Use our interactive map to report outdoor spaces and routes that don’t allow for safe social distancing or complete this online form.
Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders, St. Louis and cities across the world are witnessing an unprecedented increase in the usage of our parks, trails, and other public spaces. However, even though exercise and outdoor activities have been deemed essential, many of our public spaces don’t provide room for residents to maintain proper social distancing. This has unfortunately led governments to close some beloved public spaces.
To help address this problem many cities, including St. Louis, are closing streets and creating new spaces so people can still be active while maintaining proper social distancing during stay-at-home orders.
Our communities have the opportunity to create more public space for people to safely walk and bike. As advocates for walking, biking, and healthy living across our region, Trailnet is here to help them accomplish that.
Why do we need to convert more of our public space for people?
Creating more public space allows people to stay active while maintaining proper social distancing
More public space can help to reduce overcrowding on our park, trails, and sidewalks, preventing the need to completely close existing spaces
Maintaining social distance on sidewalks, trails, and streets requires expanded sidewalks and new ways of sharing streets and public space.
Many communities in St. Louis do not have adequate sidewalks for people to practice safe and proper social distancing
Walking in the street is becoming more common as people practice proper social distancing, however, this increases their risk of getting hit by car traffic
Families and vulnerable populations are at risk of injury and infection in over-crowded parks and trails
People who rely on public transit could have an option to safely bike or walk to their destination, avoid overcrowding, and help prevent exposure.
What can our communities do to provide more public space?
Temporarily close roads in parks to car traffic
This has already been done in several St. Louis City Parks including Tower Grove Park and partially in Forest Park, but if all area parks followed this model, it would allow residents to social distance properly while staying active.
Temporarily close specific roads to non-essential car traffic
Residents who live on the streets, delivery vehicles, and emergency vehicles should all be able to access the temporary closures.
Temporary lane conversions
As vehicle travel decreases, this provides an opportunity to temporarily convert car-travel lanes to extended sidewalks or bike lanes to allow more space for social distancing.
Provide communication to important community decision makers.
If a group of residents or a neighborhood wants to close their street to essential traffic only, community leaders should be accessible and provide an easy and hassle-free system to allow residents to create public space in front of their homes.
What Trailnet is doing to push these ideas forward?
Talking to local leaders about these challenges and opportunities
Trailnet has been communicating with local leaders to present challenges people are facing and exploring solutions to these challenges. We are also providing resources and guidance for communities that want to create more public spaces.
Collecting data on existing conditions
We created an interactive map and form for residents to use – which will identify public spaces seeing the greatest use and overcrowding. This will help identify optimal areas to convert into public spaces.
Gathering partners and recording recommendations
Trailnet and community partners are working together to identify optimal locations to convert into public space based on numerous factors and the data provided by the public.
Get educated on ideas and best practices
There are numerous articles and examples of best practices on creating public spaces across numerous countries and cities. Trailnet has been compiling these resources, which you can access here.
Reach out to your local leaders
Contact your local government personally about opportunities to create public spaces in your backyard
Provide them with ideas and solutions on how we can improve conditions during this pandemic
Spring Programming Update
Due to COVID-19, Trailnet is shifting some of our spring and summer programming to new dates and new platforms. Since we can’t meet in person or hop on our bikes for a group ride, we’ve been coming up with some ways to stay engaged with our community while maintaining physical separation. Read below for more information on how we are adjusting to the situation. We’ll update this page as time goes on, so be sure to check back!
Trailnet Scavenger Hunts (NEW!) – Get out, get active, and stay healthy: Join Trailnet on their first ever scavenger hunt series! Our first event will be taking place April 15-19 followed by two May events in honor of National Bike Month. Check out our event page for more info on how you can participate.
Digital Dust Off (NEW!) – It’s getting warmer, plants are budding, and your bike’s got a flat tire. It always takes a little effort to get back in the saddle after a cold winter and even more so when you’re doing it alone, but Trailnet’s here to help! We’ll be hosting some online hangouts to cover a variety of topics from cleaning, to maintenance, to dealing with unpredictable weather and pandemics. We’ll also cover some of the basics like smart cycling and safe driving practices. Have any topics in mind? Email joe@trailnet.org to submit a request. Click here to head over to the event page.
