Cannon Falls council adopts Active Transportation Plan to guide walking, biking projects

The Cannon Falls City Council adopted Resolution 2805, the Active Transportation Plan, at its Feb. 18 meeting, approving a framework the city can use to pursue grants and to plan future walking and biking projects. The motion passed 4–1 with one abstention.

City staff member Laura summarized the plan, saying the work over 2024 paired community workshops and walk/bike audits with an interactive map and public survey to identify barriers and opportunities for safe, connected routes. "What I'm hoping from you tonight is that you will approve this plan so that we can adopt it," Laura said during her presentation.

The plan documents short-, medium- and long-term recommendations for sidewalks, crossings and wayfinding aimed at improving safety for residents and visitor cyclists who use the Cannon Valley Trail and the Mill Towns State Trail. Laura told the council the outreach included students and residents who helped identify downtown connections, the school and park routes, and the south end of town as areas to prioritize.

The presentation highlighted several findings from the public input and surveys: staff reported that none of the survey respondents said they bike to…