Changing policy and advocating for safer streets for all
Trailnet is working every day to address barriers to core transportation (walking, biking, and transit) in our community, here are some of our top policy priorities for 2024 and beyond:
Current Priority Campaigns
The St. Louis Safer Streets Bill (BB#120) Implementation – BB#120 contains $40 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. This bill includes money for infrastructure changes, traffic calming, paving and striping, and ADA improvements. As all ARPA funding must be spent by December 31, 2026, this effort must be both efficient and effective. Trailnet is tracking the planning, design and construction to ensure that these improvements are as protective as possible for all road users.
Also included in this Bill is work on a Citywide Mobility & Transportation Master Plan. We recommend that the City’s plan include: addressing high-crash corridors and intersections; reducing deaths; prioritizing safety for vulnerable road users; improving transit access, comfort and reliability; repairing existing sidewalks; filling sidewalk gaps; improving mobility for people with disabilities; prioritizing projects based on need; and ensuring implementation and accountability.
Drive the Change: Buckle Up, Phone Down – With the passage of the Siddens Bening Hands Free Law, Missouri became the 49th state to ban texting while driving. Trailnet is committed to educating our neighbors about the benefits of staying focused on the road through the Drive the Change campaign, powered by General Motors. Do your part by signing the Buckle Up, Phone Down pledge and promising to stay focused on the road.
Automated Enforcement – Trailnet supports the use of racially sensitive automated enforcement. Recent use by other communities has shown that automated enforcement can reduce the likelihood of fatal or incapacitating injuries by 39 percent on residential roads with speed limits of 25-35 mph.
Complete Streets – Recently signed BB#51 will replace St. Louis’ current Complete Streets policy with an updated ordinance. A strong and comprehensive Complete Streets policy ensures that when the City acts to design, build or maintain a street they consider the safety of users of ALL modes, ages and abilities.
City Department of Transportation – A ballot proposal has been introduced that would put to a vote the creation of a City of St. Louis Department of Transportation by the Charter Commission within the City’s updated charter. Trailnet believes this restructuring would make the planning, engineering, construction and maintenance of our streets and sidewalks much more reliable, efficient and accessible to all persons, regardless of their mobility.
Long-Term Campaigns
Building Community Advocacy Capacity through Education – Advocacy is a team sport; when we show up, we win! In 2024, we want to find more ways to elevate the voices of advocates and help people who are new to the space gain the skills and knowledge needed to speak up effectively. We will continue to use the Safe Streets Glossary to educate on safer street designs, and highlight challenges related to the design and funding of projects.
Supporting St. Louis’ Community Mobility Committee (CMC)– Public and neighborhood-level engagement is key to an equitable and effective transportation system. The CMC is a resident-led committee that advises the City of St. Louis on mobility issues. Trailnet staff supports this effort to improve community engagement by assisting on subcommittees and growing the group’s membership in an equitable way.
Drivers Education – Currently 32 states require teens to take some form of drivers education before they can sit before a written and driving exam to get their driver’s license. Traffic Crashes are the second leading cause of death for teens, and per mile driven, teens are nearly three times as likely as drivers aged 20 or older to be in a fatal crash. By requiring drivers education courses in schools, we can prepare the next generation to safely interact with other modes of transportation on our streets.
Increased Funding for Safe Walking and Biking – People walking and biking currently account for roughly nineteen percent of all traffic fatalities nationally. For over a decade, injuries and fatalities to people walking and biking have increased, while driving fatalities per mile driven have decreased. Despite these facts, walking and biking account for less than two percent of federal spending on transportation. It’s past time that our spending aligns with our greatest needs—safety of people on our streets and positive impact on our environment.
Statewide Active Transportation Plan – Inspired by recent developments in Kansas, advocates in Missouri want leaders to begin developing a statewide active transportation plan as well. Trailnet is supporting these efforts through our work with partners across the state, including Missourians for Responsible Transportation, BikeWalkKC, Local Motion, and Ozark Greenways.
Click here to learn about Trailnet’s accomplishments from the distant – recent past!
Please contact us at advocacy@trailnet.org with any inquiries regarding our current priority campaigns.