike-friendly environments.



On display will be renderings of the state-of-the-art U of M Bike Center, a demonstration Bike Share security bike and more information on the U of M's pioneering "Radio Frequency ID" (RFID) technology. The RFID system, set to be implemented for the first time ever at the U of M, effectively solves the longstanding problem of bicycle commute trip validation.



Representatives from the City of Minneapolis and Nice Ride Minnesota, the nonprofit organization that will administer the Bike Share program featuring 1,000 bikes at 75 kiosks across the city, will be on site to provide more information.

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