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.
Campaign Videos
Thank you to all of our volunteers for helping us spread the word: We Know A Better Way.
This campaign was made possible by funds from the Federal Highway Administration through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Thank you to all of our volunteers – the stars of this campaign.
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This campaign was made possible by funds from the Federal Highway Administration through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Bike Index Registry – St. Louis Pilot
The Bike Index was started in Chicago in 2013 by a group of bike shop employees and bicycle lovers frustrated by the prevalence of bike theft. They regularly saw people trying to sell stolen bikes, and would search for the bikes online—but it was too difficult to find definitive information about them because too few people save their serial numbers.
So they built the Bike Index platform, a voluntary, easy to use registration system that will eventually house bike serial numbers from across the nation. The team launched a successful Kickstarter to hire a full time programmer and connect with pilot cities.
After a year of work, the Bike Index now does what no other registry does: it provides a way to verify used bike sales, offers a comprehensive search, and reaches bicyclists who don’t know that registration is possible.
Trailnet applied for St. Louis to be a pilot city after discussions with Mayor Slay and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The Bike Index was impressed by the level of cooperation and selected St. Louis as the first pilot. From founder Seth Herr, “The fine leaders at Trailnet have made the process of connecting with the city as smooth as a finely-tuned bicycle.”
Trailnet is now an official Bike Index Partner which allows you to register your bike for free:
The fear of additional costs for Complete Streets is common. Many people believe that every street will need to be retrofitted with improved sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes when the policy is adopted. This is not true – the most common method of implementation is to make incremental improvements during regular maintenance. New roadway projects will include these elements from the beginning, during the design phase before construction has started.
Some standard Complete Streets infrastructure projects, such as changing pedestrian signal timing at intersections, add nothing to the cost of a signal.
In Charlotte, NC, the Department of Transportation found that the cost of adding sidewalks and bike lanes was less than the normal annual variation in road construction costs.
A study of the costs in Iowa estimated that including Complete Streets infrastructure would increase project costs by 5.4%. In other words, 95% of the planned and scheduled projects could still be completed with current funding levels, with the added benefit of biking and walking infrastructure. (See fact sheet for further examples and citations.)
Additional costs associated with the routine accommodation of walking, bicycling and public transit represent a small percentage of a transportation department’s total budget. On a project-by-project basis, any additional money spent is actually a long-term investment in public health, improved property values, economic revitalization, and increased capacity and improved mobility for all. Americans expect a variety of choices, and a multi-modal system of Complete Streets provides alternatives to driving. Implementing Complete Streets shifts our priorities to design for all users of the road.
Trailnet advocates for comprehensive Complete Streets legislation. Complete Streets policies ensure early multi-modal scoping, saving money by avoiding costly project delays. Without a policy, walking, biking, and public transportation accommodations are often debated too late in the design process and considered a disruption rather than necessary and beneficial project features. This creates expensive design revisions, time delays, and erodes public support. Furthermore, the failure to accommodate these user groups can trigger an expensive retrofit project at a later date.
Complete Streets makes fiscal sense and it meets the demands of our highest growing demographics. Without this legislation, people will simply choose to live in better connected places. Voters have twice chosen to tax themselves to create a more walkable, bikeable, connected region with Prop C in 2000 and Prop P in 2013. St. Louis County is poised to be a national leader with the adoption of this policy.
Complete Streets passed in St. Louis County last night, setting the vision to create connected streets that allow all people, regardless of age or ability, to travel safely to their destination.
The bill allows the County Departments of Planning, Parks and Recreation, and Health to have input into the transportation system that connects children to schools, people to parks, and neighborhoods to services. It also allows municipal leaders and stakeholder groups to participate in setting goals and priorities for the region.
To see a copy of the Complete Streets bill that was passed in St. Louis County on Tuesday, January 21, click here.
Trailnet staff put in countless hours (and a lot of blood, sweat and tears) to get this policy passed. This work is supported solely by member donations. Please donate now to help us continue this work to create a more walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly St. Louis region.
Councilman Dolan was tireless in his pursuit of a bill that would work for all the stakeholder organizations, and deserves our thanks. Councilman Stenger co-sponsored the bill early on, putting his support behind Complete Streets. The final vote was six in favor and none against, with one Council member abstaining.
Thank you, as always, for your support. We can’t wait to see you out on the streets and trails in our great communities.
Ann Rivers Mack
Chief Executive Officer
Streets for Everyone Brochure
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.
If you would like a print copy of the brochure featured below, stop by Trailnet’s office or look for one at our events.
Trailnet is waiting to hear St. Louis County’s response to all of the comments submitted about the DEIS. Once we hear their response, we will determine our next course of action.
Below are the remaining steps of the process according to NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) law, which will be followed if St. Louis County decides against withdrawing the DEIS.
Though the public comment period for the DEIS document is over, if you did not send a letter, feel free to call County Executive Dooley’s office to express your concerns. He can be reached at 314.615.7016.
