Mary Ann and Hugo setting out for a walk in the neighborhood.
As an architect working in the field of sustainable design, Mary Ann Lazarus thinks a lot about what makes a neighborhood a good place to call home. She has lived in her St. Louis city neighborhood for nearly forty years and feels that it has all of the elements that make for a great place to live:
“It has a lovely neighborhood feel. People can walk, they can bike, they know each other, there are places to meet locally that are community gathering spots. There’s a lot of diversity, and a lot of great architecture.”
For Mary Ann, these features translate into much more than just attractiveness and convenience:
“Health and well-being are very much about community and connectedness and we know that the built environment can either contribute to that or it can detract from it. That’s why Trailnet makes sense to me.”
Mary Ann has been a member of Trailnet for many years, has served on the board and is a Peloton Society member. Her considerable investment of time and resources in the organization illustrate her belief in Trailnet’s capacity to play a major role in creating well-connected communities that foster this sense of health and well-being:
“Trailnet does a great job trying to make St. Louis a place where you can walk and bike and live very comfortably without reliance on a car. This is something that is important for any quality city.”
Like all organizations, Trailnet has evolved over its twenty-eight year history. Mary Ann recalls her initial impressions of the organization:
“My early memory of Trailnet is that it made biking something that you talked about in St. Louis. In those early years, biking just wasn’t a reality for a lot of people.”
Trailnet’s initial focus on recreational cycling is perhaps best showcased by its role in refurbishing the Chain of Rocks Bridge and helping to make Grant’s Trail a reality. These well-loved and heavily-used amenities took Trailnet from the realm of message to literally concrete contributions. For many residents of the region, the bridge and trail have become “signature emblems of Trailnet’s influence, and have helped to make bicycling a mainstream form of recreation,” according to Lazarus.
Mary Ann sees Trailnet’s current focus on creating a system of protected bikeways throughout the region as an important transition for the organization, “making bikingsomething that we should have the right to do and do safely.”
As cities across the nation grapple with issues of racial, social and economic equity, Mary Ann views Trailnet as a key player in bringing people together and creating a safer, healthier, connected St. Louis:
“If we are all cooped up in our houses and driving in our cars to our happy little separate lives, we will never solve the serious problems that we are facing. If you just drop your kid off at school in the car and the only kids they ever see are the ones invited over to your house, this just adds to separation and fosters social and income inequities. Having people out on the street seeing each other and knowing each other. Having our children in the playground together, recognizing and respecting differences. This is how you build community. Ultimately that is what Trailnet is all about.”
Woodward Elementary School gets new traffic calming features
In the fall of 2015, the Missouri Chapter of the American Planning Association collaborated with Trailnet, the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Partnership, the City of St. Louis, the Missouri Public Health Association, and community residents to tackle the concern of traffic-related deaths by hosting four pop-up traffic calming demonstrations within the City of St. Louis through the Plan4Health program.
Plan4Health connects communities across the country, funding work at the intersection of planning and public health. Anchored by the American Planning Association (APA) and the American Public Health Association (APHA), Plan4Health supports creative partnerships to build sustainable, cross-sector coalitions.
The successful demonstrations implemented by Trailnet showcased proven methods of slowing traffic and increasing safety with traffic calming designs. The demonstrations were used to educate community members, elected officials, and city staff on how we can work together to create safer, more vibrant, and healthier communities. These educational events have the potential to influence policy change for better street design.
Further, the demonstrations help visualize safer streets, which can lead to healthier communities and encourage active lifestyles. They are also an opportunity for the community to come together and start a dialogue on how we can work together to improve our street designs.
Through the positive conversations spurred by the pop-up traffic calming demonstration, Trailnet worked with BJC School Outreach and Youth Development to plan permanent street design changes by Woodward Elementary School with the City of St. Louis. The location was chosen to increase visibility and safety of the children and families crossing the street to travel to and from school on foot. The changes included an updated crosswalk, curb ramps, a bump out, and stop lines to enhance the crosswalk by the school. The improvements were funded by the Missouri Foundation For Health’s Healthy Schools Healthy Communities program.
Trailnet celebrated the permanent changes at a ribbon-cutting event hosted by the BJC School Outreach and Youth Development staff. The pop-up traffic calming demonstrations led to positive change within the community in under one year! This achievement would not have happened without the support of all those that have been involved with the project. Trailnet is excited to continue to promote safer street designs by using pop-up traffic calming demonstrations.
