Our program will help your community create an active transportation plan with help from a consultant. The goal is to help more people safely walk and bicycle to destinations where they live, work and play. Active transportation plans will:
Analyze existing conditions
Engage the community
Identify ways to improve infrastructure
Identify ways to encourage active transportation
How it works
We'll award up to $1 million worth of consultant support through the Active Transportation Program each year from 2024 through 2026.
Your community doesn't receive funding directly from MnDOT.
Your community receives help from a selected consultant. We don't require the community to provide matching funds.
The consultant provides monthly reports, and we review them to ensure progress on plans.
Email Will Wlizlo to set up a 15-minute informational call if you have questions about project eligibility.
Timing of planning assistance
Attend a informational webinar in October 2024
Submit application by Nov. 22, 2024
We'll announce awards in January 2025
Begin work in spring 2025
Expect to finish work by June 2026
Eligible groups
Cities
Special park districts
Counties
Federally recognized tribal nations
Regional development organizations
Metropolitan planning organizations
Nonprofit organizations and other groups (with letter of support from local government who will own the plan), including not-for-profit higher learning institutions.
Multiorganization collaborative applications are also welcome through this solicitation.
Please list the name of the organization applying for planning assistance and the application lead’s contact information. This person will be notified of final decisions and will be expected to communicate award announcements to the rest of the Active Transportation Program partners. The project lead will represent the planning team during project submission and will be invited to participate in development opportunities during the planning process. This section is not scored.
Multiorganization collaboration is not evaluated for this program. Scoring criteria do not take multiorganization collaboration into account.
Please provide name and population data for each community (or neighborhood if more applicable) that will be involved in the planning process. You will also be asked to provide the scope of the planning area (citywide, regional, tribal lands, etc.)
Lastly, applicants will be asked to summarize the scope and scale of their planning assistance request. (“A community-wide bicycle master plan,” or “Planning for walking and bicycling connections along and across county road 12345 through town,” for example.) This section is not scored.
A. Equity: Reaching Priority Populations (30 points)
MnDOT’s Active Transportation Program aims to achieve equitable outcomes by funding initiatives that prioritize communities who are more likely to rely on active transportation, are more vulnerable to unsafe traffic conditions, or have experienced historic disinvestment.
The Active Transportation Equity Score uses 15 indicators to identify locations in Minnesota that likely have a greater need for Active Transportation investment. The maximum score awarded to a hexagon in the analysis was 13 points. Points will be awarded to applicants proportionally compared to the maximum awarded score based on the applying community’s equity score.
Calculations of equity scores will be conducted by MnDOT Office of Transit and Active Transportation staff. The scores to be used can be viewed on MnDOT’s Active Transportation Equity Score Web App. This app allows viewers to preview scores throughout the state and develop an understanding of how scores will be calculated.
As an example, the table below shows scores and the percentage of the total area for a hypothetical application. OTAT Staff would calculate an area-weighted average to arrive at an overall score for the area in question. For this example, assume the applying area is 2.5 hexagon area units. The following table shows how the area-weighted average would be calculated.
Hexagon Score
Percentage of Total
Final Score
4
20%
0.8
5
20%
1
8
20%
1.6
9
40%
3.6
Total
100%
7
For corridor planning projects, the length of the corridor will be used in the weighted average calculation instead of area.
B. Narrative Response (15 Points)
Applicants will be asked to provide information about how the proposed plan will address equity in any way that would not be readily identified by the Active Transportation Equity Tool. This could include finding ways to mitigate barriers within the community, provide broader access to a community resource, address historic disinvestment, or invest in communities that have been historically marginalized. The best answers will describe specific locally relevant priority populations and how those groups will be included in the project. Priority populations include people of color, children and youth, Native American populations, people with low incomes, small rural communities, older adults, and people with disabilities. More information about MnDOT’s approach to transportation equity can be found in the Advancing Transportation Equity Initiative.
A. Please use this section to describe the unique barriers and needs your community, tribe, city, or county have that makes walking and biking challenging for people. Describe how this planning process will engage the community and key stakeholders to identify policy, systems and built environment changes to improve walking and biking conditions for all. (15 points)
B. MnDOT adopted a target to reduce vehicle miles traveled, or VMT, by 14% statewide and per capita by 2040. Describe how this planning process will help convert trips to active travel modes in your community. Applicants might consider improving access to destinations, reducing travel distances between locations via nonmotorized modes, complementing land use policies, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or other outcomes in the answer. (10 points)
C. Describe how this plan fits into and/or supports larger community goals. Applicants might consider comprehensive planning efforts, city/county/tribal transportation plans, local public health initiatives, school district wellness policies, traffic safety goals, complete streets policies and active living plans in the answer. (5 points)
D. Please describe challenges or possibilities in your community related to implementing a demonstration project or engineering-based technical assistance that will be provided as a part of the planning process. (Selected communities will have the opportunity to implement a demonstration project, conduct a cost scoping estimate, or receive an engineering sketch or data evaluation related to a part of the Active Transportation Action Plan as it develops.) Applicants may describe potential demonstration project locations, previous resident feedback, local initiatives, community engagement, or other conditions that may impact this sub-project in any way. (5 points)
A robust, well rounded and engaged Active Transportation Program team is critical for the successful development and implementation of an Active Transportation Program Plan. The applicant should aim to demonstrate individual commitment to the team from a variety of sectors.
