In each of our monthly newsletters, Trailnet features a member of our community who is working toward Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. In November 2024, we featured Ryan Hanlon.
Ryan Hanlon is our Trailnet Champion of November! If you haven’t met Ryan before, he is the owner and creative director at Route 3 Films. Route 3 Films has been in business since 2013 and creates content for schools, nonprofits, and small businesses. In his free time, he enjoys tinkering with vintage race cars with his son and father. They are currently restoring a 1980 Jeep CJ5 most of which he plans to use for ice cream runs with his daughter. He loves to mountain bike and climb, camp, and hike with his family and friends.
Ryan is an avid lover of the outdoors and began his volunteering journey with the Ozark Trail Association as a trail crew leader, donor and consultant in 2008. He now serves many groups including the Infrastructure Committee of the Holly Hills Small Business District as chairman and The Friends of Carondelet Park as a board member. He recently created a coalition to spearhead the first and only mountain bike trail in the city of St. Louis which was completed on November 9th in Carondelet Park. The trail will be a hub for practices and racing events for the South City Otters. Ryan believes the trail to be perfect for entry level or intermediate riders and that it is also a great place to walk in the woods for a “city” hike. The trail measures about 1 mile.
Ryan began working with Trailnet when the Holly Hills Infrastructure sub-committee began its work to calm the traffic in their Small Business District. He has been working closely with Trailnet planners Bryce Monser and Erich Hellmer on the project to examine each street, determine its challenges, and seek solutions. “St. Louis is blessed to have Trailnet right here to help us make smart, modern, and safe choices as we work to make our city the best place it can be,” said Ryan. This project is entering its final stages and the team plans to begin implementing their solutions in 2025.
Trailnet’s work is important to Ryan as he has seen, while traveling, what other cities have done to create safe spaces for pedestrians and cyclists, while still helping motorists. His goal in working with Trailnet is “to keep traffic flowing safely and slightly slower in Holly Hills but make sure the pedestrian and the cyclist are safe and welcomed”. Ryan loves St. Louis and its architecture and wants to maintain that. He believes we can come up with creative ideas to maintain that but making our streets safer for everyone. “I believe that Trailnet has not only safety top of mind but creating solutions that flow with the sense of place in the neighborhoods and streets they serve”, said Ryan. We have loved working with Ryan, and are excited to see what the future holds!
Trailnet is pleased to see the voters of the City of St. Louis overwhelmingly passed Proposition T yesterday, approving the enactment of a City Department of Transportation on July 1, 2029.
We take a moment to celebrate and thank the many Alderpersons, community organizations and neighborhood associations who assisted in getting this initiative passed. But the work is not finished.
All City Dept of Transportation supporters must stay vigilant to make sure:
There is proper funding for maintenance of our streets and sidewalks, and all duties the City DOT will provide,
There is proper staffing in place on day one, including newly filled positions, with clearly outlined duties and responsibilities,
All contracts, studies and other materials originally initiated by other departments, but which pertain to the new department’s duties and responsibilities, are turned over to the City DOT for implementation on day one.
While there is ample time for a smooth transition, we hope all who supported the effort continue to monitor the implementation of Prop T and voice their concerns if necessary. It is only through our collective efforts that we will see the successful implementation of our efforts.
Trailnet is deeply saddened by the death of Govan “Kenny” Bonaparte. On Saturday evening, Mr. Bonaparte was crossing the street in his wheelchair when a person driving a vehicle struck and killed him.
This should not happen in our community, but unfortunately, it happens far too often. This crash happened in North St. Louis City, where the streets and sidewalks are frequently in bad shape due to disinvestment in critical infrastructure. However, traffic violence has infected our entire region.
As Trailnet highlights in our annual crash reports, in just the first half of this year, at least 133 people were injured and 13 killed while walking in St. Louis City. In St. Louis County, there have been 101 pedestrians injured and 14 killed.
There are a number of nationally proven steps residents and governmental officials can take for a safer region. They include, but are not limited to:
Demand strong Complete Streets policies and practices,
Adopt and install safer street designs with all possible users in mind, including people in wheelchairs or with a disability, people walking, biking, or catching the bus.
