Bike To Work – With a Little Help from the DTA

Tote Your Bike on the DTA

Friday, May 20th is Twin Ports Bike to Work Day.  If you’ve stopped short of riding your bike around Duluth because of the prospect of riding back up it, the DTA (Duluth Transit Authority) can help with that.

 A growing trend

You’ve probably seen the DTA driving around the Twin Ports with bikes mounted to the front of its buses for a while now, but did you know the DTA has been providing that service to its riders since 1994?  In 2009, with input from local bike riders and sustainability groups, the DTA made the decision to keep the bike racks on their buses all year round, a move which has helped to increase the number of bikes the DTA transports yearly from 0.48% of its total passenger trips in 2006 to 0.72% in 2010.

Now, 0.72% may not seem like a big deal, but it represents nearly 23,000 bikes being bused around the Twin Ports on an annual basis, and that’s an impressive number when you consider the challenging terrain, inclement weather and unfriendly temperatures we often encounter around these parts!  Yet, it’s those very conditions which make DTA bike racks worth celebrating.

Best of all, your bike rides for free. Using a DTA bus to transport your bike doesn’t cost anything more than the price of your bus fare.  More information about routes, fares and schedules is available at the DTA website.

Options, Options, Options

We at the MIC are all about improving your transportations options here in Duluth and Superior.  If you’re looking for alternatives to high gas prices and driving your car, here are five choices for you to consider right now.  And you can add the DTA’s bus-mounted bike racks to your list of alternatives for local travel this season. 

Considering that May is National Bike Month, why not participate and use the DTA’s bus-mounted bike racks as a way to support your commute?

Who, Me, Bike to Work? Yes, You!

When is the last time you smelled the lake air during your morning commute?

Or pulled into the parking lot with a big smile on your face, pumped with endorphins and ideas? Or lost a few pounds just by traveling back and forth to work every day?

Likely never, if you slide behind the wheel of your vehicle each morning.

But what if one day you left the car in the driveway and rode a bike instead?

On Friday, May 20th, we invite you to ride your bike to work. To reward your commute, we’ll have a couple of bicycle stations open from 6:30 am to 8:30 am with

  • Coffee, water and refreshments
  • Bike mechanics to look at brakes, tire pressure and other safety checks
  • Advance copies of the new and improved Duluth-Superior Bike Map

The bike stations will be located at:

  • Lake Ave & Superior Street in Duluth (Minnesota Power Plaza)
  • Tower Ave & Belknap Street in Superior (City Center Park)

Give biking to work a try – for just one day. Stop by and say hello.

Driving Less is Green, Sassy and Good for You

A view from an awesome local bike commuter

Not to mention, much cheaper. With gas prices approaching $4 a gallon – here’s our top five suggestions for easing the pain at the pump.

1. Bike to Work
Biking as a transportation option—to get to work or to run errands—is low-tech, fun, healthy and easy on the environment. Check out the Minnesota Bike Commuter blog for some local inspiration and the Zen Habits blog for some attitude adjustment.

We’re also updating our Duluth-Superior Area Bike Map — stay tuned for the new one, due out in time for Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 20, 2011.

2. Walk
Walking to work is even simpler than biking. It’s a fabulous, no-tech way to stay healthy and save money on commuting costs. For the price of a decent pair of shoes, you can enjoy the natural beauty of this place that we love and reap numerous health benefits. It just takes a little planning to make it work for you.

Also, check out the Duluth Sidewalk Inventory the MIC will conduct during the summer of 2011, to improve the pedestrian environment around town.

Finally, check out the cool tools on the Walkscore.com website to map out your walking distance to restaurants, bars, parks, book stores, coffee shops and more.  Figure out what really is within walking distance, hills included.

3.  Get on the bus – for free.
Did you know the DTA began running its West Mainline express service again? During the I-35 construction season, people commuting into downtown from the West now have an opportunity to ride round-trip for free from now until October.

Check out this cool Google mapping application to find DTA routes and schedules for your destination.

4.  Drive partway
If you’re driving in from a distance, try parking at one of the DTA’s Park and Ride lots and ride a bus to work from there. There are three Park and Ride locations in Duluth and one in Cloquet to ride via LCS Coaches.  Parking is free and fares are reasonable.

5.  Trip chain
Remember when you got your chores done all at once so you could go out and play?  Trip chaining is the same idea. Here are some trip chaining facts to consider:

This is because emissions are highest when a vehicle is started “cold.” Starting a 5-mile trip when the engine is cold generates about 17% more nitrogen oxides and 50% more volatile organic compounds than the same trip when the car is started warm.

So pick your best option, and try something besides driving.  Tell us how it went!

Photo credit: MnBicycleCommuter

Guiding the Future of Transportation and Planning – With Your Input


We need your input to help us accomplish our mission: ”Guiding the Future of Transportation for the Twin Ports Area.” Our job is to think ahead and plan for ways that federally-funded infrastructure investments can improve the ways we travel around this area — not just on roads, but also on foot, by bike, and on the bus.

Part of what we do is to seek out and incorporate ideas and information from area residents, elected officials, planners and engineers from all local jurisdictions (city, county, state and township). With your input we can encourage good local policy decisions and put forward projects for federal transportation funding that will enhance livability and optimize the movement of people and goods within the Duluth and Superior metropolitan area.

That’s where this blog comes in. We’re looking forward to speaking with you about everything transportation-related going on in the Twin Ports. If you want to be alerted when we start posting content later this month, just drop your e-mail into the slot on the right that says “Want This Blog Via Email?”

And we’re already talking with you on Facebook.  To join us there, just click on the link here.http://www.facebook.com/dsmic

Bye for now.  Hope you’ll stay tuned and become part of the conversation.