Zwift Group Rides (NEW!): An indoor cycling group ride experience for you to do on your home trainer. Make the most of your quarantine by linking up with friends for a virtual cycling experience. We will be doing two events during National Bike Month, May 7th and May 21st.
Breakfast for Bikers (POSTPONED):April is here and so is that good biking weather we’ve all been waiting for! It’s also that time of year when local bike commuters might notice Trailnet’s Breakfast for Bikers program. Out of necessity, we are postponing our favorite bicycle encouragement program that gives out free coffee and pastries the third Friday of each month to safeguard the health and well-being of commuters and our partners who help make it happen. But don’t be dismayed – Trailnet is working on other ways to encourage biking! Stay posted for future events that aim to excite and inspire your bike life. You’ll have to bring your own coffee, though.
Bike Month & National Bike to Work Day (POSTPONED): Following national and local health guidelines, Trailnet will be postponing our normal programming for Bike Month and National BTWD until Tuesday, September 22. We will be following the new schedule as announced by the League of American Bicyclists. As the league states, May is still national Bike Month which means that Trailnet will be working hard to bring you things to do, on and off your bike.
If you were a participating DIY refueling station or bike home happy hour host in previous years, we invite you to continue your support of National Bike to Work Day. Click here to learn more about how your business or organization can take part!
Stay Safe, Rediscover, and Reconnect
We are excited to see so many people out riding, walking and safely using public spaces. However, fighting the spread of COVID-19 and caring for our neighbors and family is the immediate priority.
As the scope of our day-to-day shrinks and our perspectives shift more tightly in on the immediate community, our individual homes, and families, we’ve seen the need for core transportation increase.
Walking, biking and the use of public green space have become more popular during the pandemic as we saw in all of the State and County parks prior to their closing.
Our biggest hope to see a lasting and positive change after this crisis.
None of this outweighs the enormous impact and tragedy of COVID-19.
In this scary, uncertain time, we hope everyone can:
Stay safe, stay informed and take every step to stay healthy.
Rediscover our streets, sidewalks, and trails as places of refuge and shared value.
Reconnect (virtually) with loved ones, neighbors, and your community.
Thank you to the people working on the front lines of this crisis, our healthcare workers, grocery store and restaurant workers, delivery workers, transit workers, first responders, and everyone continuing to keep our community and nation running.
Please do whatever is within your means to support these and all people affected by this virus.
Most of all, stay safe.
You’re helping build a bike lane: Tower Grove Ave
Renderings from Cortex to Tower Grove Connector (2019)
Your membership supports our work to make St. Louis streets better for biking and walking.
Your support allows our team of committed advocates, planners and educators to engage lawmakers, community members, and partner organizations to build support and excitement for bike infrastructure improvements.
Cortex to Tower Grove Connector
Together with the City of St. Louis and other partners, we’ve developed this $9.3 million project and applied for a $6.5 million federal grant. This combination of public and private dollars would fund a two-way protected bike lane along Tower Grove Ave. and Vandeventer Ave. with additional bike and crosswalk improvements along Tower Grove ave and Sarah.
At every step along the way, our staff has been meeting with city officials, developers, community non-profits, neighborhood associations and other stakeholders. This was only possible through your generosity.
The Cortex to Tower Grove Connector would upgrade one of the busiest bike routes in the city, connect more people to Metro Link and make riding and walking along this route safer for people of all ages and abilities.
This grant is part of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program from the US Department of Transportation. This is a competitive grant aimed at reducing traffic congestion and improving environmental air quality. We will likely know this June if this project is recommended for funding with a final grant decision in August.
This started with you and it takes time.
Five years ago we surveyed our members to find out what would make you feel safe and comfortable riding bikes in St. Louis. Overwhelmingly, Trailnet members supported a connected network of protected bike lanes.
This led to the two-year Connecting St. Louis project that engaged 4,000 individuals in our community and 60 partners groups to identify the areas of greatest need for on-street bike improvements. Your support made this process possible.
As a result of all that community input, we published a network of recommended protected bike lanes, bike routes with traffic calming infrastructure and policy recommendations. These route and policy recommendations have been our roadmap for pushing the City and community partners to improve biking and walking infrastructure.
