Do It Green, an organization dedicated to educating and motivating Minnesotans to live more sustainably, will host a Commuter Buddy Program on Saturday, June 7. Experienced bicycle commuters will pair up with new commuters to plan a commuter route and set a date to practice and time the route. I’ll be there to help create a custom bike route to work for new participants. Commuter Buddy Program

In a previous post, I mentioned a new route planning program through the Met Council. The program, called Bike2Benefits, asks bike commuters to commit to riding at least once a week for eight weeks before December 31. Riders receive a personalized route map, a booklet on bicycle commuting, information on safe and lawful bicycling and a reflective leg strap. Riders who complete the program get entered in a year-end prize drawing.

The program has launched and, according to program coordinator John Svigeland, it has exceeded expectations by 10-15 times. The program is going through growing pains. As of last posting, over 100 requests were waiting for custom bike routes.

The program is looking for more bike route planners. If you are an experienced bike commuter and feel comfortable laying out bike routes for new riders, please contact John Svigeland for more information. Bike route planners get paid for their work and get to choose the number of routes they wish to do from a list of route requests.