Our own home town of Minneapolis, MN has risen to the pinnacle of bike friendliness in the eyes of Bicycling magazine.  And with the blanket of snow finally gone (until next winter, we hope) we are definitely seeing more Minneapolitans feeling the love.

Rankings are determined by such factors as miles of bike paths, bike facilities and other  initiatives to encourage and support bicycling.

Congratulations, Minneapolis!

See the original feature on Bicycling Magazine’s web site

Read a report on the ranking from the StarTribune

From our friends at the The League of American Bicyclists… It’s great news for all of us and especially good for those who integrate transit with bicycling.

 The Federal Transit Administration has published a federal registry notice describing the eligibility of pedestrian and bicycle improvements for FTA funding and proposes a formal policy on the catchment area for pedestrians and bicyclists in relationship to public transportation stops and stations. The proposed policy would expand FTA funding eligibility for bicycle and pedestrian improvements beyond the current threshold distances of one-half mile for pedestrian projects and within three miles for bicycle improvements.

Read the notice and find out how to provide comments.

Bicyclists on the Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis

The 2008 Census American Community Survey results are out and more Americans are bicycling than ever.  There’s still much room for improvement, but between 2000-2008, commuting to work by bicycle in the US has increased 43%. That’s HUGE! Dero hometown, Minneapolis keeps it’s second place of major cities increasing 10% over 2007 to 4.3%. Portland made the large jump in percentage and number of riders with an increase from 3.9% to 6%. See more stats below and find out how your city did with the American Fact Finder.

NOTES: The ACS numbers are estimated by the Census bureau based on samples taken year-round. The numbers in the tables above are rounded, if you calculate the percentages based on the rounded numbers, you’ll get different values than are presented in the second table.

Nearly 250 people from Minnesota and around the country gathered in Winona, MN for the 2009 TCBC Weekend on Wheels/ League of American Bicyclists National Rally.  With river valleys, rolling hills, farmland, and great climbs, the routes provided spectacular riding. The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) provided volunteers at rest stops all weekend and helped in planning the Traffic Skills 101 class held on Friday. Saturday night, Winona was presented with five bike racks donated by Dero on behalf of BikeMN. “Winona is a community well on their way to becoming very bicycle friendly,” said Nick Mason of Dero, “bicycle parking is just one part of the plan.” BikeMN executive director, Dorian Grilley also shared his vision for bicycling in Minnesota. “Together we can give bikes a voice throughout our state and make more communities like Winona possible.”