After nearly six months, BikeMN has completed our latest, and most forward-thinking strategic plan. This plan will guide us through 2026. It builds on more than a decade of successful growth in advocacy, education, and engagement. Check out the full plan here or find out about the process and some highlights below.
In June, we shared our brand new mission and vision, which provided direction for the rest of the plan. These statements, and our entire plan, began by listening to dozens of stakeholders through interviews and surveys. BikeMN’s commitment to anti-racism and equity heavily influenced this process to ensure there was representation from BIPOC stakeholders, across gender identifies, and stakeholders for whom BikeMN has not focused engagement efforts but who ride bikes out of necessity. We also used traditional metrics to balance a range of ages and geographies across Minnesota to round out this feedback evaluation.
What’s new?? Lots! But, here are some of the things we’re excited about:
A new BIG vision: Vision statements are limited, but our working group was not. These statements paint the picture of a future BikeMN wants to get to with our work.
- All people experience safety: traffic safety, freedom from community violence, enforcement strategies that are equitable and support walking, biking, and rolling.
- The culture of getting around values walking, bicycling, rolling, and riding transit by default and instead of defaulting to cars.
- People of color, especially Black and Indigenous communities, have access to vital daily movement.
- BIPOC communities have the tools, voice, and support to advocate for better bike and walk policies and infrastructure.
- Rural, urban, and suburban communities thrive due to connected routes that support all ages and abilities.
- Biking and walking are a critical climate mitigation strategy to sustain a healthy planet and community.
A New Focus Area: Community Engagement: BikeMN has been doing community engagement for more than a decade with our bike friendly and safe routes work. We wanted to double down the importance of engaging community as well as focus on building new partnerships that move our work towards racial, gender, and environmental justice.
Focused Education: Education has been at the core of BikeMN’s work since the beginning, but our plans this time are truly working towards a comprehensive system approach this time from training teachers, to teaching people to ride for the first time to reaching motorists, and especially working to have more POC and multilingual instructors- we are going to really move the education needle in the next five years!
A campaign to change driving culture: Consensus from our working group and staff are that BikeMN has done a great job making biking (and walking) easier. But the limits of making an impact on the health of people and the planet mean that we need to change the narrative around driving culture. Over the next five years, we’ll be working to develop a base of support and implement an ongoing strategic campaign focused on biking and walking more, and driving less.
Special thanks to our working group comprised of staff, board, and partner stakeholders for all of their time, effort, and expertise in carrying this plan to the finish line:
Board:
- Steph Jacobs, Chair
- Bill Dooley
- Veronica Jaralambides
- Shawna Mullen
- Tom Steen
Partner Stakeholders:
- Matthew Dyrdahl
- Kate Matusinec
- Emily Smoak
- Anthony Taylor
Staff:
- Dorian Grilley
- Nick Mason
- Maya Sheikh
Big thanks to Jill Chamberlain, who facilitated our working group meetings and supported our process!
Have any feedback for us? Leave a comment below or email us at info@bikemn.org