You know that voting and contacting your legislators are two of the best ways to support cleaner transportation options like transit, biking, and walking. But have you ever thought about the power of voting with your feet?

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Great news for those interested in being able to safely walk and bike in their neighborhood! On May 15, Governor Pawlenty signed the transportation policy bill, which included a state Complete Streets policy. The new Complete Streets policy calls for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) to build roads with all people in mind--regardless of age or ability or whether traveling by car, foot, bus, or bike.

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With Target Field now open, how to get to a Twins game? At least for the half dozen regular season games that have been held to-date, the answer for many folk is to take transit. Hiawatha light rail and Northstar commuter rail both come directly to Target Field, and Metro Transit has added a special express bus route (Route 679) from stops along I-394 directly to the field.

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The Center for Neighborhood Technology recently released maps and a report of the Housing + Transportation Affordability Index for 337 metropolitan regions around the country. These easy-to-use maps show how much families pay for housing and transportation costs based on where they live.

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A new national poll released yesterday by Transportation for America shows that people are ready for a change in our transportation system:

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Last night, the Hennepin County board unanimously passed a Complete Streets policy (pdf) that "will enhance safety, mobility, accessibility and convenience for all corridor users including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, commercial and emergency vehicles, and for people of all ages and abilities by planning, designing, operating, and maintaining a network of Complete Streets." Hennepin County joins the City of Rochester as the first two jurisdictions in Minnesota to pass explicit Complete Streets policies. St. Paul has also passed a Complete Streets resolution and will have a full policy in place by the end of the year.

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It has been just over 120 days since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) was signed into law. A big portion of the stimulus dollars went to transportation infrastructure with a focus on "ready-to-go" projects that could begin work quickly. Minnesota received about $600 million and had unprecedented flexibility to use the funds on many types of projects ranging from walking, biking, transit, rail, road repair, and more.

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Today, the Federal Railroad Administration released its "High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program Guidance," which will be used to determine the projects that are funded through nearly $8.1 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA or stimulus) and this year's appropriations.

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Last Thursday, the Minnesota Environmental Partnership hosted the first forum for the 2010 gubernatorial race, and transportation and land use were key issues in the discussion. Two gubernatorial candidates explicitly mentioned (and others echoed the sentiments) the need to finalize the Building Sensible Communities bill as an important part of simultaneously addressing global warming pollution and other quality of life issues such as air pollution, congestion, personal transportation costs, and dwindling open space.

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On Transit: Fresh Energy submitted comments to the Minnesota Department of Transportation last week about the agency's draft Greater Minnesota Transit Plan. We called for a clear policy to ensure basic transit access for all, and also suggested that the plan likely underestimates future needs for transit services.

On Rail: The Federal Rail Administration (FRA) is working out the process, criteria, and priorities it will use to award $8 billion in grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for high-speed rail projects. Minnesota has been collaborating with Wisconsin and, at a meeting with FRA in Chicago on June 1, the two states stressed the following key messages.

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