Blog

Join us for Pedal the Cause ‘13

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:25:00 GMT

Trailnet's CEO and cancer survivor Ann Mack is co-captain this year of a new Pedal the Cause team – Trailnet/Siteman Biking to Beat Breast Cancer. Dr. Will Gillanders is her co-captain. Dr. Gillanders is a breast cancer surgeon at Siteman Cancer Center.

The mission of Pedal the Cause is to provide funding for cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and St. Louis Children's Hospital through its annual cycling challenge. It is their hope that research funded by Pedal the Cause will ultimately lead to a cure for cancer. 100% of all donations raised will stay in St. Louis to provide direct funding for cancer research, cancer discovery grants, and clinical translational care not currently eligible for federal funds.

This is Ann’s third year riding for Pedal the Cause. She’s issuing an open invitation to join her and the hundreds of people riding for research.

As an incentive to join this team, Dr. Gillanders will pledge $50 to everyone who joins. A colleague of his, Graham Colditz, will pledge $50 to the first 50 riders who join. How generous!

For more information about the October 6 ride, route options, and to register to ride, click here.

To join Ann and Will, click "I'm ready to join a specific team now" then choose "Trailnet/Siteman Biking to Beat Breast Cancer.”

Thank you.

Ann Rivers Mack
Chief Executive Officer

REVISED: McKinley Bridge - Temporary Closure

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:37:00 GMT

The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that the McKinley Bridge closure originally scheduled for tomorrow is postponed. The projected date of closure is Friday, June 28, 2013. The original press release states the closure is necessary to clean the bridge deck and apply bridge deck sealant. This work is to be completed and the bridge reopened on Monday, July 1, 2013. We will watch this story for accuracy as it gets closer.

Barry Gibbs is the Supervising Field Engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation in this area. If you have any questions concerning this project, you may contact him at 618.346.3351.

Slay signs Bike Friendly Action Plan

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:55:00 GMT

Mayor Francis Slay signed the ‘Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Communities’ and presented his Proclamation of National Bike to Work Day in St. Louis on Friday morning, May 17 at the Downtown Bicycle Station, 1011 Locust St.

The Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Communities, created and disseminated by the League of American Bicyclists, acknowledges that “cities across the globe are managing diverse issues such as pollution, congestion, traffic safety, accessibility, social inclusion, and economic growth. Increasing urbanization and sprawl is generating extra demand for quality public spaces and recreation opportunities. A renewed emphasis on security and the costs of dealing with the emerging epidemics of obesity and physical inactivity are stretching limited resources even further.”

The Action Plan asserts that increasing the percentage of trips made by bicycle, thereby making communities more bicycle friendly, is a critical policy initiative that addresses those challenges, and “contributes to many of the solutions necessary to improve the quality of life in cities.”

The mayors and municipal elected officials that sign the Action Plan commit to taking ten steps that measurably improve conditions for bicycling and realize the significant potential benefits of bicycling.

The steps range from adopting a target level of bicycle use and safety to be achieved within a specific timeframe and collecting the data necessary to monitor progress; to educating all road users to share the road and interact safely, and enforcing traffic laws to improve the safety and comfort of all road users; to providing safe and convenient bicycle access to all parts of the community through a signed network of on- and off-street facilities, low-speed streets, and secure bike parking.

Last December, Mayor Slay demonstrated his support of bicycling by committing to take St. Louis from a bronze level bicycling city up three levels to platinum.

Click here to view a copy of the Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Communities that Mayor Slay signed.

One bike commuter’s story

Tue, 28 May 2013 16:30:00 GMT

What follows is the May 16 Nextstop Metro Transit blog post by Matthew Fernandes titled Bike To Work Day Inspiration From A Daily Bicyclist and Transit Rider.

We celebrate National Bike to Work Day - tomorrow, May 17 - with a look at bike and transit super commuter Robert Droney. Droney, 45, is an attorney who works three blocks from the Busch Stadium MetroLink Station. From his home in Ballwin, he often commutes by bicycle - 26 miles each way. Sometimes he rides every day. Sometimes twice a day.

My back started ‘phantom aching’ just interviewing this man.