Create a culture of safe driving, where getting behind the wheel is a responsibility to be taken seriously,
Trailnet requests reporters and news departments change the way they depict crashes by implementing people-first language. The car didn’t hit someone, a person driving a car hit someone. We must hold drivers accountable, not the cars they drive.
We can do better. But to do so we must change the way we think about drivers, cars and our streets.
At Paving the Way 2024, Trailnet will introduce the winners of the 2024 MAP Awards, an award series that acknowledges the contributions of exceptional Trailnet Members, Advocates, and Partners.
This award honors an outstanding Trailnet Member who has demonstrated a commitment to fighting for Streets for All. This individual or family has invested significant resources—money, time or energy—into advancing Trailnet’s mission. They inspire others to join the fight.
2024 Winners: Barbara and Bob Lindecke
Barbara and Bob have been consistent Trailnet members since 1994, making this year their 30th anniversary as Trailnet members!
Barbara and Bob love to take walks on Grant’s Trail. Bob became the Eagle Scout Project Coordinator for Grant’s Trail when he retired. He also worked with several AmeriCorp groups that helped improve the trail in the late 90s.
Not only do they give generously as Peloton Society members, but they also love to come to Trailnet events to learn more about bike/ped advocacy. They joined us for the Walking Tour of Louisiana Calm Street, where they insisted on helping set up the table when they arrived a little early. Barbara and Bob are steady, generous supporters of our work.
Outstanding Streets for All Advocate
This award honors an individual, family or organization that has fought for policies that make our region better for people walking, biking or using public transportation. The honoree has advanced specific advocacy campaigns that have resulted in safer streets for all users. They are exemplary advocates.
2024 Winner: Anne Schweitzer
For years, Hon. Anne Schweitzer has used her voice and influence to protect vulnerable road users in St. Louis.
During her time as Chairwoman of the Public Infrastructure and Utilities committee, Alderwoman Schweitzer has passed significant legislation to protect people who walk, bike and catch the bus in the City of St. Louis. She shepherded key legislation including BB120, BB105, Vision Zero and Complete Streets.
In addition to using her legislative power, Hon. Schweitzer has also used her voice and personal life as an example for others. In 2023, she wrote an op-ed in the Riverfront Times entitled “What I’ve Learned Being ‘Car-Light’ in St. Louis for 6 Months” and shared both the joys and difficulties of getting around the city with limited access to a personal vehicle. This year, she organized a bike bus to city hall for the passage of the Complete Streets Bill. She joined other bike buses and events organized by the St. Louis Coalition to Protect Cyclists and Pedestrians to bring public attention to street safety issues and worked with the community and the city to create a monthly “car free” week in Carondelet Park.
Outstanding Streets for All Partner
This award honors an individual, family or organization that has worked hand-in-hand with Trailnet and other community members to fight for Streets for All. The honoree has contributed essential knowledge, skills, time and resources to a project that spurred progress in the region. They are passionate, multi-dimensional allies who share our vision.
2024 Winner: Kelly McGowan & Transform 314
Kelly McGowan, MPH, is a proud St. Louisan and Health Equity Advocate.
Kelly is the founder and Executive Director of Transform 314, an organization whose mission is “to educate, engage, and empower Black St. Louisans to drive policy changes at the local level needed to create thriving communities.” Kelly is also the Policy & Membership Experience Manager for the Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence.
Kelly and Transform314 launched a project which surveyed Black residents in St. Louis about the challenges they are facing in their communities. Traffic violence and street-related issues were top concerns. Kelly and Transform314 hosts monthly Community Meet Ups to “facilitate dialogue between elected officials and residents, so that we all understand our roles and responsibilities concerning the betterment of our communities.” Traffic violence is a common topic, and Kelly is inspiring people to take action.
In each of our monthly newsletters, Trailnet features a member of our community who is working toward Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. In September 2024, we featured the folks behind @carfreestl.
To celebrate their pioneering work as local urbanists, artists and organizers, we asked a few questions of Christian and Natalia—the brilliant minds behind Car Free STL!
Who are you?
Christian: My name’s Christian Frommelt and I use they/them or he/him pronouns. I’m a freelance dancer, musician, and writer currently living in Dutchtown. Historic preservation work is what drove me to activism in streets and mobility because as a young adult I was appalled to learn how many neighborhoods and cultural sites we demolished for highways and parking lots.
