If it’s lightening when it’s time to ride and walk, then we will not go. The Grand Hall of the Missouri History Museum will be open for our gathering so please join us there if the weather prohibits the ride and walk.
South Grand Cyclofemme / Mother’s Day Bike Ride Recap
Our South Grand Cyclofemme Bike Ride (on Mother’s Day!) was a great success. We saw 123 women and their loved ones come out and ride in support of women in cycling.While the weather started out a little precarious, the sky cleared and the day was perfect.
Several volunteers joined us to help things moving along smoothly, and Big Mike Aguirre provided some acoustic tunes. All in all, a perfect day to go ride a bike!
Last night was the first of a series of kickoff meetings to discuss Trailnet’s Calm Streets St. Louis project.
We had a great turnout, and received some excellent press.
Read the article on STLtoday.com, or read the excerpt below:
By Valerie Schremp Hahn vhahn@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8246
ST. LOUIS • Imagine a network of pedestrian and bike-friendly greenways in the city of St. Louis, where people feel safe to go outside, get some exercise, and spend time going places and getting to know their neighbors.
Trailnet, a cycling, walking and trail advocacy group, is starting the conversation about creating a neighborhood greenway system in the city. On Wednesday night, it hosted the first of three neighborhood meetings in St. Louis to garner neighborhood interest and get input on how a network might be built.
In short, neighborhood greenways are residential streets transformed to encourage biking and walking – in a low-stress, family-friendly way. Streets might have dedicated bicycle lanes, bicycle lanes buffered by landscaping, dedicated signage, or speed bumps and lowered speed limits to encourage cars to slow down. The greenways would build upon the growing network of bicycle lanes in the city.
The city of Portland is expanding on a network of neighborhood greenways. By 2015, more than 80 percent of all Portland residents will live within half a mile of one.
“We see this as something that could take St. Louis to the next level,” said Jennifer Allen, project manager and Trailnet staffer. The group wants to create a cultural shift where the average person feels safe about biking in the city, she said.
The project is part of the city’s sustainability plan, which calls for considering the greenways to help people get around the city. The project will first focus on the Ville, Greater Ville, JeffVanderLou, and Carr Square neighborhoods in north city and Forest Park Southeast and Dutchtown.
Lance LeComb, spokesman for the Metropolitan Sewer District, said at the meeting that the district hopes to work with Trailnet if the greenways become a reality. “Rainscaping,” or managing rainwater where it falls, can be built into the greenway system and help improve the sewer system overall, he said.
Carl Filler, from the St. Louis City Department of Health, also spoke and pointed out that greenways would promote physical fitness. People who live in walkable neighborhoods are two times as likely to get enough physical exercise than those who do not, he said.
Linda Carter, 66, a retired nurse from the Kingsway West neighborhood, likes the idea of a neighborhood greenway system. It will help the planet and people’s health, she pointed out, and she might be more likely to walk in a green space closer to her house rather than a park she has to drive to. “I would be more interested in walking if I would feel more safe,” she said.
Curtis Royston III, 45, an advocate who runs the St. Louis Major Taylor Bicycle Club, which encourages bicycling among African-American youth, loves the idea of a greenway system. Bicycling is a non-aggressive activity that gives children something to do and brings communities together, he said. “The cycling community here in St. Louis is one of the most open and peaceful groups I’ve been involved in,” he said. “There’s a lot of good that can come out of this.”
There’s no money set aside to build such a project yet, but Trailnet still needs community input to see if people want it and, if so, get funding and form partnerships with other groups to build it, Allen said.
Trailnet will be hosting two more kickoff meetings about the project. The next one is Saturday, May 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Thomas Dunn Learning Center, 3113 Gasconade Street. The third is Thursday, May 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Joyia Tapas, 4501 Manchester Avenue. For more information, visit trailnet.org.
It was a great day for our second Trailnet Bicycle Fun Club Ride.
The day dawned clear and bright. It was just cool enough to start with a light jacket. Riders were lining up just a few minutes past 7:00 to register. The bike shop sponsor, Bike Stop Café was crowded with riders eating some of their delicious breakfast items.
