Trailnet Visits Jefferson City for Bicycle and Pedestrian Day at the Capitol
On April 11, a Trailnet delegation of nine advocates traveled to Jefferson City for Bicycle and Pedestrian Day at the Capitol, joining other advocates from around the state to support and oppose certain bills in the House and Senate. Three Trailnet staff, one board member, two Walk Bike Ambassadors, and three long-time Trailnet members spent the day lobbying state representatives and senators.
One of the highlights of the day was the chance meeting with two couples from Wisconsin and California who happened to be on a Katy Trail vacation. They heard about HB 2047, which would allow motorized vehicles on the Katy Trail, and came to the Capitol to ask questions.
“We won’t ever come visit this area again if Missouri allows motorized vehicles on the Katy,” one Katy Trail adventurer said before asking, “Who can we talk to?”
Trailnet managed to schedule a meeting with them and a Republican House member where the travelers effectively presented their opposition to HB 2047 as people who love the Katy just the way it is.
With just weeks left in the legislative session, we continue to monitor the status of HB 2047 and other bills. Alerts will go out if any action is needed.
Ask Mayor Slay, “What’s the plan for preventing crash injuries and deaths?”
Last year there were 21 pedestrian crash deaths on St. Louis streets – the highest total in 30 years of MoDOT records. Crashes also claimed the lives of one cyclist and 31 people in vehicles. In January, Trailnet’s executive director wrote to Mayor Slay about the City’s growing traffic violence and requested a meeting to discuss some solutions.
Last month the meeting at City Hall took place, though Mayor Slay did not attend. The Mayor’s Office declined Trailnet’s recommendation to implement a Vision Zero strategy, which more than 10 US cities have done in the past several years. The City said “no” to Vision Zero, suggesting it would be an empty promise to the public because it lacks the money for implementation. Trailnet responded by saying the City of St. Louis must have an action plan for preventing crash deaths and serious injuries, and progress should be clearly articulated to residents. The Mayor’s Office agreed to create an action plan, but we have no commitment as to when such a plan will be forthcoming.
So, we’re asking, “what’s the plan?” for addressing this public safety issue. Trailnet urges all concerned about the safety of those who walk, bike, and drive in St. Louis to ask City Hall this question. Tweet your concerns to @MayorSlay using #WhatsThePlan? or email slayf@stlouis-mo.gov and copy Trailnet. Let the Slay administration know that traffic deaths are preventable, not inevitable, and it’s time to act.
A Fond Farewell to Marielle
We’d like to wish a fond farewell to our former bicycle and pedestrian planning manager, Marielle Brown. After a long, successful career with Trailnet, which started in early 2012, Marielle has accepted a position as Capital Improvement Project Liaison for the City of St. Louis, Board of Public Service.
As the Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning Manager, she created plans for eight communities in the region. For more than four years, Marielle energized our bicycle and pedestrian planning process by redesigning our plans to include outreach at community events, neighborhood walking tours, and early action projects. These elements engaged the community during the planning process, galvanized support for adopting the completed plan, and became the groundwork for supportive policies like complete streets.
Marielle was the first Trailnet staff member to become a routine voice in providing technical expertise in regional transportation planning and funding efforts. She became the go-to expert for educating local governments on how to incorporate walking and bicycling into applications for federal funding. She also had a talent for unpacking difficult technical issues and translating the information for a broad audience. Much of her recent work was focused on envisioning traffic calming. Through a number of demonstrations, Marielle worked with communities and public officials to rethink street design.
The culture of Trailnet’s office was also highly influenced by Marielle, who managed to impress all with her vegan cooking. It’s safe to say the general nutritional health of Trailnet’s staff and it’s exposure to quality cooking will be significantly diminished by her absence.
Marielle’s thoughtful and progressive approach to bicycle and pedestrian planning has been highly valued and is now woven into the fabric of our mission and core values. We’re honored to continue her legacy as we move forward to improve walking and bicycling in the region.