The beauty of Droney’s bike-oriented lifestyle, though, is that whenever he wants an alternative, Metro Transit is always nearby. In his case, the 58X Twin Oaks Express on MetroBus is his primary option to and from work. On other days when he may not have as much time to ride 26 miles, he’ll hop on the MetroLink Blue Line to the Richmond Heights Station and bike home from there - some 17 miles.

“As far as consistency goes, it has only been in times of significant weather events that I have ever had any problem with the bus being late,” said Droney, who is a member of the two-year-old Downtown Bicycle Station and uses it to shower and park his bike each day. “I’m absolutely amazed at Metro’s adherence to their time schedules.”

Though Droney’s bike commute is on the extreme end of the spectrum - he is, after all, a former triathlete and competitive cyclist - he insists that adopting bike and transit commuting isn’t as difficult as some might think.

“It’s a way to use your commute time for exercise,” said Droney, who started cycling as a child and never gave it up. “It takes me one hour and 45 minutes to bike home from downtown. If I drive, it’s 35 minutes, best-case scenario. If I have to take a separate trip to the gym to work out and shower, I may not be home until after 8 (if I drive).”By cycling, Droney is home at 6:45 p.m. - or earlier if he mixes in transit - and his exercising is done (and then some.)

“The biggest thing is planning,” said Droney, a military veteran and graduate of UC Irvine and Washington University School of Law. “I have extra clothes at work and my employer is accommodating as well.”

Though Droney has impeccable iron-man credentials, he does have his limits.

“I don’t commute in winter anymore,” he said. “Back when I was more avid, I would ride when it got down to 25 degrees. Now, it’s not so much fun putting on all that extra clothing. I’ll get out for my health, but I mainly bike commute from May to October.”

His advice to less dedicated cyclists thinking about biking to work? Give it try. Blend in some public transit and you could be pleasantly surprised by the results - on several levels.

Switched at death

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:51:42 GMT

The following poem was written by Susan Scott, mother of Sam Scott, who was hit and killed by a drunk driver in February 2012 as he bike commuted.

She read this at the Trailnet, MoDOT, and Metro Transit Safe Roads for All press conference on May 6 at the Missouri History Museum.

Switched at Death

I sleep surrounded by his image.
Sometimes I awake to him flashing beside me
And I implore him to inhabit my dreams.
I shiver when I think of him hugging me tightly
My diaphragm an accordion
And kissing me sloppily; retreating triumphantly.

Why is my voice singular?
Because my understanding of “we” is shattered
Mimicking a windshield assaulted by a stone
My heart is a web of fissures.
Mending slowly but never reaching the fullness of “we.”
Never shiny and clear and whole again.

On the first day I was my son’s guardian.
At birth the calculus of his guardianship
Increased exponentially and perfectly
Our hearts swollen and seemingly unbound.
Only to be contained when destiny upset the natural order
And guardianship was switched at death.

Join us for National Bike to Work Day!

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:33:00 GMT

We invite you to join Trailnet for National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17, 6:30-9:00 a.m. Bring a neighbor or co-worker to meet and mingle with fellow bike commuters of all ages and experience levels-- you may learn new commuting tips, or even a great bike route through your neighborhood you've never tried before. This event is brought to you by Great Rivers Greenway, and bagels generously donated by Companion Bakehouse.

Click here for a full listing of Bike to Work Day stations, as well as other Bike Month activities.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

Another cyclist hit and killed; drunk driver charged

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:55:00 GMT

Barely a year after cyclist Sam Scott was hit and killed by a drunk driver, 50-year-old cyclist James Stewart was hit and killed in Alton Saturday night, April 13 by Allen Cordes, who has been charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing death.

Sadly, Sam and James aren’t the only cyclists in our region who’ve been hit and killed by motor vehicles. In Missouri, cyclists, pedestrians and drivers of motor vehicles totaling 243 people died in alcohol and drug related crashes.

It is unacceptable that drinking and driving is treated with leniency. Trailnet believes that a motorized vehicle hitting a cyclist or pedestrian should have harsher minimum sentences than what we are seeing. When we travel without the protective metal shell of a motorized vehicle, we sustain more injuries when hit, regardless of how technically-advanced we are as a walker or cyclist. Laws of physics dictate that we are more vulnerable to injury in a crash. This does not mean we are weak, that cycling or walking is dangerous, or that we are not legitimate users of the road.

