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Sit down and count

Trailnet volunteers have stepped up to sit down and count people on bikes and on foot. If you have not signed up already I hope you will!

On Tuesday and Wednesday of next week (September 10 and 11) bike/pedestrian counters will be seen at 132 locations throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., finding out where people are biking and walking. And where they’re not.

The data they gather will be used to inform local decisions about bicycle and pedestrian networks. It will also be added to a national database of statistics, and will help to refine bike/ped forecasting.

Filling these slots has been a big undertaking and the response from our volunteers has been impressive. We have 88 slots filled and 29 left to fill. We have a sweet incentive this year – for each slot you fill, your name will be entered in a drawing for an iPad.

The information we collect and record through these counts, which is being done in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway, is essential for so many reasons. Some of you may remember receiving an American Community Survey (the form that replaced the long form census) that asked about how you commuted, and gave you the chance to identify biking or walking. But it didn’t ask you if you walked or rode your bike for other reasons, and that represents more than half of all trips! Counts are a way to capture trips for all purposes.

Counters are also on the lookout for cyclists on sidewalks and cyclists riding against traffic. These numbers will be taken into consideration when decisions about education campaigns are made.

The home page of the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project explains it best: one of the greatest challenges facing the bicycle and pedestrian field is the lack of documentation on usage and demand. Without accurate and consistent demand and usage figures, it is difficult to measure the positive benefits of investments in these modes, especially when compared to the other transportation modes such as the private automobile. This nationwide count provides a consistent model of data collection and regularly updated data for use by planners, governments, and bicycle and pedestrian professionals.

My deepest thanks go to Trailnet’s many volunteers and staff who donate their most precious resource, their time, to this important project. Please check your calendar and see if you can take a shift or two. Your volunteer hours will provide invaluable information.

Thank you.

Campaign Kickoff and Volunteer Thank You Party Photos

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Thank you to everyone who came out for our campaign kickoff and volunteer thank you party held at the Schlafly Tap Room. Special thanks to STL Style for helping us promote the party and campaign.

Sam Scott Case Update

“In this case, there are no winners. There are only losers.” Those were the words the judge in court extended today (Friday, March 8, 2013) to everyone who was present for the resolution of the Sam Scott case. He also said this case was a sad example of what can happen when someone drinks and drives.

Today ended the long string of postponements in the case of Emily Hagan, the intoxicated driver who hit Sam Scott while he was on his bicycle on Delmar Blvd. on the evening of February 3, 2012. Sam died shortly after. Ms. Hagan pled guilty of involuntary manslaughter and waived her right to a trial. The judge sentenced her to three years in a Missouri Correctional Center.

Sam’s mom had a few paragraphs about Sam prepared and the victim’s read them aloud. Sam’s mom wanted the judge and those present to understand who Sam was, not just from her point of view but from others. She wrote about what losing Sam meant to his best friends and his beloved girl friend. She quoted a powerful letter of reference written by one of Sam’s teachers. I was left knowing the world is poorer because we lost Sam.

I don’t pretend to know whether Ms. Hagan’s sentence is “fair” or not. Would she have served more time if she had hit and killed a pedestrian or the driver of another motorized vehicle? Did having a high-powered defense attorney affect the outcome of her sentence?

Am I satisfied with the outcome? As the judge underscored, there can be no satisfaction today. Instead, there must be continued and heightened work to pass essential policies, build the best infrastructure, and educate all users how to safely share our roads. Trailnet is committed to doing just that.

I do believe the presence of bike/ped advocates in court, through the past 13 months of set and postponed court dates, made an impression in the end. I believe Susan Scott’s confidence in Trailnet sent a message that Sam’s community includes everyone who chooses for transportation an alternative to a motorized vehicle. All of us at Trailnet are deeply saddened by the loss of Sam and that no amount of grief, remorse, or punishment will change the unchangeable.

Please be an advocate for safe roads by committing to driving sober and not allowing your friends or family to drive while intoxicated or distracted. Ever. Remember Sam.