St. Paul, Minn. – Yesterday, the Minnesota House of Representatives approved a package of $225 million in General Fund investments for Minnesota’s transportation system. The legislation balances addressing current transportation needs while building a stronger and more sustainable transportation system moving forward by leveraging multimodal federal investments, advancing climate initiatives, and improving safety for all users.
Representative Connie Bernardy (DFL-New Brighton) voted in support of the legislation and contributed to the final bill with a number of her safety bills.
“All Minnesotans deserve a safe transportation system, no matter where they live, what they look like, or which transportation choice serves them best,” said Rep. Bernardy. “We must make the needed investment to make it safe for people of all ages and abilities to move about safely whether they bike, walk, or roll.”
The first provision invests $12.5 million in the Active Transportation Program Rep. Bernardy got passed into law in 2017. It helps to improve safety and the ability of individuals to bike, walk, and roll throughout their community. The second provision establishes a Speed Safety Camera Pilot Program to study and manage work zone speed safety, focusing on Minnesotans who work in construction zones.
Speed is one of the most common contributing factors to traffic crashes in Minnesota and the problem of excessive speed has increased during the pandemic. In 2021 there were over 500 traffic fatalities. There were 162 speed-related deaths in the state, a 33% increase from 2020 and 116% increase from 2019. This is a constant risk in work zones where construction workers are in extremely close proximity to vehicle traffic. Rep. Bernardy’s work zone safety provision helps ensure our construction workers make it home safe each night.
A copy of the legislation can be found here.
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