Changes need to occur before we see safer conditions for vulnerable road users. Drunk or impaired drivers need to be dealt with uniformly and severely. DWIs and DUIs need to be issued and their penalties need to be stiff. A conviction of drunk or impaired driving needs to be unalterable. An impaired driver should not walk away after a plea bargain without that conviction on his or her record. Emily Hagan, the drunk driver who killed Sam Scott, did just that.

We also need to deliver broader, ongoing education. It’s not enough for high school kids to be cautioned the week before prom that drunk driving is dangerous. It must be a part of our culture; the repercussions of drinking and driving impaired are understood to be so severe, so devastating, that people will not take the risk.

To improve the safety of everyone on the road, we must also enact legislation that ensures the roads we share are designed using best practices for all modes. This means Complete Streets - well-designed, well-built roads that prioritize more vulnerable users and decrease overall injury and fatality risk for ALL road users. This is the bar we are advocating for.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

April 15 Ride Cancelled

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:44:53 GMT

Due to the weather forecast, the Monday Night South Road Ride on Monday, April 15 originating at the Trek BIcycle Store in Arnold is cancelled.

2013 Ride Calendar Unveiling: April 6

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:01:00 GMT

There are 21 Bicycle Fun Club rides and 19 Community rides scheduled for our April through October Trailnet ride season. Our 25th Anniversary season will feature our annual classics, some rides we are bringing back, and some brand new unique rides.

Be the first to receive our 2013, suitable for framing, Ride Calendar by joining us at the Immaculate Conception Parish Hall in Maplewood on April 6 for Beans, Bikes & Brews Reunite with your cycling friends, meet new cyclists, and enjoy live music, staff from our area’s best local bike shops, our terrific nonprofit partners repping their fundraising rides, and the infamous potluck chili dinner.

If you volunteered for us in 2012 you get in free! Otherwise, the cost is $10, or if you bring a dish to share, $5. Please register (even if you’re a volunteer) so we have plenty of chili for everyone.

Join us for our first 2013 ride - the Art and Tweed Community Ride on Saturday, April 13. This new, free ride is sponsored by the Contemporary Art Museum, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the World Chess Hall of Fame and features English inspired treats and stops at all the sponsors’ sites.

Our Bicycle Fun Club season begins the very next day, Sunday, April 14, with our Spring Chicken Bicycle Ride. This beautiful ride through the Kaskaskia River bottoms is sponsored by Maplewood Bicycle and is a Trailnet tradition. We’ve updated it this year to include an option to stay around after the ride and buy chicken and beer at the American Legion in St. Libory, IL.

You’ll be able to preregister online a month before each BFC ride this season which will make your on-site check-in faster. Let us know how you like this new service.

Dues-paying Trailnet members will find our calendar in their mailboxes shortly after April 6. Our partner bike shops will have a supply of our calendar throughout the summer and we encourage you to do business with these wonderful local shops. They value your business and will take good care of you and will meet your cycling needs.

We look forward to celebrating our 25th anniversary with you out on our roads and trails. Enjoy!

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

"There are no winners"

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:07:00 GMT

“In this case, there are no winners. There are only losers.” Those were the words the judge in court extended today (Friday, March 8, 2013) to everyone who was present for the resolution of the Sam Scott case. He also said this case was a sad example of what can happen when someone drinks and drives.

Today ended the long string of postponements in the case of Emily Hagan, the intoxicated driver who hit Sam Scott while he was on his bicycle on Delmar Blvd. on the evening of February 3, 2012. Sam died shortly after. Ms. Hagan pled guilty of involuntary manslaughter and waived her right to a trial. The judge sentenced her to three years in a Missouri Correctional Center.

Sam’s mom had a few paragraphs about Sam prepared and the victim's read them aloud. Sam’s mom wanted the judge and those present to understand who Sam was, not just from her point of view but from others. She wrote about what losing Sam meant to his best friends and his beloved girl friend. She quoted a powerful letter of reference written by one of Sam’s teachers. I was left knowing the world is poorer because we lost Sam.

