How We Roll celebrates Metro Transit employees who regularly ride transit and other forms of sustainable transportation. Read more How We Roll Q&As here.
How do you generally get around?
I live in south Minneapolis and commute by bike year-round. I also take the METRO Blue Line when headed downtown Minneapolis or Route 74 to get to St. Paul. In the last few years, I’ve only driven to work about three times. I also need to visit a lot of different Metro Transit work sites for meetings and have tried to do so primarily by biking and using transit.
What do you like most about biking and taking transit?
The sustainability component is important to me. Traveling by bike or by transit also connects me to our work. My job revolves around asset mapping, essentially digitizing our infrastructure and support systems so we can make sure they’re being maintained properly. A lot of times, that happens at a screen. So, I like the sense of connection that being on transit or riding a bike gives me. You might realize what a piece of equipment actually looks like or notice the positive impact colleagues have on the cleanliness of our facilities.
Being a part of the Met Council’s Biking and Active Transportation Group has also given me new opportunities to connect with colleagues. We show people how to bike to our facilities and done trail cleanups.
What advice do you have for people who are unsure about taking transit?
If I find myself taking a new route or going to a different part of the city, I use the Transit app. It’s a great tool. Test it out when you’re not fearful of being late. Once you ride a route, you discover it’s easy.
Learn more about connecting transit and biking at metrotransit.org/bike.