Streets.mn Podcast

We took the opportunity at BikeMN's summit on capitol hill to chat with activists from across the state about cycling in their communities.

Episode Chapters 00:00 | Intro 00:46 | Alice Tibbetts, Duluth 15:46 | Ben Scheidel, Mankato 33:04 | The Parklet 34:23 | Glen Kajewski and Andy Miller, Thief River Falls 52:21 | Outro Attributions

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band, The Urban Hillbilly Quartet, on their website.

This episode was hosted and edited by Ian R Buck, and transcribed by Parker Seaman aka Strongthany. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the transcript on our website.

Kathy Lantry and Amy Brendmoen collectively spent three decades on Saint Paul City Council, each serving as Council President for part of that time. We get their insider perspective about the process of how policy gets made and budgets set, how things changed as more women joined the council, and what they wish they had more time to accomplish.

Attributions

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

This episode was produced by Sherry Johnson, edited by Parker Seaman aka Strongthany, and hosted and transcribed by Ian R Buck. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the full transcript on our website.

Spencer Miller-Johnson, Senior City Planner for the City of St. Paul, joins Sherry for a lively conversation about zoning and land use. Spencer helps us unpack a city report on its East Grand Avenue Overlay Study. He also shares about the city's planning philosophies, why he's passionate about form-based codes, and what keeps him up at night. Hear about how you can help guide potential zoning changes during the study's public comment period through March 29.

Links

• EGAOD Study Report
• The Study's Webpage, with Contact Information for Public Input
• Grand Avenue Special District Sign Plan
• 2021 Video Interview with Merritt Clapp-Smith about District 16's 2005 Plan & the history of the EGAOD
• Further listening: nerding out with street engineers about potholes
• Further listening: other rezoning efforts in Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Attributions

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

This episode was produced and transcribed by Sherry Johnson, and was edited and hosted by Ian R Buck. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the episode transcript on our website.

You may have noticed bus stops in the Twin Cities with signs naming someone who adopted them. That's right, Metro Transit now has an Adopt-a-stop program! They recently hosted an appreciation brunch, so we went and chatted with other adopters about how they're liking the program.

Links

• Find out if your local stop or shelter is getting upgrades
• Become a stop adopter
• Report issues with stops and facilities
• Safety and Security Action Plan
• We referenced the December 2022 fact sheet extensively
• Parklet: Crosswalk button cheat code

Attributions

Special thanks to Jeremiah Cox, the All Star behind Adopt-A-Stop at Metro Transit, General Manager Lesley Kandaras, every adopter that we chatted with for this episode and every future adopter that is listening right now.

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

This episode was produced by Stina Neel, edited and transcribed by Parker Seaman aka Strongthany, and hosted by Ian R Buck. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the full transcript on our website.

Building on the momentum from last year's historic Minnesota State legislative session, several organizations are bringing ambitious transportation and land use proposals to the table this year.

Links

• 2023 Legislative Wrap-up
• Neighbors for More Neighbors
• Streets.mn episode on Land Value Tax
• Rumble Strip episode about road maintenance
• Bike Walk Summit on Capitol Hill: March 14

Attributions

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

This episode was hosted, edited, and transcribed by Ian R Buck. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the full transcript on our website.

What to do with an urban highway that destroyed a community 60 years ago? ReConnect Rondo wants to put a land bridge over it.

Episode chapters, links 00:00 | Intro Streets.mn Podcast episode on urban highway removal 00:55 | Interview part 1 Rondo land bridge feasibility study 25:56 | The Parklet

• Streets.mn bonfire event
• Donate to Streets.mn

27:14 | Interview part 2

• Rondo land bridge health impact assessment
• Rondo land bridge prosperity study

48:59 | Find ReConnect Rondo online

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Instagram

51:33 | Outro Attributions

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

This episode was produced by Sherry Johnson, edited by Parker Seamon aka Strongthany, and transcribed by Ian R Buck. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the full transcript on our website.

How do you choose a neighborhood to move to? Ian and Tim took very different approaches, did they both end up in places they like? Listen in on their discussion, moderated by Sherry Johnson!

Episode chapters & links 00:00 | Intro 01:37 | Tell us about your move 06:22 | What drew you to that neighborhood? 09:42 | How do you move car-free? Ian moving a couch by bike trailer 14:10 | Spending time with friends and family 18:57 | What are you most enjoying in your new place? The Warm Showers episode that Ian's Mailwaukee Ave neighbor was on 21:41 | Parklet Roman Mars TED Talk about flag design CGP Grey grades state flags Minnesota sticker with the new flag oriented vertically Lazer loon lives on 30:12 | Any regrets? 35:21 | How has this move changed your life? 39:47 | What advice would you give? Ian's spreadsheet 50:59 | Pitch for your neighborhood 52:15 | Outro Attributions

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

This episode was produced and transcribed by Sherry Johnson, and was edited by Jeremy Winter. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the full transcript on our website.

This podcast episode comes to you in two parts: Side A: A photographer from Grand Marais previews an upcoming DNR touring route. Side B: The Streets.mn Podcast team looks back on our favorite episodes of 2023!

Episode chapters 00:00 | Intro 01:00 | The Border to Border Touring Route

• WTIP's episode
• Video: Bryan's gear
• Bryan's website

25:12 | Our favorite episodes of 2023

• Editor Jeremy Winter
• Rezoning for Complete Neighborhoods
• Essential Bike Accessories With Ian
• Moving to the Twin Cities With Car Free Midwest
• Producer Christina Neel: The 2023 BikeMN Legislative Agenda
• Editor Parker Seaman: Lessons Learned From the Nice Ride Era
• Producer Sherry Johnson
• Celebrating Dorian Grilley's 15 Years With BikeMN
• Legislative Session Wrap-up 2023
• Rezoning for Complete Neighborhoods
• Host Ian R Buck: Legislative Session Wrap-up 2023
• Crowd favorites
• The Future of Transit
• Moving to the Twin Cities With Car Free Midwest

42:34 | Outro Connect with us

• Discuss this episode on social media with the hashtag #StreetsMNPodcast
• Help make the show possible by making a donation or sponsoring the show!