I don’t pretend to know whether Ms. Hagan’s sentence is “fair” or not. Would she have served more time if she had hit and killed a pedestrian or the driver of another motorized vehicle? Did having a high-powered defense attorney affect the outcome of her sentence?

Am I satisfied with the outcome? As the judge underscored, there can be no satisfaction today. Instead, there must be continued and heightened work to pass essential policies, build the best infrastructure, and educate all users how to safely share our roads. Trailnet is committed to doing just that.

I do believe the presence of bike/ped advocates in court, through the past 13 months of set and postponed court dates, made an impression in the end. I believe Susan Scott’s confidence in Trailnet sent a message that Sam’s community includes everyone who chooses for transportation an alternative to a motorized vehicle. All of us at Trailnet are deeply saddened by the loss of Sam and that no amount of grief, remorse, or punishment will change the unchangeable.

Please be an advocate for safe roads by committing to driving sober and not allowing your friends or family to drive while intoxicated or distracted. Ever. Remember Sam.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

New court date set for Sam Scott case

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:48:00 GMT

We have been informed that the next court date for Emily Hagan, the driver charged in the Sam Scott case is Friday, March 8 at 9:00 a.m. in the St. Louis St. Louis County Court Building at 7900 Carondelet Ave., Clayton, MO 63105.

Trailnet staff will attend, as we have each previous scheduled court date. While we cannot guarantee there will not be another extension, we encourage you to attend.

We are told that if you plan to attend the hearing, you should check with the prosecutor's office the weekday before the hearing, to make sure the hearing is still set. Last minute continuances are often granted. Previously we were told the court case number is 12SLCR03697. We have been told that for more information, the office responsible for this case can be contacted at 314.615.8029.

Sam was riding his bike and was hit on February 3, 2012. He died shortly after. My original blog post can be found here.

I will continue to update our blog with information as I receive it on Sam’s case. Please keep Sam’s family in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

Letter from Trailnet to the Federal Highway Administration

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:11:00 GMT

Attached you can find a letter written by our Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Manager to the Missouri Division of the Federal Highway Administration. In it she expresses, in particular, Trailnet's concern that St. Louis County refers to outdated and substandard design documents when it comes to bicycle and pedestrian facilities. This is a major obstacle to our region being competitive in attracting and retaining talent. Because Trailnet is a strong advocate for livable communities, and because we want St. Louis on the list of most livable U.S. cities, we want to see St. Louis County incorporate the best planning and design practices that prioritize context, scale, and accommodating all road users.

Letter from Trailnet to the Federal Highway Administration

Let us know what you think!

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

In memory of Sam Scott

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:03:53 GMT

We were in court on February 4 for what was being termed a pre-trial conference in Sam's case. It turned out to be just another opportunity for a postponement. The next court date is set for Friday, March 8. We have no further details at this time but as we are informed we will publish more information.

Monday, February 4 marks one year of the death of Sam Scott. He was hit by a drunk driver late on the evening of February 3, 2012 as he cycled home from work.

What follows was written by Sam's mom, Susan, for this blog. She, and we, want the community to know more about Sam, Susan’s dear son, whose life was just beginning when it was taken.

As the anniversary of Sam’s death approaches, I believe it is time for the cloud of grief to move over and make room for the sun to shine on my son’s life and his memory. I have never considered the occasion of an anniversary as an unhappy event and I am trying to reshape February 4, 2013, the first day of my 54th year and the 1st anniversary of my beloved son’s death, into a day dedicated to a young man who chose to openly exhibit both his frailty and his strength during his short life.

Sam was born on February 26, 1992. It was a normal Wednesday, only made remarkable by the baby boy who decided to show his strong personality as soon as he saw the light and breathed in enough air to announce his arrival loudly and urgently. For his first 18 years, this personality proved his greatest attribute and sometimes his greatest weakness. He acknowledged this in his own words to a professor from whom he was seeking a recommendation. “I have a very strong personality. This is both a strength and a weakness. I am very direct. I tell it how it is and this has gotten me into trouble in the past.”