Trailnet tracks proposed state legislation and looks for opportunities to engage you in creating important policy change. We have no active advocacy alerts at this time, but we will be in touch as soon as action is needed. Here’s a list of the legislation we support, oppose, and the issues we’re working to address.
State legislation we support
All ages ban on texting while driving – Expands the current ban on sending, reading or writing a text message to include ALL persons operating a motor vehicle in this state, not just those 21 years of age and younger.
Getting tougher on dangerous drivers – Increases fines and driver’s license suspension periods for drivers whose fail to yield or cause injures or deaths. Such drivers would also be required to pass a driver improvement program before driving privileges would be reinstated.
Establishing minimum distance for passing a cyclist – 24 states set a specific minimum distance for vehicles when passing a bicyclist. Missouri should do so as well.
Allowing motorized traffic on the Katy Trail – Allows golf carts and ATVs on the Katy Trail for certain individuals. Users value the Katy Trail precisely because motorized vehicles aren’t allowed. In addition, a fiscal note estimates the costs involved in retrofitting the trail to accommodate motorized vehicles would run well over $40 million.
Transportation funding that meets the needs of all – Missouri spends only nine cents per capita on public transportation funding, which ranks 44th of the 50 states. Missouri also fails to provide any dedicated state transportation funds for walking or bicycling. Transportation options that meet the needs of all citizens are vital to a strong economy and public health. Our state legislators need to advance a comprehensive transportation funding proposal this year!
Traffic calming demonstrations produce promising data
In fall of 2015, the Missouri Chapter of the American Planning Association collaborated with Trailnet, the HEAL Partnership, the City of St. Louis, and community residents to host four pop-up traffic calming demonstrations within the City of St. Louis. The demonstrations showcased proven methods of slowing traffic and increasing safety with traffic calming designs. The Missouri Chapter of the American Planning Association, Trailnet and the HEAL Partnership used these demonstrations to educate community members, elected officials, and city staff on how we can work together to create safer and more pleasant streets.
Like most U.S. cities, the St. Louis designed its streets to prioritize people driving, making our city less pleasant and less safe for people on foot. In the U.S., 12 percent of fatal traffic crashes involve people walking; however, in St. Louis that figure is 36 percent. Last year, 19 pedestrians were killed in the City of St. Louis. In fact, more pedestrians were killed in 2015 than in 2013 and 2014 combined. These sobering statistics earned St. Louis a designation as a Focus City by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, joining 16 other U.S. cities in which pedestrian and bicycle deaths are higher than the national average.
These crashes are a consequence of streets designed to accommodate streetcars and high levels of traffic. For example, some residential streets in St. Louis are as wide as 65 feet, which is wide enough for five highway lanes. This encourages excessive speeding and puts people that walk in danger. Moreover, high-traffic, high-speed roads create impassable boundaries that effectively turn neighborhoods into “islands” for people walking. For households that do not have any cars, high stress roads limit access to important amenities, such as parks and schools. Pedestrian safety is a growing concern in St. Louis, and traffic calming can help solve this problem by slowing down vehicles and prioritizing safe and pleasant streets over moving traffic.
At the pop-up traffic calming demonstrations in the neighborhoods of Dutchtown, Carondelet, JeffVanderLou and the Ville, colorful tires, cones and plants were used to narrow traffic lanes, add roundabouts, create medians, extend sidewalks, and highlight crosswalks. In each neighborhood, speed guns were used to collect speed data; trained volunteers observed and tallied vehicular stops as “completely stopped,” “rolling stop, or “no stop” and Trailnet surveyed residents of the neighborhood on their perceptions of the street’s safety and accessibility. Data was collected during the demonstrations as well as on non-demonstration days to help understand how traffic calming impacted the neighborhoods.