To learn more about the program please contact Trailnet at planning@trailnet.org.
Counters needed to help St. Louis become an even better place to walk and ride!
We need YOU to help us count people walking and biking at locations throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. Volunteers commit to using a pen and paper (we’ll email you a standard counting form) to count at one street location from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 13, Wednesday, September 14, or both days. Only one person is needed per count location, but feel free to bring a friend, family member, neighbor, or pet for counting company. In case of rain, counts will be done the following week on September 20 and 21.
As we continue to collect bicycle and pedestrian data each year, we are able to show changes in how people walk and bike around the St. Louis region. Last year, volunteers counted more than 9,000 people walking and biking at 60 locations!
Volunteers are especially needed to count in St. Charles County, North St. Louis County, Mid St. Louis County, South St. Louis County and North St. Louis City. Counts in all areas of the St. Louis region help to paint a more complete picture of where people are using walking and biking routes and where better planning for new routes and encouragement and education programs are needed. Click here to see a map of all count locations.
Will you consider counting in an area you have never been before? Bring a lawn chair and get comfortable as you help make St. Louis an even better place to walk and bicycle!
Once you have completed the count, scan or take a picture of the form with your phone and email your completed counting form to taylor@trailnet.org, or drop the paper copy in the mail to Trailnet Attn: Taylor 411 North 10th Street., Suite 202 St. Louis, MO 63101.
All volunteers who submit a completed counting form are eligible to win an Apple iPad!
Optional volunteer training will be held on September 7, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Trailnet’s office (411 North 10th Street., Suite 202 St. Louis, MO 63101). To sign up as a counting volunteer, click here.
Dwayne James loves creating opportunities for people to challenge themselves and succeed at things they never thought they could accomplish. As a Ferguson City Council member, he worked closely with Trailnet’s Healthy Active and Vibrant Communities Initiative from 2008- 2013 to develop Live Well Ferguson, which organizes a variety of community events that bring people together for fun and exercise. Seven years ago, Live Well Ferguson organized the first Ferguson Twilight Run, an annual event that now draws up to two thousand participants.
“The first year we thought we might get 50 people to show up—we ended up with 900 people,” Dwayne said. “We get everyone from little kids, to seasoned runners, to those using a cane to walk the 5K. We’re telling people to show up however you are, as long as you do it. It’s not just good for the individuals or families, it’s good for the whole community because the community comes together and shines.”
Other annual events sponsored by Live Well Ferguson include the Twilight Ramble bicycle ride, and Sunday Parkways, an opportunity for residents to walk, bike and play on streets closed to car traffic.
Live Well Ferguson also promotes healthy food choices through Eat Well Ferguson, a program that provides nutritional information at participating local restaurants, and by offering garden plots at three community garden sites. Dwayne worked with several other residents to craft an ordinance creating the community gardens and conveyed his own excitement as a novice gardener.
“We wanted to do something positive with the empty lots that we had around town,” he said. “The great thing about community gardens is that people get out there to work and neighbors meet each other for the first time…they might live four doors apart but never knew each other. I grew my first cucumber – I was so excited! I just wanted to save it, but I had to eat it eventually.”
Another early goal of Live Well Ferguson was to craft Complete Streets legislation for Ferguson. Dwayne spearheaded this effort in 2008, making Ferguson one of the first communities in the region to pass Complete Streets.
“I am a civil engineer, so streets and infrastructure were things that I had in my back pocket,” Dwayne said. “We were already on a path to build a healthier, more active community, and I knew that designing streets that were safe for all users would be a great asset.”
Having served the maximum number of terms on the City Council, Dwayne is no longer a member, but is still an enthusiastic organizer of Live Well events and is also a Board Member of the Ferguson Youth Initiative.
FYI provides Ferguson teens with a welcoming space where they have access to activities, computers, and adult volunteers who provide tutoring. It also coordinates youth programs with other organizations, like the YMCA, Ferguson Parks and Recreation, and local schools and churches. Most importantly, FYI helped to create a Youth Advisory Board. This group of 10 teens provides a youth perspective on city issues, and gives young people a chance to participate in local government. Dwayne emphasizes the value of the Youth Board for the city as well as the teens who serve.
