2023 Trailnet Wrapped
2023 was an outstanding year to be a “Trailnut”! (a nickname our team happily adopted following a cake decorating snafu at this year’s Ride the Rivers)
Together with our members, donors, sponsors, partners and neighbors, we celebrated some of the most significant wins EVER for people walking, biking and using transit in the St. Louis region.
We made a lot of progress, and we’re excited to move into the new year with a lot of momentum. Here’s some of what we accomplished:
2023 Stats
- 2,919 riders ages 4 to 85 came from 21 states to join us at 11 bike rides
- 195 people learned new bike skills and explored the greenways through our bike education programs funded by Great Rivers Greenway
- We analyzed 736 crashes throughout St. Louis City and St. Louis County to produce our 2022 Crash Report
- Our advocacy team attended 111 community meetings, reviewed 15 bills, and testified at 6 hearings.
- Our planning team engaged 220+ people at two traffic calming demonstrations
- Along with BWorks, we surveyed Aldermanic candidates, received 9 responses, and published their positions on mobility issues
- 8.41 miles of bike infrastructure is funded for construction in the City of St. Louis, much of it inspired by Connecting St. Louis and Trailnet’s other advocacy efforts
- 350 crashes, $8.3 million in economic damages and one fatality were prevented by Missouri’s new Hands-Free driving law
- 1,773 of you have donated or joined as members so far this year!
- 142 people volunteered their time with Trailnet
Behind The Numbers:
$40 Million for Safer Streets
Years of conversations at community meetings, public testimonies and outspoken advocacy in pursuit of safer streets culminated in the signing of the St. Louis Safer Streets Bill (Board Bill 120) on March 1, 2023. Trailnet CEO Cindy Mense stood by the mayor’s side and gave remarks on behalf of all of Trailnet’s neighbors and supporters who stand to benefit from this unprecedented investment!
Trailnet will continue to engage with the City to make sure that this money is put to use efficiently, effectively and in the interests of all road users.
Distracted Driving Banned
For years, Trailnet and our statewide partners have recognized distracted driving as one of our most pressing problems. Along with other members of the Hands-Free Missouri Coalition, we have advocated tirelessly to get Missouri legislators on board with a hands-free driving law.
In July 2023, the Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law was passed, making Missouri the 49th state to ban texting while driving.
In honor of the memory of Randall Siddens and countless other victims of distracted driving in Missouri, we are proud our state has finally taken this step forward.
St. Louis’ First Calm Street
A decade in the making, the Louisiana Calm Street Project finished Phase 1 of construction in Spring 2023.
This 1.1-mile corridor is a pilot project for the City’s Calm Streets initiative. The construction of phase 1 was the result of years of hard work and collaboration across the City. We look forward to seeing how this project will progress—eventually connecting two of our City’s largest parks and paving the way for future infrastructure improvements across our streets network.
Pop-Up Traffic Calming Demos
It can be hard to imagine what new infrastructure could look and feel like to walk, bike or drive through. That’s where traffic calming pop up demonstrations come in. We use temporary materials like brightly colored cones, tires and flowers to demonstrate a cross walk, bump outs, fewer driving lanes or a bike lane.
We hosted two of these this year: one for MODOT on Route D in St. Louis City and another on Park(ing) Day on Compton Avenue.
New Community Trail for South County Students
A team of Spire volunteers constructed an all new walking and biking path on the property of Bayless Elementary School this summer! The project was the result of a collaboration between Trailnet, Spire and Bayless Schools, funded by Spire Serves and carried out by volunteers through Spire’s Day for Good program. The trail is an asset to the school’s bike education programs.
7th grader Sudais Abdirahman reminded us of the importance of getting outside and being active, saying, “It… gets my mind clear because the breeze gets in my hair and it’s… relaxing,”
Trailnet’s First Soiree
In our 35th year we tried something new.. and it was a rousing success!
Trailnet’s inaugural Paving the Way Soiree was a new take on our annual fundraising event—a night for us to celebrate with our friends and supports, to recognize the partners who make our wins possible and to raise a little money.
This year’s event also featured the presentation of our first ever batch of Members, Advocates and Partners (MAP) Awards. We can’t wait to build on this event and celebrate more deserving community leaders in the years to come!
Miles of Smiles at Trailnet Rides
Trailnet’s rides are a big part of how we carry out our mission. Rides provide a safe place for people to have fun on their bikes, meet other active people, explore their community, and make a statement with their presence that our streets are for PEOPLE!
The best part of our rides are the smiles! You can’t help but smile when you’re riding your bike. It’s just fun!