Fixing Transit - A Little Help From Our Friends

Caption: Metro St. Louis has been forced to suspend much of their service due to lack of funding.

Transportation for America recently sent out a call-to-action urging support for emergency service preservation grants that will help keep public transportation systems running during the hard economic times. The call-to-action website features St. Louis's very own Metro, which has been forced to make major service cuts after Proposition M failed to get more than 50% of the vote this past November.

If you live in the St. Louis region, you probably don't have to go very far before you spot a sign, like the one above, announcing that the bus stop you are standing at is no longer a bus stop--now it's just a bench with a bad view, placed awkwardly close to the street. Bummer. BIG bummer if you depend on public transportation to get to work, to pick up your kids, and to go to the store. The timing couldn't be worse. The people most vulnerable to the economic downturn, the working class and the working poor, are now even more vulnerable in St. Louis and cities throughout the country where public transportation systems have shrunk.

You can help by visiting the Transportation for America website to send a letter to your elected officials in support of emergency service preservation grants. In hard economic times, we must fiercely preserve our public transit systems, for they are an important foundation of our economy.

What exactly is a livable street?

Caption: www.pedbikeimages.com/Dan Burden

Across the U.S., city departments, design professionals, and residents are looking to livable streets as one way to reinvigorate public life. The definition of a livable street no doubt varies from place to place, but central to its character is being so much more than just a place for moving cars.

Livable Street = Good for People
Livable streets are designed with a people paradigm, which is very different than the how-many-people-can-we-move-in-cars paradigm that has dominated U.S. street designs for decades. The people paradigm recognizes that streets are public spaces whose design should allow people to get from point A to B, but should also encourage the other things we love to do in public spaces like taking a stroll, people-watching, window shopping, eating a meal with friends, exercising, and playing.

The good news is that the people paradigm for street design is gaining ground. In fact, GOOD Magazine's current transportation issue proclaims that the street of the future is a livable street. (Be sure to look at their interactive graphic of a livable street.)

Momentum has been gained through efforts like the Complete Streets Campaign which seeks to get more policies in place to ensure that livable, or complete, streets are built. The first two Complete Streets policies to be approved in Missouri were in De Soto and Ferguson through partnership with Trailnet's Healthy and Active Communities Initiative.

Bring Livable Streets to your Neighborhood
Perhaps you are interested in bringing livable streets into your neighborhood. Down the line there will likely be policies that need to change at a city-level but the initiative of residents can begin to transform your streets into lively places with projects such as creating a Sunday Parkways event, opening a farmers' market, or getting musicians to play live music.

If you are specifically interested in improving pedestrian safety and the walkability of your community, the UNC Highway Safety Research Center is providing grants of $2,000 plus technical assistance to qualifying U.S. communities. The application deadline is May 29. Click here for more information.