Since 1991, Move Minneapolis Transportation Management Organization (TMO) has promoted sustainable transportation – mass transit, carpooling, car-sharing, biking and walking – through outreach and education that targets downtown Minneapolis workers, residents, and visitors.     
Move Minneapolis - Newsletter 
Friday, Sept. 21st is World Car-Free Day
Park Your Car Keys on the Kitchen Table and Enjoy the Commute on Car-Free Day!

Get in the car, drive to work, find a parking space, drive home - that's the daily drill for many commuters in our region. While the idea of avoiding the expense, congestion headaches, and sheer time sink of car commuting is tempting, the reality is most of us have to get to our jobs. 

Friday, September 21st is the annual chance to envision - and hopefully practice - what it would be like to commute in cheaper, more productive, less polluting, healthier and more entertaining ways. It’s World Car-Free Day!

Car-Free Day is an international event that offers an opportunity to try alternatives to automobiles. On just one day, instead of driving alone we can get a little exercise by biking or walking, experience a chauffeured transit trip, or even work from home. 

Or we can go “car-lite” by driving to a Park and Ride lot and then hopping a bus or train, or by eliminating at least one car from the road by carpooling.

By trying a new transportation mode for one day – Car-Free Day – we may find that it works for us, and perhaps we can integrate it into our lives once or twice a week, or even every day.

Move Minneapolis is here to help you do just that!

"Choosing a new way to get to work opens up a whole new world for commuters," said Mary Morse Marti, Move Minneapolis's executive director. "It may seem intimidating at first, but once you learn where your bus stops, how to buy a transit pass, what to wear on your bike, or who to join for a carpool to work, the savings and health benefits of staying out of your car start piling up."
Y our downtown company can also get on board with World Car-Free Day’s Best Workplaces for Car-Free Commuters competition. Last year's winning employer had 70% employee participation. Because the competition is based on percentage of employees all work teams can aim to win, no matter the size of the company. Move Minneapolis will deliver a participation kit to employers including everything needed for a successful company event. Have your HR rep or communications manager contact  Liz Dailey .

Downtown Minneapolis commuters will celebrate World Car-Free Day on Friday September 21 with a lunchtime party on Nicollet Mall.

Commuters who share their car-free transportation story will be entered to win a "Townie" bicycle.
The Powerhouse Has Retired
If one could harness the energy of Bill Andre, it would power this city…and then some. Bill announced last month that he’s retiring from his Outreach Manager position at Move Minneapolis. The ever-caffeinated voice that presided over 165 downtown events annually is now being reserved for “grandpa” duties when playing with his three grandkids.

Bill Andre, who came to Move Minneapolis seven years ago from Metro Transit, was known as the city’s transportation ambassador. He seemed to know everybody and was happy to share his deep knowledge of sustainable commuting – something he lived by. Bill always went the extra mile to take care of his long list of clients, taking time to get to know each one of them. He never failed with a big smile and a quick joke. Congratulations, Bill, and best wishes in retirement! 
Here's How Katie & Nicholas Roll
What is it like when your carpool partner is also your life partner? Katie and Nicholas, the soon-to-be newlyweds, have been carpooling since April when Nicholas got a new job downtown at MCG Energy Solutions. As Katie also works downtown for Thrivent Financial, carpooling together makes total sense for them.
 
During morning rush hour, the couple take the I-394 MnPASS lane to zoom past the gridlock, and and they park in Ramp A for only $20 per month . Commuting together allows for decompressing, catching up on their day, and listening to MPR or hip-hop. Katie added that they like to take the skyway though, "Nicholas does have a Ramp & Ride card too (to ride transit for free in the downtown zone).“ 
 
While they carpool most days, the couple is multi-modal. Go-To bus passes are a back-up if one of them needs to leave early or stay late. The Plymouth Metrolink express bus runs near their home in the community of Medicine Lake. Katie occasionally bikes to work, and values her employer’s commitment to biking - including a new ZAP reader. Nicholas is a seasoned bicycle commuter on the Luce Line where he’s biked in previous years. The future is bright for this happy couple who use their commuting as their connecting time.  
$20 Per Month Carpool Parking - Construction Special
Because construction congestion is making commuting more challenging, a special $20 per month parking rate is extended to carpoolers in the South Metro to drivers affected by the 35W@94 project. This expanded area includes South Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington, parts of Eagan and more. Carpooling reduces the number of vehicles on the road during the rush hours. The special rate program for Ramp A is during the construction season and will be reviewed for renewal in October.

