Last Thursday evening, seven graduates of Trailnet’s Earn-a-Bike class hopped on their brand new bikes and took to the streets around Benton Park. For several of the novice cyclists, this was their first opportunity to utilize their signaling, scanning, and lane positioning skills. All completed the ride with flying colors.
The Earn-a-Bike class met for four sessions at the Salvation Army on Arsenal and was taught by Trailnet’s Rachel Sleeman, assisted by Ginny McDonald. Participants in the class learned about bike parts and tools, how to remove wheels and fix a flat, and how to load a bicycle onto a Metro St. Louis bus rack. The course also covered Missouri traffic law that pertains to cyclists, clothing and accessories that make biking more comfortable, and techniques for carrying groceries and gear for commuting by bike. Students were individually fitted for their bicycles and helmets, and each received a lock to secure their new bicycle.
The participants, who ranged in age from sixteen to sixty, came to the class with varying levels of experience and with different expectations for how they would use their bicycle. Kieth Miles was a big help to the instructors, having used a bike for many years for transportation, and already handy with tools and techniques of basic maintenance. GiGi, who is also a veteran cyclist, plans on using her bicycle for grocery shopping and errands. Both commented that they could get to most of their normal destinations more quickly on a bicycle than by car and that it was also a healthier way to travel.
Bike St. Louis Phase III implementation begins this week! Phase III includes 40 miles of new bike routes and upgrades to 60 miles of existing bike routes in St. Louis City. This project started with the Gateway Bike Plan in 2009, an intensive 16-month process to plan future bike routes throughout the three county metropolitan region in Missouri.
Trailnet was 1 of 15 stakeholder groups that participated on the Phase III Advisory Committee hosted by Great Rivers Greenway District. We surveyed our members in Fall 2013 to define problem areas and priority locations for bicycling, and received almost 900 responses. We then rode the problem areas with advocates and elected officials to seek out creative solutions, and used this feedback to advocate for high quality infrastructure.
Types of bike routes
Our goal is Streets for Everyone – safe and continuous routes that connect residents to jobs, schools, parks and other major destinations, regardless of age or ability. Trailnet advocated for high-quality, family-friendly routes throughout the planning process. Click herefor a map and listing of new and upgraded routes.
Funding
Phase III is a $1.4 million project, primarily funded with federal transportation dollars. A local match was provided by Great Rivers Greenway District and St. Louis City with existing sales tax revenue. Any municipality is able to apply for federal funds for projects like Phase III. East West Gateway is currently taking comments for the 2015 funding cycle.
Stay tuned for more details! We’ll be following the street crews and posting pictures of the new routes on social media and look forward to hearing your feedback. Please post your pics to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – let’s celebrate this investment in bicycling!
Old Frenchtown Bicycle Tour
One of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, Soulard is known to many residents for its plentiful restaurants and bars, and Obtoberfest and Mardi Gras festivals. Weaving through the tree-lined streets and courtyards in the neighborhood, Harold Karabel lead a group of fifteen cyclists on a tour of Soulard and the adjacent LaSalle Park neighborhood on August 23. As always, Harold provided a fascinating commentary that highlighted some of the architectural gems of the area, explained the area’s long and colorful history, and showed photographs of how specific sites in the neighborhood had changed over the years.
Stops on the tour ranged from tiny stone houses, to brick row houses, to several of the massive churches that soar over the neighborhoods. These churches are a tangible reflection of the area’s cultural past, having been built by the early German, Czech, and Lebanese immigrant communities who settled in the area. The tour also made a stop at Soulard Farmer’s Market, the oldest farmer’s market west of the Mississippi, which has been in continuous operation since the late eighteenth century.
The final stop on the tour was LaBerta and Sons Cycles at 1007 Russell Boulevard. Matt LaBerta has provided eco-sag support for Trailnet’s Community Bicycle Tours for the past two seasons. Riders got a chance to admire the latest frame that Matt is constructing, have a guided tour of the shop by his sons, and received much appreciated ice water.
Trailnet is grateful to George Dennis of the Church of St. Vincent DePaul, who opened restrooms, provided ice, and a shaded pavilion for our ride’s starting point. Many thanks to Harold for his enthusiasm, knowledge, dedication to the city, and ability to locate shade as temperatures neared 100. Thanks to Matt, Mylo and Mason, who almost had a carefree morning, until a rider got a flat at our last stop. Finally, thanks to the cyclists and volunteers who braved the heat to join in on the tour. This tour was funded, in part, by Great Rivers Greenway District.