Yes, these qualities caused him some angst and anguish, but to those of us who knew him best, it was indicative of the bravery and perseverance we so admired in Sam. He worked incredibly hard to mold himself into a young man who led and never followed, who defended others and never stood silent, who was compassionate and passionate and never cold nor complacent. This was hard work and Sam made it his work each and every day. For 19 years, he wrestled with himself to harness the power of his personality, as well as pushing back against others who tried to restrain his ebullient character and raw honesty. Through it all, he maintained a wicked sense of humor and respect for self and others. In the end, he won the battle with himself and earned praise and admiration from many.

By the beginning of his 19th year, Sam embraced his strengths, including loyalty, honesty, kindness, humor, and love for family and friends, and opened himself to new ones. He worked hard at school, focusing on someday making his mark as a teacher. He began to take his health seriously, losing eighty pounds by eating well and giving up his car in favor of his bicycle. He loved his family more perfectly, nourishing especially close bonds with his sister, Pauline, and his brother, Caleb. He opened his heart and committed himself to Anna, a young woman whom he loved deeply. And, he was happy.

Although Sam did not reach his 20th year nor his full definition, his heart literally beats on in another man’s body (Bless him!) and figuratively in the lives of his family and friends. Sam would resist being defined by tragedy and would tell us that tomorrow is a new day and to embrace the opportunities it will bring. And, he would want us to be happy.

Yes, another postponement in the Sam Scott case

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:56:00 GMT

The hearing to set a trial date for the driver charged in the Sam Scott case was most recently set for Thursday, January 24.

This hearing had been rescheduled multiple times and is now postponed yet again.

The information we now have is that the next court date – they are calling it a “pre-trial conference” – is set for Monday, February 4 at 9:00 a.m. in the St. Louis County Court 21st Circuit, located in the St. Louis County Court Building at 7900 Carondelet Ave. in Clayton, MO 63105. February 4 is the first anniversary of Sam’s death.

Trailnet staff will attend, as we have each previous scheduled court date.

We are told that if you plan to attend the hearing, you should check with the prosecutor's office the weekday before the hearing, to make sure the hearing is still set. Last minute continuances are often granted. The court case number is 12SLCR03697. For more information, the office responsible for this case can be contacted at 314.615.8029.

Sam was riding his bike and was hit on February 3, 2012. He died shortly after. My original blog post can be found here. Updates on Sam’s case as they become available will be posted at http://trailnet.org/advocacy.

I will continue to update our blog with information as I receive it on Sam’s case and on Trailnet’s position and actions towards increasing safety for vulnerable and non-motorized users of the road.

Please keep Sam’s family in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

Big changes in store for I64 and Tower Grove

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:01:00 GMT

MoDOT will be starting major construction on the I-64 (highway 40) and Tower Grove Avenue project on Monday, January 21.

Both the Taylor and Newstead bridges will be removed on Monday January 21, with new bridges up in September/October and will be completed on approximately November 1. Tower Grove and Boyle remain open during this period.

While the bridges are down MoDOT is recommending bicyclists take Chouteau east of the downed bridges to Tower Grove and cross the highway there. All vehicle traffic will be routed onto Tower Grove as well.

For a calmer route with little to no car traffic, take Chouteau west of the downed bridges to take the bicycle and pedestrian bridge over I-64. It will drop you on Clayton Avenue and then you can continue on your choice of routes.

There will be orange construction/work in progress/detour signs on the streets around the construction area to alert and direct traffic. The existing speed limits on affected streets – most are posted at 25-30 MPH – will not be changed. MoDOT is placing a speed trailer on Tower Grove northbound to alert drivers of their speed.

Tower Grove and Boyle bridge construction will start after Taylor and Newstead are complete, likely in early 2014. The contract states these bridges need to be complete within 80 days of closing the roads, so these roads will not be out of commission for as long.

No matter how you travel, expect that all road users could be distracted and/or confused by the detours. Road users who aren’t aware of the project may be running late, navigating erratically, exceeding the speed limit, etc. Please take care when choosing your route and be vigilant.

When the project is complete, Taylor and Tower Grove will have sharrows and Share the Road signs as outlined in the Gateway Bike Plan.

MoDOT website for I-64/Tower Grove Avenue project: http://www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/TowerGroveInterchange.htm

To be added to the email updates listserve, contact Andrew Gates at Andrew.Gates@modot.mo.gov.