Natalia: My name is Natalia and I use she/her pronouns. I am a Graphic Designer, Illustrator and jazz dancer from Southern California. I moved to St Louis a little over a year ago and quickly fell into activism around public transit and pedestrian-conscious infrastructure. As someone who has lived with a disability my entire life, never owning a car or having a license, this work holds personal significance for me.
What is Car Free STL?
Christian: @carfreestl started as an Instagram venting outlet for me during the pandemic, but it didn’t take off until I met Natalia in 2022 and she started creating the visual designs that Car Free STL is known for. It’s still mostly a side project, but earlier this year we discovered the positionality of Car Free STL in this ecosystem: we’re in the business of shifting and complicating narratives around car-centricity, interrogating its harms and excesses, and illuminating future streets where safety and pleasure are built in. The normalcy bias around cars is the result of Motordom redefining the very nature of our streets and public space, something they still spend $12 billion per year on ads to control. Carfreestl is our attempt to say, this system isn’t working at all for at least a third of Americans, and under that veneer of freedom, luxury, and convenience, is a series of ugly truths we need to confront.
What is the Week Without Driving?
Week Without Driving is a great opportunity to disrupt the status quo, and to invite people into the process of demanding safe and equitable streets on a grassroots level. Perhaps you are someone who needs to drive because you live far away from your workplace. This is an opportunity to try to take public transit, knowing in advance it will be a challenge, perhaps having to wake up an hour earlier or walking for 15 minutes down a hostile road––now you are in the shoes of people who do that daily. But perhaps there is delight too: how did you spend that time on the bus, and who did you meet along the way? For WWD to really count we need people to go beyond that week alone to create lasting ripple effects––new relationships with sidewalks, roads, transit agencies––for systemic change.
We are particularly excited for the October 4th Bike Bus to City Hall for WWD, which is a STL Coalition to Protect Cyclists and Pedestrians collab. We’ve had various alderpeople and city officials ride before, and we’re hoping to increase that number on this ride!
What else should the people know about?
Our shameless plug is that we have some exciting plans for a print project that we hope will educate and activate the public around these issues as we head into a hefty engagement phase for the city’s Transportation and Mobility Plan. The best way to support our labor and overhead costs (and get some sweet merch in the process) is to join us on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/CarFreeSTL
Trailnet, the regional nonprofit dedicated to Safe Streets for All, has reviewed the newly-released design changes proposed by the City Board Of Public Service for Union Blvd from Delmar to West Florissant.
If well-executed, this ARPA-funded project could transform Union, helping connect people on bikes between Bellefontaine Cemetery and Forest Park. However, the majority of the currently proposed design changes are minor and would maintain the status quo on Union.
First, community outreach and engagement has fallen short for all of the ARPA-funded projects, and Union is no exception.
As to the design changes on Union: There is a new road diet proposed with buffered bike lanes between MLK and Natural Bridge. North of Natural Bridge, however, Union would remain essentially unchanged. There are numerous right turn lanes proposed throughout the road diet section, and in some cases, these dedicated right turn lanes are for streets that are only one block long. Dedicated right-turn lanes create dangerous conflicts between cyclists and drivers, and at their core, are the opposite of traffic calming. Right turn lanes serve solely to get slow-moving, turning vehicles out of the way as they turn. This allows vehicles behind the turning car to continue straight ahead without slowing down. When this is paired with Union’s very straight and flat nature, reckless, high speed driving is sure to continue.
As with previous traffic engineering studies of Kingshighway and Jefferson, the lack of protected bike lanes and continuation of unprotected, painted bike lanes is very disappointing. If the City is serious about championing Safe Streets for All, staff will change this design proposal, and others, to make all streets and sidewalks accessible for all residents.
For more information concerning the traffic engineering plans, and Trailnet’s recommendations, please contact planning@trailnet.org.
Trailnet Champions: 2023 Peloton Society Members
August’s Trailnet Champions are our generous Peloton Society members, whose leadership investments fuel Trailnet’s mission for safer streets.
