Arlene Birt, Neely Crane-Smith
Bicycling Counts is a creative and engaging strategy to educate the Minneapolis community about the impact of individual action in our city and our environment. Transportation accounts for approximately 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in Minnesota, and the vast majority of that comes from single-passenger vehicles. Minnesotans can make a difference by leaving the car at home and walking, biking or busing. Bicycling Counts creates an animated, real-time visualization of that impact.
Each day during the Twin Cities Bike Walk Week, the counter was installed at a surprise location along Minneapolis' popular bike routes. During the day, the counter counted all passing cyclists. Then each evening from 9-10pm, CEE set up a public art project on-site and as cyclists passed, a real-time count was projected on the side of various buildings and landmarks across Minneapolis. The projection translates the cumulative impact in terms of individual financial savings, gasoline saved, and environmental benefits to society through improved air quality and reduced healthcare dollars.
Click here to see the daily counts from each location.