Following this roadmap and the priorities of members like you, we held meetings over the last year-and-a-half with aldermen, the streets department, community members and more to assemble support for these corridors, with Tower Grove Ave. as a key priority.
Design and Tradeoffs
The proposed Cortex to Tower Grove Connector is the result of blending ideal bike infrastructure designs with the real-world restrictions of the space, existing needs and cost.
Currently, Tower Grove Ave (between Tower Grove Park and Vandeventer) has two lanes of car traffic, two painted bike lanes, and two lanes of parking heading north and south.
The proposed design would shift both bike lanes to the west side of the street as a two-way protected bike lane, paralleling the park and continuing north. It would then shift to the east side of the street at the McRee intersection, with special traffic signals, and continue north to Vandeventer. At Vandeveter the protected bike lane would then continue on the east side of Vandevener up to Sarah, where it would shift back to the west side of the road. The route would then continue north, switching to a Calm Streets style treatment, North of Forest Park Parkway.
This two-way protected bike lane creates separate space for people riding bikes from car traffic and people walking on the sidewalk. Along with the physical barrier between bike and car traffic, this project also includes intersection and traffic signal upgrades, accounting for bike traffic, high-visibility crosswalks for people on foot, and a fiber-optic connection between each traffic light, allowing for the signals to be optimized to improve the flow of traffic.
Existing infrastructure, rain-water management, parking, construction costs, building standards, and numerous other competing factors lead to this current design. The two-way protected bike lane was chosen as a compromise between maintaining parking and car traffic lanes along the route. This kind of consensus and user-focused design is only possible when committed advocates like our staff work with engineers, stakeholders and neighbors to balance everyone’s needs while shepherding this project along from its initial conception.
Thank you for enabling us to do this work.
Moving Forward
We are confident that the Cortex to Tower Grove Connector is a strong candidate for federal funding. Following a potential announcement of funding in August, this project would then undergo a professional engineering study designing specific intersection and route improvements tailoring it to the needs of people who bike, walk, use wheelchairs or other mobility devices. This step could take up to a year, followed by another year of environmental review. Barring, potential delays, construction on this project could begin in 2022 or 2023.
This is an undoubtedly long and slow process, as are most infrastructure projects, however we are committed to follow this at every step along the way, ensuring it meets the needs of people of all ages and abilities.
Time is the most important tool to building streets for all people, and while we wish we could snap our fingers and start building, this patient advocacy and accountability are key to building a region where biking and walking are a way of life.
Thank you for your support of Trailnet and our focus on improving walking and biking and getting people moving.
Strawberry Ride | COVID 19 Cancellation
In light of the growing number of COVID 19 cases in our region, we have decided to cancel our 2020 Strawberry Ride in St. Jacob, Illinois scheduled for May 17th.
While this event was scheduled to begin after Missouri and Illinois’ existing shelter-in-place orders, it appears likely that these orders could be extended. There is currently not enough information about the future of this crisis for us to confidently host an event in May.
Our priority is and always will be the health and safety of our participants and host communities.
We contacted people who have already signed up to give them different registration options.
We are also working with our event partners to reschedule this ride and will keep you informed.
This is a very uncertain time, and while we hope to host as many of the 2020 Trailnet Classics as we can, we will continue to prioritize public health needs.
At this point, we have paused registration for our rides later this summer. Currently, all our other rides are set to continue as scheduled, but we will continue to monitor the situation and announce the decisions of our upcoming events.
These rides are important to us, our riders, and are part of our work to get more people biking in our region. Because of the support of our participants over the years, these rides have also grown to be a vital source of funding for our educational, planning and advocacy programs.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, we will keep you up to date on our plans as they evolve.
Stay safe.
Voice Your Support | Cortex to Tower Grove Connector
Act now for safer biking on Tower Grove Ave. Add your voice to those supporting a protected bike lane connecting Tower Grove Park to the Grove and Cortex.
You can help this project by submitting your comments for protected biking and walking infrastructure with the sample email below. The public comment section is open until this Thursday, March 26.
Last month, together with community partners, Trailnet worked with the City of St. Louis to apply for a $6.5 million federal construction grant to build a two-way protected bike lane (two-way cycle track) along Tower Grove Ave. and Vandeventer Ave. with additional bike and crosswalk improvements along Tower Grove Ave. and Sarah Ave., as well as signal optimization to decrease congestion.