Nancy and Dick Arnoldy Debbi and Doug Audiffred Ellen Shapiro and Gerald Axelbaum David D. Boltz Rebecca Boyle Connie and Dan Burkhardt Michelle and Mike Cody Tom and Sally Cohn Kathy Fulton and Bill Coppel Rodney Crim and Cynthia Curry-Crim Ann and Vance Crowe Jennifer Cunnane Deborah and Bob Dolgin John Drew Erika Enstrom Matthew Fischer Jane Goode Kathleen and Rich Gund Sarah Hanly and Alexander Babich Paul Higgins Lotsie and Rick Holton Linda and Mike Honigfort Bob and Emily Koplar Nancy and Ken Kranzberg Nancy Meyer and Richard Kutta Susan and Robert Lewis Barbara and Bob Lindecke Michael Lynch Chris and Bridget McAndrew Kathy McHugh Constance McPheeters Cindy and Jim Mense Kyle and Lesli Moylan Melissa and Giancarlo Pillot Jerry and Judy Potthoff Nora Ryan and Ned Golterman Bill and Carla Sauerwein Michael Schwartz and Clara Perry Miriam and Steve Singer John Sweet Terry Luth Thornton Jane and Pat Tracy Nancy Treaster Laurie and Raymond Van de Riet Jr. Henry Webber and Chris Jacobs Robyn and Mark Wittry Marilyn Young
These 2023 Peloton Society members are listed in our recently released annual report to recognize their incredible impact on our organization. Their names appear alongside Trailnet’s successes in making St. Louis better for biking, walking and public transportation last year.
Ready to join their ranks? Become a Trailnet member today at trailnet.org/join
Trailnet is the Official Charity Partner of the 60th Annual Moonlight Ramble
In each of our monthly newsletters, Trailnet features a member of our community who is working toward Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. In July 2024, we featured Jacque Knight.
We interviewed Jacque Knight, AICP—Transportation Planning Lead at CMT & mom to 2 young kids—to highlight her necessary work in the local transportation planning space.
How have you been involved with Trailnet? As a transportation planner in the St. Louis region, I have had the opportunity to get to know the wonderful team of people at Trailnet. The work of the organization focusing on Streets for All is something I do in my work on a daily basis at CMT. From participating in pop-up demonstrations, to hosting the annual gala, working alongside Trailnet is always fun.
How are you helping push the St. Louis region toward “Streets for All”? My focus in the work that I do is about rethinking how streets should function in our City and region. As public spaces, streets are important places within Cities that help connect people to their community. Nearly 1/3 of all American’s do not have a drivers license, and when we focus streets around vehicular mobility, people without that access are left out of society. Providing safe mobility options is a powerful step toward healthy, vibrant and equitable communities. CMT is currently leading both the Walk Bike Jefferson County Master Plan & the City of St. Louis Transportation & Mobility Plan—both exciting projects allowing me to think about better use of street space for all people in the future.
Trailnet Champion: Chris Geden
In each of our monthly newsletters, Trailnet features a member of our community who is working toward Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. In June 2024, we featured Chris Geden.
Chris Geden is the Thrive Outside Program Manager for River City Outdoors and the Director of Community Engagement for the River City Foundation.
“Trailnet’s mission of making the St. Louis region a better place to walk, bike and take public transit goes hand in hand with our mission to make the St. Louis outdoors a more equitable and inclusive place for all,” said Chris. “Two of the biggest barriers to enjoying the outdoors in our region are access and transportation. Both Trailnet and RCO are working to remove those barriers and make the St. Louis outdoors safe and welcoming for everyone, as well as working to educate our residents on why this is vital to our community and economy.”
As well as having overlapping missions and values with Trailnet, River City Outdoors is the presenting sponsor of our Juneteenth Community Ride for the second year in a row.
“People protect what they love,” said Chris. “The Juneteenth Community Ride drives that saying home in a number of ways. It reminds us of the beauty, history and resilience represented in St. Louis’ Black culture. It also shows Black people out enjoying the outdoors together, which is the sense of community that we should all strive for. It reminds us why we should protect cyclists and pedestrians on our roadways, because there’s no better way to see a city than by foot or bike. And it reminds us how to look back in a way that helps us move forward.”