Attributions

The piece about the Border-to-Border touring route was reported by Kalli Hawkins, and comes to us via WTIP; all rights reserved.

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

Show notes

The Border-to-Border Touring Route spans 750 miles, traversing northern Minnesota by utilizing pre-existing roadways, extending from the North Dakota border to the shores of Lake Superior.

The border-to-border project was initiated in 2015 and represents a collaborative undertaking involving the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota 4-Wheel Drive Association. In 2015, the legislature directed the Minnesota DNR to collaborate with the Minnesota 4-Wheel Drive Association to address off-road vehicle touring routes.

As the planning process and public listening sessions across northern Minnesota began, the DNR received mixed support and opposition about the proposed touring route from the public, county officials, and various environmental groups.

When first proposed, the Border-to-Border Touring Route was initially planned to end in Cook County. However, Cook County was dropped from the route after county officials and the public shared their reservations with the project planners about potential increased motorized traffic and environmental degradation, such as damage to trout streams, aquatic invasive species, and wetland concerns. The route now ends near Silver Bay in Lake County.

Despite the delays and Cook County's involvement, the nearly eight-year-long project is now entering the final stages of the route management plan.

As it nears completion, a Cook County resident and well-known photographer, Bryan Hansel, decided to pack his bags and venture out for a long-distance bikepacking trip in mid-October along the border-to-border route to experience it firsthand.

"So I knew I wanted to do a long bike trip this year," Hansel said. "There was a lot of controversy with it in Cook County. So I figured it just seemed like a good idea to go ride it and see what it was about."

Hansel planned his route using a biking program called Ride With GPS based on the preliminary border-to-border map on the DNR website. "And that loads into my bike computer, and then the bike computer gives me turn-by-turn navigation," he said.

He began his journey in the northwest corner of Minnesota and strategically mapped out 60-mile days based on available camping locations. As he pedaled along the gravel roads, he said his apprehension about the route faded. "What I found is that the DNR did a really good job of picking roads," he said. "I found that a really fun and exciting route."

"I always imagined it was more of this off-road vehicle type of route. And there's all but maybe four of five miles that I would have taken my Subaru Outback on with no problem," Hansel said. "It was like solid good, graded county roads like you'd expect to see in Cook County."

Along the way, Hansel tweaked his route to avoid paved roads and enjoy small detours to nearby parks, small towns, and other interesting northern Minnesota sights. One of his favorites was Big Bog State Recreation Area in Beltrami County. "I've always wanted to go and hike the trails there because it's one of the biggest bogs in the state," he said. "And that was beautiful." Another highlight of the trip, Hansel said, was the stretch between Blackduck and Silver Bay. "That was amazing. I would ride that all again in a second."

During his ten-day bikepacking adventure, Hansel completed 650 miles for a total riding time of 57 hours.

Although the route has yet to be officially finalized, Joe Unger, the off-highway program consultant at the Minnesota DNR, expressed enthusiasm over the news that several individuals, including Hansel, have already embarked on exploring the touring route. While several individuals have traversed the route on street-legal enduro bikes and in vehicles, to Unger's knowledge, Hansel is the first person to bikepack the route.

As the DNR prepares to wrap up the route management plan, it will enter a final 30-day public comment period later this winter. Unger said the route management plan addresses things such as "environmental considerations like stream crossings, wetlands, wildlife, and fisheries."

Then, come spring, the DNR intends to sign agreements with various road authorities, finalize maps, and put physical trail signs along the route.

Transcript

Find the full transcript on our website.

Hear what it's like to lead and run a bikeshare program with our guests, Melissa Summers and Alasdair McKernan. Formerly of our beloved Nice Ride, they now help run our car sharing program. Listen in as they share their wisdom about the logistics of bikeshare, the complications of the entities who run them, and advice for anyone who'd want to rebirth a Cities-wide option.

Links

• Dan Marshall's article
• Nice Ride Minnesota - Wikipedia
• Bicycle Share - City of Minneapolis (minneapolismn.gov)
• Shared Bikes | Saint Paul Minnesota (stpaul.gov)
• Despite Popularity, Bike Share Programs Often Need Subsidies - Stateline
• The fate of China's bike share boom (bbc.com)
• HOURCAR – Nonprofit Carsharing for Minnesota
• Discuss this episode on social media with the hashtag #StreetsMNPodcast
• Help make the show possible by making a donation or sponsoring the show!

Attributions

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

This episode was produced by Sherry Johnson with assistance from Christina Neel and Jeremy Winter. It was edited and transcribed by Ian R Buck. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the full transcript on our website.

Everything you want to know about potholes, but were too afraid to ask! How do they form? What can we do about them? We sit down with engineers Doug Fischer and Bev Farraher to chat about all that and more!

Connect with us

• Anatomy of a pothole video
• Doug's website: The Highway Doctor
• Spreadsheet comparing vehicle weights and damage to the street
• Neighborhood electric vehicle
• Article about vehicle weight damage

Attributions

Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet on their website.

This episode was edited by Jeremy Winter, and was transcribed and hosted by Ian R Buck. Guest acquisition was handled by Sherry Johnson, with production assistance from Christina Neel. We're always looking to feature new voices on the show, so if you have ideas for future episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

Transcript

Find the full transcript on our website.