2014 I Love STL: Bicrobrews Microbrewery Bicycle Tour
Saturday morning, August 16, started off with a steady drizzle of rain and temperatures in the mid 70s. Checking radar, it appeared the skies would clear for our 11 a.m. start but the rain kept coming. Despite the weather, cyclists arrived ready to check out some awesome St. Louis breweries.
Ann Mack’s “Growler” group was the first to start. Behind them was George Nelson’s “blue circles” and then Hawkie Moore’s “let’s party.” As groups departed, more cyclists arrived excited for the tour.
The next groups to depart were Dave Beattie’s “Oranges” and Ian Hackett’s “purple shooters.” Groups were initially divided with 20 riders in each but approaching the end of registration, groups included close to 40 cyclists. Barrett Schmidt’s “blue balls,” Brian Hanke’s “black beards” and Steve’s “Crazy Train” began the ride at around 11:30 a.m.
Trailnet offers a variety of bike education programs, ranging from half-day Bike Smart classes that familiarize participants with bike handling and safe riding practices, to multi-session Earn-2-Bikes classes. Earn-2-Bikes participants learn about bike maintenance, how to ride safely, and leave the class with a brand new bike of their own. The most recent Earn-2-Bikes class was held on Saturday mornings at the Pink House in Pagedale. The class began with eight participants, ranging in age from fifteen to fifty-four; over the course of the four sessions, many other community members stopped in, eager to see what was happening in the classes. Taught by Trailnet’s Rachel Sleeman, the class began with an introduction to the parts of a bicycle and the proper use of basic bike tools. Thanks to this session, students learned bike maintenance skills (like how to change a flat tire) and also how to communicate problems to a professional bike mechanic.
Trailnet’s bicycle education programs emphasize bike safety and encourage the use of a bike as a mode of transportation. The Pink House participants became familiar with Missouri traffic laws that apply to cyclists, and learned techniques and skills essential for riding safely on roads. The classes also covered information useful for bike commuters, and gear and clothing that help to make bike commuting easier and more comfortable. The course also covered ways to combine cycling and public transit to get around town more easily.
Students received their own multitools and patch kits and were all individually fitted with a new bicycle helmet. On the last session of the class, each participant received a new bicycle and bike lock, purchased from the Ferguson Bicycle Shop. Gerry Noll, the owner of the shop, stopped by to meet the participants, confirmed measurements to make sure that all of the bikes fit properly, and explained the free tune-ups that he provides for bikes purchased from the shop.
Mr. Curtis Lomax, one of the class participants, has been supportive of the Pink House since it opened in 2011. In talking with Pink House’s Regina Martinez, Mr. Lomax described the Earn-2-Bikes class as “Amazing…I thought we would get used bikes. But they were brand new, measured to fit.”
Trailnet thanks Beyond Housing and the Trio Foundation for support of our bike education programs, and Rebuild Foundation’s support of the Pink House. Special thanks to Rebuild Foundation’s Regina Martinez for photos.
For more information about Trailnet’s bicycle education programs and upcoming class offerings, click here.
The streets are our largest public space. People riding bicycles and driving cars should be held accountable for following the rules of the road and ensuring that the streets are for everyone.
Summary of Missouri Bicycle Laws:
Bicycles are vehicles under Missouri law (307.180) and cyclists have the same rights and duties as operators of other vehicles (307.188)
Cyclists shall ride as far right as is safe except when making a left turn, when avoiding hazardous conditions, when the lane is too narrow to share with another vehicle, or when on a one-way street (307.190)
Cyclists may ride abreast when not blocking other vehicles (307.190)
Cyclists may ride on the shoulder of the road, but are not required to (307.191)
Cyclists shall ride in the same direction as traffic (307.191)
Cyclists shall signal when turning (307.192)
Bicycles shall be equipped with brakes (307.183), a white front light, and a rear red light or reflector (307.185)
Motor vehicles shall not park or idle in bicycle lanes (303.330)
Operators of motor vehicles shall maintain a safe distance when passing cyclists (300.347)
Cyclists shall not use the sidewalk in a business district (300.347)
If a red light does not change for a completely stopped cyclist after a reasonable time, the cyclist may proceed if there is no approaching traffic (304.285)
For a more comprehensive list of Missouri Bicycle Laws click here.
Time Lapse Video – Bridge Birthday Bash
Thanks to one of our riders, Chris Marshall, for the view of out Chain of Rocks Bridge Birthday Bash.
Enjoy!
