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.
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.
Board Bill 105, Establishing the Automated Camera Enforcement Act:
Initiates the use of automated enforcement cameras, a research-based strategy that is effective in preventing speeding and running red lights.
Mayor Jones approved the bill on 4/17.
Board Bill 106: Establishing the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Improvement Fund and authorizing the appropriation of those funds:
Allocates a portion of the funding from automated enforcement fines to safety improvements in high crash areas.
The bill passed the board 15-0 on 4/15 and awaits the Mayor’s approval.
At the City Charter Commission: Initial approval to put the formation of a City Department of Transportation on the November 2024 ballot, which would be a major step towards improving coordination and efficiency in managing the City’s transportation network.
Originally published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Recently, Aldermanic President Megan Green, on St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking, spoke on the need to address traffic safety during the upcoming aldermanic session. Trailnet, the regional nonprofit dedicated to safe streets for all, has several recommendations for Aldermen to consider.
First, the use of American Rescue Plan Act funds in Ordinance 71650 must include community engagement and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. The city cannot pave and stripe its way to safety for all; protective infrastructure changes must be made.
The aforementioned can be done by enacting new Complete Streets legislation. The City’s current Complete Streets guidelines were recently scored 30 out of 100 by Smart Growth America. A more rigorous complete streets policy, strictly adhered to by city officials, would increase safety for people walking, biking and driving.
Trailnet supports Board Bill#105 on automated enforcement and Board Bill#106 concerning surveillance and the establishment of a Neighborhood Traffic Safety Fund. We are, however, concerned with Board Bill #185 regarding surveillance. We recommend the establishment of a committee, made up of an equal number of residents and city officials, to create policies and monitor the implementation of all the bills.
Finally, keeping the public more informed on infrastructure changes and traffic safety is essential for a safer environment. Providing accessible updates on City infrastructure spending—perhaps on the City website—would promote transparency and allow the public to better understand how projects are progressing.
For the third year, Trailnet is releasing a first quarter Crash Report, which compares the number of bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular crashes from January 2023 to March 2023 to the same time period in 2022 within the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.
There are a few trends worth noting:
12 people were injured while walking or biking on Grand Blvd in the City of St. Louis in Q1.
Gravois Ave was the next highest crash corridor in the City. 8 people walking were injured. There were zero fatalities on Gravois in Q1.
A new high crash corridor emerged in St. Louis County. Clayton Rd, which was not a top crash corridor in either of our last two annual reports, has already been the site of three crashes in the County.
The Governors Highway Safety Association recently reported that, in 2022, the nation notched its highest number of pedestrian deaths since 1981. In St. Louis those numbers have continued to rise in 2023, with crashes in most categories increasing or holding steady in Q1.
The City of St. Louis’ BB120 funding has focused some of its attention on Trailnet’s previously-named high-crash corridors, which is a good start. We want to acknowledge the City for dedicating resources to this epidemic. Trailnet looks forward to learning more about how we can support the design and review of these infrastructure plans to help expedite the process towards construction.
In addition, we encourage both City and County officials to supplement infrastructure improvements with more urgent measures, including quick-build solutions, equitably implemented traffic enforcement and improved drivers education.
Trailnet will continue tracking this crash data—and regional leaders’ response to traffic violence— throughout 2023.
