Can I log my transit trips on Shift Your Commute?
Shift Your Commute is multi-modal! Any combination of biking, walking, or transit trips to or from work can be logged. For more information about Shift Your Commute, click here.
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Charter Business Members
We thank the pioneer businesses listed below for stepping up to support Trailnet’s vision and programs. We are grateful to each of you for your investment in our work. Whether your business employs a few people or thousands, a Trailnet business membership benefits your employees, helps to encourage healthy living, and makes you visible to our large and engaged audience. Join the businesses listed below in helping to create a more vibrant, active region. For information about Business Membership, click here.
Washington University Office of Sustainability
Kirkwood City Council Accepts Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan
At a meeting on May 7, the Kirkwood City Council voted to accept the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. You can view or download the plan here.
Trailnet would like thank the Planning Advisory Committee and all of the residents that helped shape the plan through their input and comments. The exemplary dedication of the residents, elected officials, and staff of Kirkwood strengthened the planning process.
Froebel Literacy Academy Spring Field Day
A rainy day did not dampen students’ enthusiasm for the May 20 Field Day at Froebel Literacy Academy in the Dutchtown neighborhood. Children ranging from pre-school through fifth grade participated in a variety of activities coordinated by school staff and community partners, including Trailnet.
Students and teachers enjoyed smoothies produced by Trailnet’s pedal-powered “bike blender.” One after another the kids lined up, taking turns spinning their legs to swirl the fresh fruit and juices. Even those with legs too short to reach the pedals eagerly mounted the bicycle while Trailnet staff helped out by manually turning the cranks.
Waves of children rotated through a circuit of activities in the building, including basketball in the gym and scooter races in the hallways. Trailnet offered a version of musical chairs that involved student leaders parading through traffic cones and leading buddies through a “crosswalk” set up in the cafeteria. Each student received a poem stressing the importance of “using your head before your feet” while walking in the neighborhood. The poems were entered into raffles for sunglasses, flashing safety lights, and “footie” bracelets.
Trailnet has partnered with Froebel for the past two years, organizing a variety of activities aimed at improving pedestrian safety around the school. These activities have included Walk to School Days, an after school “Walk Ambassadors” program for Froebel’s Leadership students, and surveys soliciting parent input about transportation in the neighborhood.
Trailnet also recently completed a traffic study of the area surrounding the school in order to outline recommendations for infrastructure and behavioral changes that will improve pedestrian safety. One issue cited by the traffic study was the lack of a crosswalk and stop sign at the school’s front entrance where many parents drop off and pick up their children.
Before leaving, Trailnet presented the school with a portable stop sign, safety cones, reflective vests and hand-held stop signs. This equipment will be used to improve safety at the drop-off area and by crossing guards at nearby intersections. Trailnet thanks Mr. Von Smith, Froebel’s Family and Community Specialist, and Anne Thomas, Academic Instructional Coach, for an ongoing partnership that has been highly rewarding and lots of fun. We also thank the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Dana Brown Charitable Trust, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, the Saigh Foundation and Wells Fargo Advisors for funding our work in Dutchtown.
Spring Earn A Bike Class
Richard Palk will use his new wheels to commute to work in downtown St. Louis
The Pink House, a Community Arts Space in Pagedale, was the site of our most recent Earn a Bike class. Six students, ranging in age from thirteen to twenty-nine, met on Friday evenings from March 20th through April 10th. During the five week program, they learned about bike tools and clothing, basic maintenance and Missouri bicycle laws. Students gained practical experience in shifting gears, using their brakes properly and riding safely and confidently on city streets. By going through the program, each student earned a brand new bicycle from the Ferguson Bicycle Shop, individually-fitted and with life-time free tune-ups. Students also received a lock, helmet, and a blinking rear light.
Prior to taking the class, all of the students relied upon public transit or walking to get where they needed to go. Three of the six students will be using their bicycles to get to school; the other three class members will be using their bicycles to commute to their jobs.
On the last evening of class, students and instructors rode on neighborhood streets to the St. Vincent Greenway, a great place to celebrate their new wheels. On the night he received his bicycle, class participant Jay Mitchell rode his bike from Pagedale through downtown to the riverfront and back. He said he was having such a great time that he completely lost track of time, and before he knew it the sun was starting to rise.
Pink House Director, Gina Martinez, reports that she often sees Earn a Bike graduates pass by on their bikes en route to work or school.Trailnet thanks all of the students for their enthusiastic participation and wishes them many miles of safe and fun riding. Thanks also to Gerry Noll of the Ferguson Bike Shop for custom fitting the bikes. Trailnet’s bike education programs are funded by Beyond Housing and the Trio Foundation. For more information about Trailnet’s bicycle education programs and upcoming class offerings, click here.
Request for Proposals: Calm Streets Facilitation Consultant
Trailnet is seeking a facilitation consultant to bring the Calm Streets St. Louis project into its second phase–putting us on a path toward constructing low-stress, green, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. If you’re a seasoned facilitator with the ability to build organizational structures and workplans, solidify community visions, and advise on community outreach, take a look at our request for proposals below. You’ll find an explanation of theCalm Streets St. Louis program as well as a list of requested services and our evaluation criteria.
