City leaders hope commuters will try transit, even if for just a day

It’s no secret, when it comes to commuting, the car rules.

On Wednesday, the nonprofit transportation management organization Move Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Public Works Department are teaming up for “Transit to Work Day.” The initiative is aimed at getting those who drive downtown to try non-automotive travel, even if it’s just for a day, said Alex Schieferdecker, Minneapolis’ bike and pedestrian coordinator.

“Transit in Minneapolis is getting faster and more reliable,” Schieferdecker said. “We want to raise the profile and awareness of transit, and encourage people to try or rediscover it.”

To entice commuters to leave their cars behind, Move Minneapolis is giving away a $2,000 bike certificate and other prizes to those who pledge to make one trip normally made alone by car and replace it with an alternative form of transportation. The trip must be made during September.

There also will be a party in Commons Park across from U.S. Bank Stadium from 4 to 6 p.m. featuring “Try It” tours. Guides will take the uninitiated on a light-rail trip, showing them where to board, how to pay fares and answer other questions.

Representatives from Metro Transit will be on hand. Downtown workers who live in the suburbs can get information about express service provided by SouthWest Transit and the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority.

Other events include hands-on opportunities to learn how to use bike racks affixed to city buses, and how to check out and ride shared e-bikes and scooters.

“Are we asking people to give up the car altogether? No,” said John Barobs, senior outreach manager with Move Minneapolis. “It’s about getting people to try a mode that maybe they are not familiar with. The more barriers there are to trying something, the less someone is willing to do it.”

Efforts like this are not new, but parties and prizes aside, organizers believe this is a good time to celebrate transit and get people to do their part to help reduce congestion and pollution and save on transportation costs.

They point to the growing network of rapid bus lines serving downtown (another one, the E Line, running from Southdale to the University of Minnesota will debut in December) providing faster and frequent all-day service, the expansion of bus-only lanes to speed buses along, new micro transit offering on-demand point-to-point rides and a well-used shared bike and scooter program. And with more workers returning to their offices, taking transit means “I don’t have to fight with traffic,” Barobs said.

Minneapolis wants to reduce the number of trips taken by solo car drivers by 20%. Currently people driving alone make up 40% of trips that start or end in Minneapolis, according to the latest city data released in the spring.

This marks the 10th year Move Minneapolis has used September to get people to ditch driving in favor of carpooling, biking, walking, taking public transportation or using carshare services such as Hourcar and Evie.