“It allows them to have a voice and empowers them to do things for themselves,” he said. “It also helps city officials understand what is important to our young people and ways that we can all work together to solve problems.”
Having lived in Ferguson for most of his life, Dwayne is familiar with its struggles, but positive about its future.
“We have people moving into the community, businesses that are growing, citizens stepping up to serve on the council,” Dwayne said. “Ferguson youth are doing amazing things. The schools are graduating some spectacular kids. If you don’t know the good and bad aspects of your community, then you’re not involved. I love Ferguson, I love North County, I love St. Louis. I know that there is lots of work to be done and it’s the entire community that makes things happen. There’s the person who steps up to volunteer, the person who comes out to an event and cheers the runners on, or even the resident who says ‘I’m ok with them shutting down my street to hold this event.’ I have faith in my community and know that working together we will continue to make great things happen.”
Mayor Slay Signs City Traffic Calming Ordinance
Trailnet’s work to show city officials and residents the look, feel, and benefits of traffic calming solutions has paid off! Now that Mayor Slay has signed the City of St. Louis Traffic Calming Policyinto law, there will be a growing number of slower, safer residential streets in St. Louis.
This diagram shows the process that will be followed by the City’s Aldermen, Street Department, and Board of Public Service (BPS) to request, evaluate and install traffic calming improvements to residential streets. Most traffic calming improvements involve speed humps (less abrupt than speed bumps) and narrowed streets that reduce the speed of motor-vehicle traffic and improve safety for people who walk and bike.
South County Connector Project: Truly Dead
The Post-Dispatch got it on record recently: the proposed $120 million “South County Connector” project, intended to link I-55 with I-44 and I-64, has been “permanently shelved” by St. Louis County. Over several years, Trailnet vigorously organized opposition to this project for environmental, economic, and historic preservation reasons.
We worked with many others in this battle, including elected officials like county councilman Pat Dolan, St. Louis alderman Scott Ogilvie, city leaders in Maplewood, Webster Groves, and Shrewsbury, as well as institutions like the Washington University School of Law and non-profits such as Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Sierra Club and the River DesPeres Watershed Coalition.
Although the County declared the project to be “on hold” in November 2014, we realized there was a chance it could resurface. Now, almost two years later, we can declare victory knowing that “permanently shelved” means the South County Connector is really, truly dead.
Trailnet Walk Bike Ambassadors Are Rocking It!
Trailnet’s 12 Walk Bike Ambassadors are located throughout the St. Louis region. They assist with Trailnet advocacy campaigns and events, and help address walking and biking issues in their own communities. For example, Don Orf, our Ambassador in the City’s St. Louis Hills neighborhood, has been working with Alderwoman Donna Baringer, the Streets Department, and the St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association on Complete Streets improvements. These improvements involve street re-design, repaving, and restriping to reduce traffic lanes from four to two, add bike lanes, and create angle parking along beautiful Francis Park. Other improvements around Francis Park will provide easier pedestrian crossings and generally contribute to slower, safer traffic. Don has recently become the chair of the streets committee for his neighborhood association. He has also informed his neighbors about street improvements, his role as a Walk Bike Ambassador, and upcoming Trailnet activities through his neighborhood newsletter and the social media site for neighborhoods, NextDoor. (Don also took a few days in April to ride 210 miles of the Katy Trail – wow!)
Margie Oliver of Hazelwood is working with Trailnet and public officials in her community to bring a Complete Streets presentation before the City Council. Her goal is to see Hazelwood adopt a Complete Streets policy and become the 10th jurisdiction in the St. Louis region to do so. Margie also investigated an upcoming county road project in her area to determine how bicycle and pedestrian traffic would be accommodated. And for a bit of fun and Trailnet outreach before summer turns to fall, Margie has arranged for Trailnet to have a booth at the September 10th Harvest Festival in Hazelwood. She and her fellow Walk Bike Ambassadors will be there to tell festival-goers all the good things Trailnet is doing for better walking and biking, and encourage them to join us!
A Win for Controlling Traffic Speed in Neighborhoods
We’re excited to tell you about a major advocacy win as the St. Louis Board of Aldermen recently passed a traffic calming policy. We’re proud to have played a significant role in propelling this policy forward by training local leaders and members of the community on best-practice street design. Now those inspired folks are taking action!