Here are some links to news printed about this project in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Nextstl blog.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

Looking at language

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:19:00 GMT

Transportation consultant Theodore Brown wrote a tongue in cheek year-end blog titled “24 Random Urbanism Predictions for 2013” that appeared on the This Big City website.

His prologue to the list says it’s “a list of things that will almost certainly happen in urbanism in 2013 (and when I say almost certainly I mean there’s probably a 30% chance of five of them happening which is pretty good as far as clairvoyance is concerned).”

My favorite is #18: “ ‘Walkability’ and ‘Livability’ will be replaced by more creative words, thank god.”

There are times that we at Trailnet find it challenging to express ourselves, our goals, our work, in language that doesn’t sound like jargon. When we talk about getting ourselves out of our cars and getting around using our bike, our feet, public transportation or a combination of any of those, the best the field has come up with is “active transportation.” When we talk about what makes a community desirable we use “bikeable,” “walkable,” and “livable.” None of these terms seem to roll off our tongues. They seem a bit antiseptic and wonky and they don’t convey the simple pleasure of riding a bike, walking somewhere, or loving where you live because it’s easy to get to the places that are important to you.

I’d love some help proving Theodore Brown correct – that this year we find creative substitutes for “walkability” and “livability.” Do you have any suggestions?

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

Another postponement in the Sam Scott case

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 23:20:00 GMT

The hearing to set a trial date for the driver charged in the Sam Scott case was most recently set for Friday, December 14, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.  This hearing had been rescheduled more than once, and was postponed yet again.

The information we now have is that the next court date is Thursday, January 24. We don't have details about the time, or where, or what is supposed to happen.

As the date gets closer we will communicate any details we learn.

Sam was riding his bike and was hit on February 3, 2012. He died shortly after. My original blog post can be found here.

Updates on Sam’s case as they become available will be posted at http://trailnet.org/advocacy.

I will continue to update our blog with Trailnet’s position and actions towards increasing safety for vulnerable and non-motorized users of the road.

Sam’s family continues to be in our thoughts.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

Hearing on Fri., Dec. 14 to set trial date in Sam Scott case

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 21:14:00 GMT

The hearing to set a trial date for the driver charged in the Samuel Scott case has been set for Friday, December 14, 2012 at 9:00 a.m., in St. Louis County Court 21st Circuit, located at St. Louis County Court Building at 7900 Carondelet Ave. in Clayton.

This hearing has been rescheduled more than once. If you plan to attend the hearing, be sure to check with the prosecutor's office to make sure the hearing is still set. You should telephone the day before the hearing, as last minute continuances are often granted. The number is 314.615.8029. The court case number is court case number 12SLCR03697.

Sam was riding his bike and was hit on February 3, 2012. He died shortly after. My original blog post can be found here.

Updates on Sam’s case as they become available will be posted at http://trailnet.org/advocacy.

I will continue to update our blog with Trailnet’s position and actions towards increasing safety for vulnerable and non-motorized users of the road.

Sam’s family continues to be in our thoughts.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

Roger Kramer dies at 51

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:56:00 GMT

Last week, the bi-state area lost Roger Kramer. Belleville journalist, avid cyclist, and keeper of the Roger Kramer Cycling blog page, Roger was an extraordinary bicycle advocate who made a difference by founding and organizing great rides, publishing cycling information, and using his considerable writing talents to engage people around the many and varied topics pertinent to cycling. There were times when I would google an upcoming cycling event and the first site to pop up with credible information would be Roger’s blog.

Roger’s interesting bio was published in Monday’s Belleville News-Democrat.

I am so grateful that Roger chose to contribute so significantly to our local cycling scene, and he will be sorely missed by many. He channeled his passion for cycling in ways that benefited countless people looking to integrate healthy activity into their daily routines.

The way he used his passion to spread the love of cycling is a lesson for us all. Being an advocate for safe streets or well-planned, well-connected, healthy communities doesn’t require you to set up a blog page or plan and organize events. If you walk your child to school, talk about it. Encourage your neighbors with kids to walk with you. Pay attention to what’s happening in your community around your child’s school and if something’s happening that you don’t like, get involved. As well, when something’s happening that you do like, get involved.