Safety is the priority for alternative transit in St. Louis
Trailnet, Missouri Department of Transportation, and Bi-State Development Agency advocate “Safe Roads for All” during National Bike to Work Day
Trailnet celebrated the St. Louis region’s 10th annual Bike to Work Day Friday, May 15. Sponsored by Great Rivers Greenway, Missouri American Water, and Saint Louis Bread Co., the event drew more than 560 cyclists dedicated to making biking a way of life in St. Louis. Sponsors, volunteers, and Trailnet staff hosted refueling stations throughout the area, offering coffee and bagels to all bike commuters. Bike to Work Day helps to build a sense of community, promotes environmentally-friendly modes of travel, and inspires people to maintain healthy, active lifestyles.
The Missouri History Museum hosted a refueling station during Bike to Work Day and was also the site of the Safe Roads for All Press Conference. Speakers highlighted the progress made in alternative transit over the past year and discussed their vision for a healthy, safe, and vibrant future in the St. Louis region. The conference was presented by Trailnet, The City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Bi-State Development Agency/Metro, and Great Rivers Greenway.
Maggie Crane, communications director for 
the Office of Mayor Francis Slay, drew applause from the audience when she announced St. Louis will include its first bike and pedestrian coordinator position in the city’s 2015-2016 budget. This is one step required to boost the region’s overall bike friendliness ranking, as evaluated by the League of American Bicyclists.
Ralph Pfremmer, Trailnet’s executive director, stressed the importance of installing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to improve the health of local communities as well as the environment. “For the future, it’s critical that the expansion of well-designed bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure continue,” Pfremmer said. “By increasing safe and pleasant opportunities for walking and biking, we will build the confidence of our users and improve public health and the environment. These assets of our community will most certainly attract and retain talented young people and entrepreneurs, adding to the vitality and economic prosperity of our region.
In addition to the Missouri History Museum, Trailnet-hosted refueling stations at: Big Shark in the Loop, Missouri Botanical Garden, The Downtown Bicycle Station, Urban Shark, Kaldi’s on DeMun, and Mississippi Mud Coffee Roasters.
Area businesses and organizations also committed to sponsoring “DIY” refueling stations. Participants included the DeSales Community Housing Corp., Ferguson Bicycle Shop, Lyon Park, Microgrid Energy, Nebula Coworking, Pedal the Cause, St. Louis Development Corporation and City of St. Louis Health Department, St. Louis Earth Day, St. Louis University’s Simon Recreation Center, the St. Louis Zoo, The downtown O’Fallon office of Scott Air Force Base, and W.W. Grainger. A map of all of the station locations is available at trailnet.org.
Bike to Work Day was organized in partnership with The City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, the Missouri Department of Transportation, and Urban Shark Bicycle Company.
Century Club Riders
Five of Trailnet’s 2015 BFC rides included century routes. In addition, there were five opportunities for century routes on our non-profit partner rides. Below are lists of riders who completed centuries for each of these events:
For information about the Century Club, click here.
Tweed Ride – first cultural tour of 2015
Forty tweed-clad bicyclists rode through the neighborhoods surrounding Tower Grove Park on Saturday morning, enjoying spring blooms and several of the architectural gems that grace the area.
Michael Allen of the Preservation Research Office led the tour, which included McDonald Park, the Carpenter Branch Library, Pope Pius V Catholic Church, Roosevelt High School and the headquarters of the National Organization of Garden Clubs. At each stop, Michael presented the fascinating history and architectural significance of the site.
The tour wound its way through Tower Grove Park,
visiting the Christopher Columbus statue (one of few examples in the world of the explorer sporting a beard), and the stone ruins salvaged from the Lindell Hotel that sit at the edge of the park’s central pond.
The ride ended at The London Tea Room, where many members of the group enjoyed Afternoon Tea and lunch (don’t miss their tomato soup and croissants).
Many thanks to LaBerta and Sons Cycles for providing eco-SAG support, to Michael Allen for choosing our destinations and sharing his seemingly limitless knowledge of the area, and to Mark Axe and Peter Wollenberg for the great photographs. Trailnet thanks The London Tea Room not only for providing delicious food and a variety of fancy teas to riders, but also for donating part of the proceeds from their sales to Trailnet.
Join us for our next Cultural Tour, The Art of Riding, on Saturday, May 2, and remember – May is National Bike Month!
Bike Smart Classes for 2015
Would you like to feel more comfortable riding your bicycle on city streets? Do you want to reduce your carbon footprint by commuting by bike? Trailnet can help build your confidence by teaching you practical skills that make biking easier.
We will offer monthly Bike Smart classes the 4th Tuesday of each month from April through September. The classes will take place in Ritz Park on South Grand from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The cost for each class is $10 and scholarships are available. For information, contact Cassie at cassie@trailnet.org or call at 314.436.1324 ext. 117
Classes are made possible by Great Rivers Greenway.
Click on the links below for topics to be covered each month and to register for classes.
Tuesday, April 28: Commuting 101/Basic Road Maneuvers
Tuesday, May 26: Rules of the Road/Basic Road Maneuvers
Tuesday, June 23: How to Fix a Flat Tire/Emergency Maneuvers
Tuesday, July 28: Commuting 101/Basic Road Maneuvers
Tuesday, August 25: Rules of the Road/Basic Road Maneuvers
Tuesday, September 22: How to Fix a Flat Tire/Emergency Maneuvers