As part of the registration process, new carpoolers are asked to use one of several designated routes into downtown (see link for details). Carpooling is a fast, easy and inexpensive way to commute.
Downtown Construction Update
While most of the attention is focused on the 35W@94 project, preparation work has started on the 8th Street Reconstruction Project, led by the City of Minneapolis Public Works. 8 th Street in downtown will be reconstructed between Hennepin Ave to Chicago Ave starting early in 2019. The “building front to building front” reconstruction project will improve flow and safety for pedestrian, transit and vehicle traffic. 

Work on replacing utilities has already begun. Here’s what to expect:

  • During construction, there will be an increase in traffic congestion, noise, vibration, and dust in work areas.
  • Lane restriction, intersection reduction, parking restriction, limited pedestrian access will occur in work areas as utility is being completed. Anticipate one lane of traffic open weekdays between (9 AM and 3 PM) and two lanes open during weekday rush hours (5 AM – 9 AM and 3 PM – 6 PM).
  • Bus services on 8th Street will remain in 2018, however, temporary bus stop closures are anticipated. 

Stay connected and sign-up for project updates!
Downtown employers vie for "Best Workplace for Car-Free Commuters" awards by encouraging staff to commute sustainably on World Car-Free Day...and beyond.
Move Minneapolis provides downtown employers with tools and transportation coaching on; transit, carpooling, car-sharing, biking, walking and telework. Enjoy coffee and cookies to boot! A win all around.

This coffee break a primer to get your staff excited for World Car-Free Day, celebrated in Minneapolis on Friday, 21 September 2018! 
New ZAP reader in downtown Minneapolis!
 
Downtown Minneapolis has a new ZAP reader at Thrivent Financial. Thanks to Thrivent for their support of bicycle commuting for their employees and all Twin Cities ZAPPERS. You can find the new reader in between their building and parking lot (now a construction site), between 4th and 5th Ave South. The reader is mounted onto the building under the skyway, look for the antenna pointing out.
   Open Streets 2018 - @ A Neighborhood Near You


Still plenty of summer left for Open Streets - where streets are temporarily transformed into car-free zones to allow residents to experience streets in a whole new way, bike, skateboard, roller skate, dance, pogo-stick or cartwheel.  Open Streets Minneapolis  has five more events planned for the 2018 season. 

Explore miles of safe, car-free streets so that residents of all ages can run, play, walk, ride, and get to know one another in a fun, safe atmosphere.

Sponsored by: Our Streets Mpls  And of course, it's free!

  • Open Streets Northeast: Sunday, August 5th, 11am - 5pm, Northeast: 13th from 2nd to 5th / 5th from 13th to 22nd & 22nd from 5th to Central / Central from Lowry to 18th

  • Open Streets Franklin: Sunday, August 26th, 11am - 5pm, Franklin: Between Portland & 28th

  • Open Streets W Broadway: Saturday, September 15th, 11am - 5pm, Broadway: Between Lyndale & Penn Ave N

  • Open Streets Nicollet: Sunday, September 23rd,11am - 5pm, Nicollet: Between Lake & 46th Ave S

  • Open Streets University of Minnesota, Sunday, September 30, 11am - 5pm, 14th Ave SE, University Ave SE - Oak St. SE

CATCH A FREE RIDE TO DOWNTOWN OPEN STREETS! 
Move Minneapolis is made possible 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, and the downtown community.