A. Please provide a team leader who will co-lead the planning process with the statewide consultant and assist with organizing meetings, local engagement, and tracking progress on the plan.
B. Please provide the Active Transportation Program with the following information in the question A table:
Provide names and/or titles of active/committed team members
Provide their role on the team and how they will contribute to plan development and implementation. Examples of roles may include team lead, city planning support, community outreach, etc. Consider the skills, knowledge or connections that could be valuable for during the planning process that is unique to each of these individuals. More ideas on how various team members can contribute to an Active Transportation Program team.
A. If there are any plans, policies, or construction that would positively or adversely affect the progress of Active Transportation Program work in your community, please describe them and provide relevant links to supporting documentation. This question is not scored. Types of plans, policies, or projects may include but are not limited to:
Pedestrian Master Plan
Bicycle Master Plan
Safe Routes to School Comprehensive Plan
Complete Streets policy
Community development or comprehensive plan
Capital improvement plan or CIP
Corridor study or engineering study
Historic district designations or other land use ordinances
Infrastructure improvements for walking and biking
Teaching Walk! Bike! Fun! curriculum or components of the curriculum
Bike Libraries or bike share programs
Community engagement related to walking and biking
C. What is your team’s vision for a successfully implemented Active Transportation Action Plan? In other words, what is the best outcome that you can imagine from a completed plan? What do you plan to accomplish after the planning process? Please consider including who will be involved and by when in your implementation. (10 points)
Attach the following unique letters of support:
City staff, City administrator, or Tribal Council letter of support from each community that will be covered in the plan and/or a County official letter if this will be a County or Regional level plan.
Letter of support from the local partner (Pedestrian/Bicycle group, Local Public Health, SRTS or TZD committee, etc.)
Affidavit of Noncollusion
Conflict of Interest Checklist and Disclosure Form
Deadline: Submit through the online form by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
After you apply
Initial review
We'll screen applications to ensure that they meet the following requirements:
Submitted by the deadline
Complete
Meet eligibility requirements
Classification by community population
Program administrators will group applicants by Legislative City designations (PDF) to accurately compare similar communities in lieu of dividing applicants by Metro and Greater Minnesota:
First class: More than 100,000
Second class: Between 20,001 and 100,000
Third class: Between 10,001 and 20,000
Fourth class: 10,000 or fewer
We'll assign counties to a class based on their population.
We'll assign the class of joint applications based on the largest applicant's population.
Committee evaluation
Review committees include internal MnDOT staff and partner agencies.
These sections are reviewed by the selection committee but not scored.
The community information sheets will be ranked by the committee on the following criteria:
A) Equity Score to prioritize resources towards marginalized populations and communities (30 points)
The number of points received for the equity score are a weighted average of the application’s subject area as a percentage multiplied by the number of points available.
A community scoring 7 out of 13 would receive a score of:
(7/13) x 30 = 16 (with any rounding to the nearest whole point). In this example, the application would score 16 points for this section.
B) Narrative response to how the potential plan would advance equity (15 points)
0-5 Points: Application does not or minimally describes how a planning process will improve equitable outcomes for locally relevant priority populations. Does not include a statement of why transportation equity is important to the community.
6-10 Points: Application identifies some potential opportunities to advance transportation equity within the planning area. Examples may lack specificity or development. Locally relevant priority populations are mentioned, but participation in the planning process is limited. Includes a statement of why transportation equity is important to the community.
11-15 Points: Specific, detailed opportunities to advance transportation equity are identified. Locally relevant priority populations are included in the planning process and are expected to have decision-making power. Includes a compelling statement of why transportation equity is important to the community.
A) Description of need and use of plan, and potential to get more people walking and bicycling.
0-5 Points: Application does not have a clear sense of how this plan will advance walking and bicycling.
6-10 Points: Application identifies either need for the plan or potential to get people walking and bicycling, but not both.
11-15 Points: Application responds to multiple aspects of active transportation with an understanding of how the plan will move the community towards the stated goals.
B) Description of how plan will reduce vehicle miles traveled VMT in community.
0-5 Points: Application does not have a clear sense of how this plan will help convert trips to walking, bicycling, and other active modes; reduce VMT in the community; or increase access to active transportation in communities with lower rates of personal vehicle ownership.