When people complain about bikes impeding motorized traffic, see it as an opportunity to educate them that bikes are legally considered vehicles with rights and responsibilities to use the road. Encourage people who drive to make time in their schedule to slow down as more cyclists and more pedestrians are a reality. Talk about the hazards of distracted and impaired driving and make a pledge to avoid both when you drive. Encourage other cyclists to follow the rules of the road.

Talk about your own utilitarian cycling in ways that motivate other people to try running errands by bike, biking to work now and then, or combining biking and public transit. Get on lists that notify you when bike/walk issues are at stake and make calls and send emails to your elected officials.

Use Roger’s sad and entirely too early death to spur you to step in for him. Do your part to get people out of their cars and into their communities. Be an asset. Be an advocate.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer

Three times more trips taken by bikes by 2017

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:16:00 GMT

I went into Trailnet’s Livable St. Louis Conference on Friday with high hopes for memorable sessions led by visionary people. I was not disappointed. In fact the title of the Conference – Bold Community Visions – gave me the courage to vocalize my vision for biking in the region. I believe we can do this, and I will work to make it happen: by 2017 bikes will be used for three times as many trips as they are now – commuting to work, running errands, visiting friends and family…any trip we now make by car is up for grabs.

The conference began with Mick Cornett, the mayor of Oklahoma City. He spoke for nearly an hour without slides, visual aids, or even notes. He told Oklahoma City’s story – something that Tom Downs, former Amtrak president, referenced at last year’s Livable Conference. He said we need to spend some time narrating St. Louis’s story. Wouldn’t that be an interesting project, especially given our rich history, our diverse citizenry, and what our priorities have been and are?

While that interesting work, for me, at least, would be mission drift, working for our region’s future and paying close attention to what’s being done here and elsewhere to build desirable environments that will attract businesses and innovators is exactly what Trailnet is cut out to do.

Oklahoma City has done the work of documenting its story and Cornett began his presentation by painted a picture for us of a city that had experienced some significant down times. We all know about the Oklahoma City bombing at the federal building in 1995 but we may not know that through their city snaked the nearly dry North Canadian River, an eyesore for which there was a line item in the city budget for “mowing.” In 1993 it was renovated as one of their original MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) initiatives. That river, now called the Oklahoma River where it flows through Oklahoma City, quickly became a popular destination for fitness and recreation as well as a host of national events such as the Olympic Kayak Trials.

Cornett spoke about the 2007 Men’s Fitness magazine survey that ranked Oklahoma City No. 8 on its “Fattest City” list. He called a press conference announcing he was putting the entire city on a diet and was starting a web-based, weight-loss awareness program. A collective 1,000,000 pounds was lost by 47,000 participants and then citizens voted to invest nearly $1 billion in infrastructure designed to promote a healthier and more active lifestyle. This year’s March issue of Men’s Fitness listed Oklahoma City as No. 23 on its list of America’s fittest cities!

Gary Toth, the Director of Transportation Initiatives with the Project for Public Spaces was the lunch plenary speaker. His presentation was interactive and filled to the brim with slides that showed compelling examples of successful “placemaking” – some of which, to respect his time allowance, he had to speed through, eliciting more than a few “aww”s from the audience.

The word that most describes for me Toth’s presentation is “uplifting.” It was filled with possibilities and strategies and hope – that we can peacefully and affordably (“lighter, quicker, cheaper”) transform the transportation landscape in America by integrating into our planning efforts context sensitive solutions, the power of 10, and questions requiring quantifiable answers (“What makes a successful place?").

Breakout sessions included living history lessons – “Central West End Story: How a Walkable, Diverse Neighborhood Bounced Back from Decline;” a focus on the future – “Rolling out the Red Carpet: Neighborhood Greenways and Bus Rapid Transit” and “Setting a Bold Vision for Biking in St. Louis;” and practical ways we create vibrant, green places – “Art is Livability” and “Greening Our Region.” “Community Engagement 2.0” focused on meaningful resident engagement and the “Bold Ideas Open Source Session” was meaningful engagement in action.

While there is no substitute for being there, we do have the conference presentations loaded up on our website. Please take a moment to look them over. I hope you will come away with what I did – a conviction that moving our region from good to great is not only possible, it’s happening.

Ann Rivers Mack

Chief Executive Officer