With traffic calming measures in place, cars drove slower, came to more complete stops, and were less likely to roll through stop signs. Residents expressed that their local streets felt safer and more pleasant. During the traffic calming demonstrations, residents said it was easier to cross the street since it was more likely cars would obey stop signs and follow the speed limit. In most neighborhoods, the survey results indicated the traffic calming demonstrations improved residents’ perceptions of the street’s safety, and most residents expressed that the demonstrations made their street feel more pleasant.
Trailnet looked at average differences in response taken during demonstrations as well as without a demonstration in place. In most neighborhoods, the survey analysis showed the demonstrations results were positive in regards of safety.
The only exception was in the Dutchtown neighborhood (Gasconade Street between Compton Avenue and Minnesota Avenue). While some of the survey results in Dutchtown were negative, the survey analysis suggests that these differences might have been random occurrences. These results can be partly explained by the fact that some residents were hesitant with certain aspects of the Dutchtown demonstration. For example, some residents felt they weren’t well enough informed about the traffic calming demonstrations and were upset to have parking spaces were removed from the street. also, some residents were hesitant about one of the proposed traffic calming designs; the chicane, which causes drivers to swerve slightly. Residents feared the design would turn Gasconade Street into a one-way street. In reality, this feature maintains a two-way street with enough space to have two cars pass each other.
Overall, in all four neighborhoods, average vehicle speed fell nearly 7 mph with the traffic calming demonstrations in place. When pedestrian crashes do occur, slower vehicle speeds result in fewer pedestrian deaths.
The Ville demonstration (St. Louis Avenue between Sarah Street and Whittier Street) was especially successful with the average vehicle speed falling nearly 13 mph and the number of complete stops during the demonstration increasing from 34 percent to 65 percent. The demonstration site was served by four bus stops, so the increased stops helped people to get to their buses safely throughout the day.
Because of the success of these events, Trailnet is making the resources from these demonstrations available for free to any organization or St. Louis neighborhood wanting to create a similar demonstration in their community. For information on accessing these materials, contact Grace Kyung at grace@trailnet.org or 314-436-1324 ext. 110.
To see the full results from these demonstrations see the infographic below.
Last week Trailnet, along with other organized bike, pedestrian, and trail advocates, urged members of the Missouri House Conservation Committee to vote “NO” on HB 2047, which would allow motorized traffic (ATVs and golf carts) on the Katy Trail. The committee will most likely vote on the bill this week.
We sent our comments to the committee Wednesday, February 10, outlining the reasons behind our opposition. To see our full comments, click here.
At this time we only want to make you aware of the bill’s existence. No action on your part is requested since the bill may die in committee. The bill will likely lose traction because of its recently estimated fiscal impact to implement: it would cost the state over $40 million to accommodate ATVs and golf carts. This news may change the minds of the bill’s supporters.
Still, if the bill moves forward in the legislative process, we’ll send an advocacy alert to mobilize public opposition to the bill.
Shortly after our opposition email was sent to the house committee, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a story about the bill, and much more opposition to the bill was generated. We hope this dialogue continues. The Katy Trail is meant to cater to those who wish to enjoy active lifestyles in a natural setting without the dangers of motor vehicle traffic. We’re ready to work to keep it that way for the many benefits it provides to people and our economy. Stay tuned to our social media sites for updates.
While there are so many achievements to reflect upon from 2015, it goes without saying that all of us at Trailnet are busy planning for an even more exciting 2016. It is with renewed focus and commitment that we bring you all of the events, programs, and special attention to the issues that continue to shape the future of the St. Louis region.
Looking back, we first celebrate the accomplishments of our employees. We affectionately call them the “class of 2015” due to their energy and commitment to the legacy of Trailnet. This highly motivated group brought new ideas and a rekindled spirit to Trailnet—one on which we continue to build.
As a result, we were able to implement creative and progressive methods with our public engagement. We introduced newer marketing materials to help better illustrate our mission and purpose: to make walking and biking better in St. Louis. We completed a constituent survey and published the results. We gathered our cohorts and members at our Share the Street Party. We celebrated our heroes and thought leaders at our Active Living Awards and Benefit Concert at the Sheldon.