6-10 Points: Application demonstrates how an Active Transportation Action Plan will reduce mode share of single-occupant automobiles; increase mode share of walking, bicycling, and other active modes; or increase access to active transportation in communities with lower rates of personal vehicle ownership.
C) How does this plan fit into community goals?
0-5 Points: The successful applicant will clearly describe how the Active Transportation Program fits into their community goals.
D) Description of barriers and opportunities related to engineering-based technical assistance sub-project.
0-3 Points:Application will identify a barrier OR opportunity related to the engineering-based technical assistance sub-project.
4-5 Points: Applicant will describe barriers AND opportunities related to the engineering-based technical assistance sub-project.
Active Transportation Team members and roles (20 Points)
0-9 Points: Most of the team is missing or is not yet identified
10-12 Points: There is a good mix of team members, could use more support
13-17 Points: There is a good mix of team members and necessary partners are involved with clear and unique roles, however a locally relevant priority population ambassador is not identified.
18-20 Points: There is a good mix of team members, all necessary partners are involved, and a locally relevant priority population ambassador is identified. Top scoring applications will identify a specific engagement strategy or objective in the contribution column for the priority population ambassador.
A) Provide any existing plans, policies, or upcoming projects in the community with supporting documentation.
Not scored
B) Using the 6Es, discuss existing Active Transportation Program activities.
0 Points: No Active Transportation work is occurring
1-3 Points: Some work has happened in the past or is occurring in some of the E areas.
5 Points: Active Transportation activities are happening, and clearly described in the application.
C) What is your team’s vision for a successful Active Transportation Plan? What do you plan to accomplish after the planning process?
0-10 Points: The successful applicant will have a clearly demonstrated vision including who will be involved and the timeline for future accomplishments is comprehensive.
Supporting Documentation (5 points)
Letters are unique in nature describing individual or organization roles in planning and implementation.
Affidavit of Noncollusion and Conflict of Interest Checklist and Disclosure Form are both complete and submitted.
We'll announce application scores and awards in January 2025.
We'll implement contracts in spring 2025.
More information
If an application is not funded based on committee recommendations, the applicant may appeal the outcome by initiating an appeal. The appeal will rely on a written notice of appeal from the applicant that clearly states the organization's name, contact person, address, phone number, project description and the rationale for the appeal. The notice of appeal must be addressed to Sarah Ghandour, Director, MnDOT Office of Transit and Active Transportation and Active Transportation, 395 John Ireland Blvd, MS 430, St. Paul, MN 55155-1899.
In the event of an appeal:
Staff will verify that the notice of appeal was postmarked no later than 14 calendar days from the date by which MnDOT notified the applicant’s funding status (award).
The Office of Transit and Active Transportation director will review any appeal and provide a written response within 10 working days.
Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 13.01 et seq., names and addresses of applicants will be public data once responses are opened. All remaining data in proposed responses (except trade secret data as defined and classified in § 13.37) will be public data after the evaluation process is completed (for the purposes of this program, when all program agreements have been fully executed). All data created or maintained by the Minnesota Department of Transportation as part of the evaluation process (except trade secret data as defined and classified in § 13.37) will be public data after the evaluation process is completed (for the purposes of this program, when program agreements have been fully executed).
Pursuant to Minn. Stat. 13.03, subd. 1, all government data collected, created, received, maintained or disseminated by a government entity shall be public unless classified by statute, or temporary classification pursuant to section 13.06, or federal law, as nonpublic or protected nonpublic, or with respect to data on individuals, as private or confidential. The responsible authority in every government entity shall keep records containing government data in such an arrangement and condition as to make them easily accessible for convenient use. Photographic, photostatic, microphotographic, or microfilmed records shall be considered as accessible for convenient use regardless of the size of such records.
Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) refer to a common set of accepted accounting principles, standards, and procedures that a recipient, and any third-party contractor, and their accountants must follow when they compile their financial statements. (See also Minn. Stat. section 15.17, subd. 1) The records must permit audit verification of cost allocations claimed during the contract period. It is important to keep good records for all labor and material expenditures. Only reasonable costs directly related to and necessary for conducting the business of the public transit system are allowed. A cost is considered reasonable if, in its nature or amount, it does not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person as ordinary and necessary for the operations. Regardless of when an expense invoice is received or paid by the recipient, the expense must be billed to MnDOT during the agreement period in which the expense was incurred. If applicable, the financial records of the recipient must be audited. Audits occur by the MnDOT audit department and when applicable, as part of an independent audit.
Monthly progress reports will be delivered to the MnDOT Project Manager for each community receiving planning assistance through the program from the start of the planning process through plan completion. Selected communities and the consultant will be expected to work together to submit accurate, timely progress reports.