This project which grew out of our Connecting St. Louis recommendations: the Cortex to Tower Grove Connector, would upgrade one of the busiest bike routes in the city to a protected bike lane, connect more people to Metro Link and make riding and walking along this route safer for people of all ages and abilities.
This grant is part of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program from the US Department of Transportation and managed by the East West Gateway Council of Governments (EWGCOG).
This is a competitive grant aimed at reducing car traffic congestion and improving environmental air quality, and you can help!
Help make this project a reality, add your voice today!
How To Comment:
We’ve included some draft language you can personalize to voice your support.
Follow this link (this doesn’t work in all web browsers). If directed to the EWGCOG site, select [St. Louis City] and [CORTEX-TOWER GROVE CONNECTOR] to submit a comment.
Or
Send an Email to: TIP@ewgateway.org
SUBJECT LINE: Comment on TIP 8218-23, CORTEX-TOWER GROVE CONNECTOR
-Copy and paste this subject line
-Copy, paste, and personalize the draft comments below:
Do you live or work in the community where the project is proposed?
I (live/work/travel through) near the Tower Grove Connector project.
Do you support, have concerns about or oppose this project?
I strongly support the Cortex-Tower Grove Connector Project (project number 8218-23)
What are the key reasons for your position?
This project will increase safety for people biking along Tower Grove and Vandeventer by providing physical separation between people biking and people driving. Tower Grove is currently one of the busiest corridors for biking in the City, and could really benefit from increased separation and more defined space for people who bike on this corridor.
The high visibility crosswalks along the corridor and new pedestrian crosswalk signal at Sarah will make it easier and safer for people walking to get across the street.
The traffic signal optimization will help alleviate congestion along the corridor and provide benefits to people who drive along this route, making this a winning project for all users.
This project will help address the poor air quality concerns we have in St. Louis by decreasing congestion through better-coordinated traffic signals (through people idling in cars) and providing people with safe transportation options other than driving a car in accordance with the City of St. Louis’ Sustainability Plan.
Anything else you’d like us to consider or comments you’d like to share about this project?
Name or organization:
Your first and last name
2020 Transportation Survey Results
Click the infographic to expand
During February, Trailnet launched a general transportation survey to gain information on transportation trends and preferences of residents in the St. Louis region. We asked questions about walking and biking infrastructure, policy preferences, personal trends in active living, and other topics.
We want to thank everyone who took the survey in February and gave Trailnet feedback on how we can improve to achieve our mission to make healthy, active, and vibrant communities where walking, biking, and using public transit are a way of life. We are already making tremendous strides this year to improve walking and biking infrastructure and policy with our projects like the Tower Grove Connector, Tucker Blvd planning project, and St. Louis County Action Plan for Walking and Biking.
We’ve compiled some statistics from the survey which can be seen in the infographic to the right. We’ve also compiled some additional statistics, which you can read below.
Transportation Usage and Preference Data
92% of respondents drive a car “daily” or “a few time a week”
50% of respondents bike for fun/fitness “a few times a week”
8% of respondents bike to get to work “daily”
65% of respondents said they would like to walk for fun/fitness more in the next ten years
42% of respondents said they want to more about types of walking and biking infrastructure and the pros/cons of each
Policy Preferences
We asked people about the prioritization of five different transportation policies. Here’s how they ranked (1 being most important, 5 being least important).
Automated Enforcement on red light and speeding violations
Infrastructure Questions
We asked what the minimum level of biking infrastructure people would need to feel safe on a collector road (Geyer or Compton Ave, 25 – 35 mph), 28% of respondents (the highest percentage) preferred an on-street conventional bike lane.
When asked about how you would spend $10 million in bike facility improvements in the St. Louis region, here was the breakdown:
47% – 10 miles of protected bike lanes
35% – 75 miles of conventional (un-protected) bike lanes
11% – 400 miles of signalized bike routes (way finding signs and sharrows)
7% – 1.25 of greenways/multi-use paths
Tucker Boulevard Improvements Roll Forward
Tucker Boulevard between Chouteau Ave. and Washington Ave. is one step closer to seeing improvements recommended by Trailnet’s Connecting St. Louis Plan. This is thanks to the generous support of members and supporters like you, partners including The City of St. Louis, Downtown STL, People for Bikes, Alderman Jack Coatar, and a number of family foundations who are making this effort possible.