Ride registration began at 7:25 and continued until about 9:45. After leaving St. Charles and heading into the country all routes were completely flat. Riders on the long and medium routes had their first stop at the South Shore Marina where volunteers from the American Diabetes Society (Tour de Cure) were on hand with snacks and drinks. South Shore gave riders a cool place to relax and watch the Mississippi roll by before continuing their journey. The next stop was at the Mississippi River Trading Post in Portage des Souix, which provided riders with food and beverages for purchase. The final stop and the first stop for the short route was the former town of Black Walnut. a former water stop on the Katy Railroad and now a trailhead for the Katy Trail. The stop was staffed by the great volunteers from Bike MS who had cold drinks and snacks in addition to the water and bananas and cookies supplied by Trailnet.
Riders finished their ride with a great party hosted by Bike Stop Café. They created a build your own chili dog station, had cold soft drinks and music by two bands.
Due to the fantastic weather, the flat course, and great after party, we had record turnout of 400+ riders! These riders were exposed to beautiful aspects of Missouri nature, potentially new local businesses, and a handful of our non-profit partners.
Trailnet and Complete Streets in St. Louis County recognized
Please take a moment to read this Advocacy Advance blog post about “Winning Complete Streets in St. Louis County,” and the role Trailnet played. Advocacy Advance is a dynamic partnership of the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the League of American Bicyclists to boost local and state bicycle and pedestrian advocacy efforts.
We are delighted to be recognized for leading the first county in Missouri to pass Complete Streets legislation. Many thanks go to our supporters, for helping to make this “win” possible.
Trailnet will be tabling at the Tower Grove Better Block event on Morganford this Saturday from 12-4 . Better Blocks are day long events that use vacant or abandoned spaces as a platform to revitalize streets, helping communities imagine new possibilities. Walking and biking amenities are put in, and pop-up businesses appear for a day.
St. Louis is ready for low-stress bicycle and pedestrian connections. Low-stress connections, as seen below, provide safe, comfortable, and convenient walking and biking routes to popular destinations. Many cities in the U.S. are using low-stress connections because they spur economic development and attract high numbers of bicyclists and pedestrians. It’s time for St. Louis to build low-stress connections and enjoy all of the benefits.
This is a digital copy of the full 100-page guide. Click here to download.
GiveSTL Day is May 6th
Thanks to the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation, Tuesday, May 6 will be the biggest giving day in St. Louis history . . . and with your help, Trailnet will benefit.
Donate to Trailnet during this 24 hour initiative and help raise critical funds so we can continue to . . .
* Improve quality of life and safety by making walking, biking, and taking public transit an easy choice
* Encourage healthy habits and increase economic vibrancy for generations to come
* Help put St. Louis on the list of most livable U.S. cities
Double your donation . . .
* During power hours (8:00 and 10:00 a.m., noon, 2:00, 5:00, and 8:00 p.m.) corporate sponsors will match gifts up to $500 on the first $10,000 raised
* Donate early in the hour for the best chance to double your gift
Prizes for YOU and Trailnet . . .
* Each hour donors will qualify for a drawing for Cardinals tickets
* Each hour we receive a donation, we qualify for a drawing for an additional $500
Share and show you care . . .
* Forward this eBlast
* Share Facebook posts and Tweets
Support Trailnet and the entire St. Louis region by making a gift on May 6 . . .
* Click below, after 12:00 midnight
giveSTLday donations go directly to Trailnet, funding our mission to lead in fostering healthy, active and vibrant communities where walking, bicycling and the use of public transit are a way of life. Your gift will be completely tax deductible and you will receive an acknowledgement directly after you give online.
If you’re taking the Journey Across Missouri and want to camp but don’t want the hassle of making and breaking camp every day, register with Padre’s Cycle Inn. After a long day of riding, Padre’s will provide and set up your tent, mattress, camp chair and towel service – all of the luxuries of home without any of the work. This option is available for all 3- and 6-day riders. Click here for more information and to sign up. Sign up NOW for a special deal: the first 10 tents that are reserved will get Monday night FREE! Sign up by May 30 and get $30 off Padre’s regular price. NOTE: Padre’s requires a minimum number of participants to provide this service – sign up now so that we can ensure that this option is available.
May 4 Bottom Out Bicycle Ride Parking
For the May 4 Bottom Out Bicycle Ride, there will be parking next to Bike Stop Cafe and on Riverside St. When that fills up there is plenty of parking in the Lewis and Clark Boathouse across Riverside. The entrance is just south of Bike Stop Cafe. This will also be convenient for the after ride party since that will be in Frontier Park at the south pavilion.