It was you who joined us and helped shape a better understanding of what Trailnet is and what is important to you, as well as our members, constituents, and supporters.
We build community around active lifestyles
We hosted more than 25 walking and biking “active events” designed to inspire anyone with the urge to get up and get out. This included all of the 14 rides on our Bicycle Fun Club calendar, six cultural rides, a three-day Lucky’s Ride on the Katy Trail, the Ride of Silence for fallen riders, Bike to Work Day, and much, much more.
Through a partnership with Great Rivers Greenway, more than 1,100 students received in-classroom bike safety education. As a direct result, 119 kids started riding without training wheels.
An all-time high of 34 adults earned new bikes from the Ferguson Bike Shop in our Spokes for Folks Class, supported by Beyond Housing. Each student attended five sessions on bike maintenance, safety, traffic skills, and on-the-bike skills, adding up to more than 340 hours of contact time with students who now feel confident using their bikes for transportation.
In partnership with the League of American Bicyclists and Great Rivers Greenway, Trailnet trained 12 new League Certified Instructors. Each instructor was already an experienced rider and committed to three days of intensive training and classroom simulations. These 12 individuals now have the skills and confidence to teach bicycle education classes throughout the region.
These events and all that are scheduled for 2016 are only made possible by the support of sponsors, businesses, volunteers, and our cherished board members and staff. We are all stewards of Trailnet with one thing in common: a goal to make St. Louis better!
We work for better streets
“It’s how we represent and involve our members and our constituency. We help write policy and voice opinion on items important to the mission of Trailnet.”
—Janet Matthews, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Trailnet
In April, we organized a St. Louis delegation of 12 advocates to lobby for distracted driving legislation and transportation funding in Jefferson City. We also advocated for a stronger focus on St. Louis pedestrian safety with an opinion piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and began partnering with resident-led Greater Gravois to ensure high-quality bicycle and pedestrian improvements would be included in MODOT’s Gravois Improvement Project.
In August, we took a study tour of City of St. Louis staff, elected officials, and partners to Portland, Oregon. The trip was part of Trailnet’s Calm Streets St. Louis project and was highly successful in propelling traffic-calming policy and the creation of pilot routes.
In the same month, we advocated for continued use of automated enforcement to reduce crash-causing behaviors like speeding and red light running in a Post-Dispatch letter to the editor. We then we formed the first Trailnet Board Advocacy Committee and developed an advocacy policy.
Next, we challenged action by St. Charles County leadership to limit O’Fallon’s road funds unless the city refrained from consideration of a “road diet” on Main Street. And finally, in November we launched the Walk/Bike Ambassadors program to expand Trailnet’s advocacy reach throughout the region.
We create bicycle and pedestrian plans
Our planning department had an exciting year as well. In the fall of 2015, the Missouri Chapter of American Planning Association, the HEAL Partnership, and Trailnet received a Plan4Health grant from the CDC in partnership with American Planning Association and American Public Health Association to work together to implement pop-up traffic-calming demonstrations. The demonstrations were used as a tool to educate one another on how to create safer streets in the City of St. Louis.
We also started a St. Charles Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and finalized a Des Peres plan. These plans provide a blueprint for the development of pedestrian and bicycle improvements throughout the community, making it safer and easier to reach local destinations, including parks, schools, transit, and commercial areas.
By hiring Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner Grace Kyung, we doubled the planning department’s capacity. Grace has a Masters in Public Health and a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, one of the top three planning schools in the nation.
Governance, stewardship, and organizational sustainability in 2016
In 2016, we will strengthen our organization and our leadership in order to take on a bolder vision for the region. While biking and walking and a focus on changing the built environment continues to be our platform, it is with the same purpose that we seek to understand, interpret and promote that which makes St. Louis unique in order to help cultivate, attract and retain talent—this in the spirit of the right type of economic development.
