Trailnet Champion: St. Louis Coalition to Protect Cyclists and Pedestrians
Each month we feature a member or members of our community that work to push Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. For July, we’ve featuring the St. Louis Coalition to Protect Cyclists and Pedestrians!
If you’ve spent time riding a bike, walking, or waiting at a bus stop in St. Louis, you’ve likely experienced firsthand how challenging, and at times, dangerous, our streets can be. The founders of the St. Louis Coalition to Protect Cyclists and Pedestrians (CP2) know this reality all too well. What started as a group of friends riding together and voicing their frustrations became something much bigger: a growing grassroots movement demanding change.
CP2 was founded in summer 2024 by advocates Dani Adams and Jenn DeRose, who met through other bike volunteer efforts. Brought together by their shared love of biking and a deep concern for street safety, the group grew, and quickly evolved into a hub for collective action. The energy was palpable from the start; nearly 40 people showed up to their very first meeting! Since then, CP2 has consistently organized events and initiatives that amplify the voices of those often overlooked in transportation planning. CP2 recently became a working group of the St. Louis Urbanists, and their ranks and influence continue to grow. The core leadership of the include Adams and DeRose, along with Samuel Bendriem, Aubrey Bryon, Jemila Collier, Christian Frommelt, Noah Goldman, Kea Wilson, and Matt Wyczalkowski.
On the third Friday of each month, CP2 leads bike and bus rides to City Hall, a visible show of solidarity among people who walk, bike, and take transit. These monthly actions often culminate in the delivery of letters to city leaders: personal stories, calls for better street design across many St. Louis roads, and demands for a fully funded, fully empowered Department of Transportation (among other things). These aren’t just symbolic gestures; they’re coordinated efforts to remind decision-makers that safe streets are a basic right.
Beyond their regular rides, CP2 has taken an active role in educating and mobilizing the public. They’ve conducted walk and bike audits across the city to identify hazards, brought attention to open houses and public meetings concerning infrastructure plans, collected speed data for dangerous streets, and partnered with Trailnet and other advocacy groups to host the Transportation Infrastructure Mayoral Forum in February, helping St. Louis residents better understand where candidates stand on key transportation issues. After the forum, they were instrumental in crafting questions for the Aldermanic Survey.
They’ve also created space for learning and strategy-building. CP2 hosted a proactive organizing workshop to equip community members with tools to advocate for safer streets, and co-hosted an event with Left Bank Books to welcome Anna Zivarts, author of When Driving is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency, a powerful book that highlights how many Americans cannot drive and what must change to improve mobility for all.
Most recently, CP2 led a Gravois Safety Ride, inviting cyclists to experience and reflect on one of St. Louis’ most dangerous roads. The event not only raised awareness, but helped gather signatures for a petition to the City of St. Louis and the Missouri Dept. of Transportation demanding urgent safety improvements to Gravois Avenue, and also put out a call for pedestrians and cyclists to share their experiences on Gravois.
At its core, CP2 is building a culture of people-powered advocacy. They encourage everyday residents to share their lived experiences, participate in public processes, and speak directly to city leaders. You don’t need to be a planner or engineer to demand safer streets — you just need to show up and raise your voice. CP2 is helping more and more St. Louisans do exactly that.
Trailnet is happy to uplift CP2’s efforts because we both believe in promoting the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users, and we’re proud to feature them as this month’s Trailnet Champion. Their tenacity, creativity, and commitment to advocacy is helping shape a safer, more equitable future for everyone who uses our streets.