Creating a more people-centered Tucker is a primary recommendation of the Connecting St. Louis Plan. The plan recommends transforming the corridor to provide better downtown access for people on bikes and on foot. It also seeks to add bus stop improvements for the five bus routes on this corridor.
Trailnet funded a preliminary engineering study to bring this project closer to construction. It includes curb protected bike lanes on the West side of the street with floating bus islands, pedestrian refuge islands, crosswalk signal upgrades, and high-visibility crosswalks along the near-mile long section of Tucker.
This will make Tucker a more safe and pleasant place for those not in an automobile. It will also provide a safe and protected way for people on bikes to get over the rail yards to the south. The rail yards have been identified as a stressful and dangerous barrier to people getting into and out of downtown by numerous studies including the Downtown Multi-Modal Plan and Trailnet’s Connecting St. Louis plan. There is More to come, but this corridor is close to being transformed into a safer and more pleasant place for everyone. The next step is fundraising for the 20 percent match construction funds required for the City of St. Louis to apply for Federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds if they become available later this year. Stay tuned!
Trailnet Champion: Jeff Powell
Jeff Powell has been teaching kids about active transportation for 31 years. Jeff supports Walk/Bike to School days at Fairway Elementary School. Trailnet introduced the Walking School Bus to Fairway Elementary more than 10 years ago and worked with Jeff to help hundreds of kids walk and bike to school, teeing them up for a lifetime of active transportation. Alongside being a P.E. Teacher, Jeff also teaches mountain biking summer camps. Keep reading for a Q & A with Jeff about all his awesome work!
“Being an elementary PE teacher is my passion. Teaching kids to ride is just another avenue to share this passion.”
How did you become connected with Trailnet?
It was way back in 2004 when our school, Fairway Elementary, had just opened. I met Mandy Brady from Trailnet and learned about the program. Since Fairway Elementary was built in the middle of several neighborhoods, it was the perfect opportunity to teach the kids and families safe routes to school. I talked one of the PTO reps into being the school’s parent/teacher liaison for the event. Her name is Rebecca Timm and she worked wonders helping get other parents involved. Conveniently, Rebecca is also my sister. She had two kids of her own attending Fairway at the time, easy pickings. Trailnet was able to provide many suggestions, guidelines for the Walking School Bus Champions, and gave us connections to get our school moving forward safely. On October 7, 2005 we held the first Walk/Bike to School Day at Fairway. It still exists through our PTO. The first three years had unexpected attendance, 82%, 89%, and 92%! We still average about 90% each year.
What work have you done, or are currently doing, to advance walking and biking in St. Louis?
As a teacher, I support our PTO by promoting the school’s Walk/Bike to School Day each year in all of our PE classes. Along with this day, we teach street/neighborhood safety as part of our school’s Health curriculum. This includes walking and biking on the sidewalks, traveling in groups, obeying all traffic signs, stranger safety, and using your senses to be aware of your surroundings. To encourage the kids to ride and walk to school, I too frequently ride my bike to school since I lived in the same neighborhood. They get a kick of how I push a button, the doors open, and I ride down the hall right to the gym office.
Here in St. Louis I am a member of GORC, Gateway Off-Road Cyclists. Through them I found the chance to support their trail work as they “contribute a great deal of experience in designing safe, sustainable, multi-use trails.”
Can you tell us about your involvement in Bike Camps?
The first mountain club I sponsored was in 1991 at Parkway West High School. It was called the Parkway Wheels West mountain bike club as we were supported by the Wheels West bicycle shop. We would do rides together and it enabled the high schoolers a chance to try cross country mountain bike racing. In 1995, we took our first guys trip to Crested Butte Colorado. I’m still friends with several of them to this day. I have been teaching kids to mountain bike for well over 11 years starting with the district’s Community Education program. Being an elementary PE teacher is my passion. Teaching kids to ride is just another avenue to share this passion. The interest in this type of class has grown immensely over the years beyond that one annual summer camp. What started with three elementary kids and one PE teacher has become Wheels UP, LLC. Now with Cody Jones, we have instructed hundreds of young riders to discover the pure joy of mountain biking. Over the past 2 years this has come to include adults of all ages too. Our Youth camps are tailored out of the foundation of BICP based skills and lessons. We specifically cater our lessons to be safe while pushing skill progressions to help each rider achieve the soundest fundamental riding base. We offer different level rides to accommodate from a 1st time off-road rider to an experienced advanced skill clinics. We ride bikes, have a blast, learn bike-handling skills, and most importantly learn to be safe on a bike. You can find out more at WheelsUpmtb.com or follow us on Facebook.