Revitalization, one Invested Neighborhood at a time
Trailnet partnered with InveSTL to produce the I <3 STL: Invested Neighborhoods Community Ride on Saturday, June 28. Riders gathered in Greg Freeman Park at Four Corners in the Skinker Debaliviere neighborhood and hit the road for an 8-mile ride showcasing the phenomenal community work taking place north of Delmar. The Skinker Debaliviere Community Council sent us off.
Our journey took us down the Ruth Porter Mall trail, part of the beautiful St. Vincent Greenway network. Our first stop was the St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO), located in the West End neighborhood. SLACO serves as an umbrella coalition for the St. Louis Metropolitan area neighborhood associations. Joining us at the SLACO offices was Elizabeth Simons of Great Rivers Greenway District, who discussed how trails and greenways can transform our sense of place. She also shared exciting developments from St. Vincent Greenway, Inc., and how they strive to advance the health and safety of the neighborhoods surrounding the greenway.
Next up, we ventured to Pagedale to visit Beyond Housing’s Family Support Center. This community anchor organization has worked directly with residents to gather input on Pagedale’s potential. They host children’s summer camps, family-friendly evenings in the nearby park, and have even worked to bring a supermarket to Page Avenue. All of these activities have helped empower residents to access greenspaces, affordable childcare, and healthy food.
Our 26 riders all expressed that they enjoyed the ride immensely – especially for the opportunity to learn more about communities north of Delmar Boulevard that are too often overlooked.
Saturday, June 29 started off cloudy and followed a rainstorm so the pavement was still damp when this classic Trailnet BFC ride started. The temperature was warm, in the mid-70’s, and the humidity was high.
Many eager riders arrived before 7:00 ready to roll but were held off until about 7:20. It seems like arriving early is the new “fashionably late.”
Turnout was excellent, with more than 500 riders of all ages and biking experience. The parking lot at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was filled to capacity. We created four routes ranging from 20 to 65 miles so there was something for everyone. Riders of all routes went to Wilson Park in Granite City for their first stop. That stop was staffed by great Bike MS volunteers who provided snacks for the riders. The middle, long and extra long routes went out to Horseshoe Lake State Park for the next rest stop. That is a quiet and scenic oasis in the middle of urban Metro East. The long routes then went on to Edwardsville and our friends at Sacred Grounds for another tasty rest stop. The extra long riders had their final stop at the Confluence Tower in Hartford, IL.
All routes crossed the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and ended up at the famous Birthday Bash. At the bash riders were treated to live music from Generation Gap, hot dogs from Roger’s Hot Diggity Dogs, lunch from Steamroller Bagel, and three special micro brews from Square One Brewery. For dessert there was outstanding birthday cake from The Cakery and always-delicious frozen custard from Ted Drewes.
Even though the clouds looked ominous at times throughout the day, not a drop fell on any part of the ride or party.
Rachel Sleeman, assisted by Ginny McDonald. Participants in the class learned about bike parts and tools, how to remove wheels and fix a flat, and how to load a bicycle onto a Metro St. Louis bus rack. The course also covered Missouri traffic law that pertains to cyclists, clothing and accessories that make biking more comfortable, and techniques for carrying groceries and gear for commuting by bike. Students were individually fitted for their bicycles and helmets, and each received a lock to secure their new bicycle.
class with varying levels of experience and with different expectations for how they would use their bicycle. Kieth Miles was a big help to the instructors, having used a bike for many years for transportation, and already handy with tools and techniques of basic maintenance. GiGi, who is also a veteran cyclist, plans on using her bicycle for grocery shopping and errands. Both commented that they could get to most of their normal destinations more quickly on a bicycle than by car and that it was also a healthier way to travel.
Trailnet offers a variety of bike education programs, ranging from half-day Bike Smart classes that familiarize participants with bike handling and safe riding practices, to multi-session Earn-2-Bikes classes. Earn-2-Bikes participants learn about bike maintenance, how to ride safely, and leave the class with a brand new bike of their own. The most recent Earn-2-Bikes class was held on Saturday mornings at the 
Trailnet’s bicycle education programs emphasize bike safety and encourage the use of a bike as a mode of transportation. The Pink House participants became familiar with Missouri traffic laws that apply to cyclists, and learned techniques and skills essential for riding safely on roads. The classes also covered information useful for bike commuters, and gear and clothing that help to make bike commuting easier and more comfortable. The course also covered ways to combine cycling and public transit to get around town more easily.
with a new bicycle helmet. On the last session of the class, each participant received a new bicycle and bike lock, purchased from the 
hanks 