For years, stop signs have been virtually the only tool used for slowing or calming traffic on neighborhood streets in St. Louis. In many areas of the City, it seems there’s a stop sign on every corner, and many people – bicyclists and motorists alike – grumble about that. With the passage of Board bill 88 by the Board of Aldermen on July 8, far more preferable traffic calming tools will be added to the City’s toolbox. The policy will ensure a process for addressing: 1) excessive speeding through neighborhood streets; 2) cut-through vehicular traffic; and 3) overall safety concerns for those who walk and bike. Mayor Slay should soon sign the bill into law.
From left to right: Alderman Shane Cohn, Community Liaison Wendy Campbell, City of St. Louis Traffic Commissioner Deanna Venker, community partner Matthew Green of Park Central Development, and Alderman Scott Ogilvie get ready for bike tour of Portland, Oregon calm streets.
We encouraged our local leaders to pursue such a policy by showcasing the benefits of calmer streets. In August 2015, we took City of St. Louis staff, elected officials, and partners to Portland, Oregon on a study trip. The trip was part of Trailnet’s Calm Streets project and was highly successful in giving City staff and elected officials a sense of what is possible in engineered traffic calming solutions on neighborhood streets. We also took key City of St. Louis staff and advocates to see examples of best practice street design in Kansas City. The trip built relationships among the group and inspired traffic calming demonstrations. The demonstrations showed residents, officials, and city staff how streets can be redesigned to reduce speeding and increase safety.
We recognize and thank City staff, Deanna Venker and John Kohler, for their significant contributions to Board Bill 88 and the development of the traffic calming policy and process. Thanks also to the Board of Aldermen for an overwhelming vote in support of Board Bill 88.
Century Club Contestants
The 2016 Rides Season is off to a fantastic start! We have had a great turnout for all of our rides so far, and already have contestants vying for induction into the 2016 Trailnet Century Club. Below a list of cyclists who have finished 100 mile routes on our rides thus far:
*If you have completed one of our century rides and do not see your name listed, please email chris@trailnet.org
2016 Missouri legislative session recap
For advocates of better, safer walking and biking, no bills passed in Jefferson City this year that constituted big wins. As usual though, we stopped some really bad bills from passing! Missouri State Representative Jay Houghton dominated the bad bills sponsorship this session. His HB 2046, would have required a 15 foot “safety flag” (see above photo) to be attached to any bicycle on lettered county roads. His second, HB 2047, would have allowed certain users to ride motorized vehicles – ATVs and golf carts – on the tranquil Katy Trail. Both bills failed to pass in the House.
In the “better luck next year” category, bills to ban texting while driving for all ages failed to gain traction in either house this year, despite a large coalition in support. Missouri continues to be one of only four states in the nation that have not banned texting while driving for all ages.
In preparation for 2017 Trailnet and other advocates will be back at it, working to build support for and pass state legislation to ban texting while driving, and assuring that motorized vehicles will not be allowed on the Katy Trail.
In the fall of 2015, the Missouri Chapter of the American Planning Association collaborated with Trailnet, the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Partnership, the City of St. Louis, the Missouri Public Health Association, and community residents to tackle the concern of traffic-related deaths by hosting four pop-up traffic calming demonstrations within the City of St. Louis through the Plan4Health program.
Plan4Health connects communities across the country, funding work at the intersection of planning and public health. Anchored by the American Planning Association (APA) and the American Public Health Association (APHA), Plan4Health supports creative partnerships to build sustainable, cross-sector coalitions.
Through the positive conversations spurred by the pop-up traffic calming demonstration, Trailnet worked with BJC School Outreach and Youth Development to plan permanent street design changes by Woodward Elementary School with the City of St. Louis. The location was chosen to increase visibility and safety of the children and families crossing the street to travel to and from school on foot. The changes included an updated crosswalk, curb ramps, a bump out, and stop lines to enhance the crosswalk by the school. The improvements were funded by the Missouri Foundation For Health’s Healthy Schools Healthy Communities program.
For the fifth year in a row, Trailnet and 
Another early goal of Live Well Ferguson was to craft 
Trailnet’s 12 Walk Bike Ambassadors are located throughout the St. Louis region. They assist with Trailnet advocacy campaigns and events, and help address walking and biking issues in their own communities. For example, 