Can you tell us about the Walking School Bus and the PTO at your school?
We call it “Walk/Bike to School Day.” Each year, our PTO sets this up as an all school function. It normally occurs on or near the International Walk to School date. As the flyer reads, “The idea is for students, parents, and friends to walk to school together with a purpose – to promote health, safety, physical activity and concern for the environment!” We also organize a BikeTrain to show how to safely ride bicycles to school. We PE teachers meet the kids and parents to lead them in a really long Bike Train of 30-60 participants.
What do you see as some of St. Louis’ biggest barriers to safer walking and biking?
Having a safe space to ride our bikes without interfering with others or having them risk our safety. We can work past these barriers by educating local communities on safety from both the cyclist’s and driver’s perspectives.
Do you have a preferred form of active transportation (biking, walking, transit, etc)?
I ride my bike to school most days. Mainly because it energizes me in a positive direction each day.
What keeps you at it?
Easy, my students. On the way to school I ride past five bus stops which gives us a chance to smile, say hi, and sometimes ride together.
In your opinion, what makes a city or region thrive?
The ability to find a common thread in the community. Find that common factor, finance it, build it, and they will come out to enjoy it. Kind of like that saying, if you build it, they will come.
What do you do for fun?
For fun? Easy answer, ride my bikes and teach kids. Mainly I stick to mountain biking here in Wildwood all year round. When we have a snow day at school it’s a play day for me and my Fat Bike. I really like going on bike trips to Colorado each summer with my buddies and more recently monthly trips to Northwest Arkansas. When the trails are wet riding the roads of Wildwood and hiking are the go to alternatives. When the weather gets warmer, I like to share the fun by leading weekly rides with kids through Wheels UP.
What do you do for work?
I teach Physical Education and Health in the Rockwood School District. This is my 27th year in the Rockwood School District, and 31st year in Education.
Any final thoughts or words?
Finding ways to get our kids outside and moving is critical to helping them become healthy, successful adults. The habits they develop now can and will lead them in a direction conducive to a happy life. Play Hard, Play Often, Be Happy.
Distracted Driving Laws are a Must-Have for Missouri
“It’s completely preventable.”
That’s a quote from MODOT’s Jon Nelson, talking about distracted driving deaths. Nelson was featured in a Post Dispatch story from last January about lawmakers’ efforts to pass a distracted driving ban.
Most traffic deaths are preventable, but deaths from distracted driving are preventable. That’s why passing a strong distracted driving law is vital.
Last year, 118 people were killed while walking by people driving in Missouri—the highest in 10 years. Despite a reduction in traffic deaths, distracted driving is a leading cause in crashes, and Missouri is one of only two states without meaningful distracted driving legislation.
This is a public health crisis. If 118 Missourians were killed by a new contagious illness it would be headline news, and authorities would act. Instead, those deaths are simply the cost of using our phones while driving.
While different state legislation has been introduced, varying in scope and detail, it is vital that Missouri lawmakers pass meaningful distracted driving legislation.
Trailnet supports banning drivers from using a smartphone or similar device while driving, including talking and texting, but still allowing voice-only or hands-free use; GPS navigation; calling 911 or roadside assistance. We also support the reasonable use of these devices for emergency personnel.
Convenience should never override safety. Until meaningful distracted driving legislation is passed in Missouri, it is still legal for people to drive down the highway or by a local school while staring at their phones.
Temporarily close roads in parks to car traffic
We are excited to see so many people out riding, walking and safely using public spaces. However, fighting the spread of COVID-19 and caring for our neighbors and family is the immediate priority.
Tucker Boulevard between Chouteau Ave. and Washington Ave. is one step closer to seeing improvements recommended by Trailnet’s 
What work have you done, or are currently doing, to advance walking and biking in St. Louis?