-Ralph Pfremmer, Executive Director, Trailnet
The speed cushion: one of many great traffic calming tools
The Plan4Health project has proven to be an asset in creating important conversations around traffic calming. It has also helped the Healthy Eating Active Living Partnership strengthen relationships with other stakeholders in the St. Louis region.
Among other opportunities, the Plan4Health project lead to a renewed connection between Trailnet and local bicycle advocate Martin Pion. Martin has been working hard to create dialogue around effective measures for traffic calming. He was very generous in allowing Trailnet to use his temporary speed cushion at one of our four traffic calming demonstrations.
Speed cushions are similar to speed humps, but they have a smaller surface area and can be offset with wheel cutouts, allowing larger vehicles (like emergency vehicles) to pass through without reducing their speed.
Trailnet thanks Martin for the donation of his speed cushion and for sharing his resources with us. To learn more about Martin’s work please read this article he posted on traffic calming.
New transportation bill preserves bicycle and pedestrian funding
Congressional negotiators reached an agreement Tuesday on a new five-year, $305 billion transportation bill, but once again failed to find a long-term way to pay for transportation. The new bill, called Fixing America’s Surface Transportation, or FAST, cobbles together federal gas tax revenues and $70 billion in transfers from other areas of the federal budget, such as selling oil from the Strategic Reserve ($6 billion), and raiding the Federal Reserve’s “rainy day fund” ($19 billion). FAST is expected to pass both chambers by December 4, when transportation spending was set to expire. President Obama is likely to sign the bill this week.
According to the Washington Post, FAST increases money for pedestrian and bicycle programs and protects funding for transit. Other reports have indicated that funding for pedestrian and bicycle programs will remain status quo. More details will emerge soon, but it looks like a significant win since such programs have been threatened with cuts during the transportation bill development process.
Locally, we expect Safe Routes to School programs as well as bicycle and pedestrian projects to continue to be funded and to get more people moving.
The lobbying work of Trailnet staff and supporters, and that of many advocates across the country, made a difference over the past year. In addition, a debt of gratitude is owed for the diligent work of Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Peter DeFazio, alternative transportation advocates in their own right and vice-chairs of their respective transportation committees.
Thanks to Wells Fargo Advisors
Trailnet would like to recognize Wells Fargo Advisorsas a collaborative partner in achieving our vision to see St. Louis as a more active, vibrant, and connected community. Their corporate leadership serves as an excellent example to inspire others. Funding from Wells Fargo Advisors allows Trailnet to concentrate resources on comprehensive neighborhood-based economic and community development initiatives. Their support helps to advance St. Louis toward being a top ten livable city in the U.S. where walking and biking are safe and easy. Trailnet truly values our long-standing relationship with Wells Fargo Advisors. If you would like to find out more about how your company can join arm-in-arm with Trailnet, please call Kay Barnes, Director of Development, at (314) 436-1324 ext. 104 or emailkbarnes@trailnet.org.
One of the highlights of the day was the chance meeting with two couples from Wisconsin and California who happened to be on a Katy Trail vacation. They heard about HB 2047, which would allow motorized vehicles on the Katy Trail, and came to the Capitol to ask questions.
We’d like to wish a fond farewell to our former bicycle and pedestrian planning manager, Marielle Brown. After a long, successful career with Trailnet, which started in early 2012, Marielle has accepted a position as Capital Improvement Project Liaison for the City of St. Louis, Board of Public Service.
Like most U.S. cities, the St. Louis designed its streets to prioritize people driving, making our city less pleasant and less safe for people on foot. In the U.S., 12 percent of fatal traffic crashes involve people walking; however, in St. Louis that figure is 36 percent. 
saying that all of us at Trailnet are busy planning for an even more exciting 2016. It is with renewed focus and commitment that we bring you all of the events, programs, and special attention to the issues that continue to shape the future of the St. Louis region.
Trailnet would like to recognize