Singin' in the Rain

I looked outside this morning and thought “35 degrees and raining...sounds like a great day to ride to work!” Now, before you go saying “he’s just a ‘hardcore cyclist’ who’s crazy enough to ride in anything,” hear me out: People drive slower when it rains. There’s less traffic on the road when it rains. The rain on a helmet creates a soothing noise that can help calm your nerves. You’re still getting exercise outside even though it’s raining, and think of how good it’ll feel to get warmed up once you reach your destination!

With that said, here are a few rainy day cleaning tips for those who still like to jump in puddles...

• Brush foreign objects off the tread and check overall condition of the tires


• Wipe down or hose down the bike if it’s very dirty (especially with road salt); be careful not to direct water at bearings or other sensitive components; bounce the bike to shake off excess water and store it in a warm, dry place.


• Dry off the saddle if it’s wet.


• If the chain got wet, wipe it down and apply some fresh chain lube


• Remove the seatpost, turn the bike upside down, and let the seat tube drain; apply fresh grease or antiseize before reinstalling the post (except where carbon fiber is involved).


• Check hydraulic brake lines (if you have them) for kinks or splits)

Cleaning Tips Courtesy of The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair for Road & Mountain Bikes, by Todd Downs

New Healthy Grocer Opens in North City

Video by KSDK

A new community grocery store, YOURS Market, opened just last week in St. Louis City. The 9000 sq. ft. market, located at 8005 N Broadway, features a wide variety of foods and fresh produce. The market will host nutrition education programs, a garden for growing produce, and eventually two greenhouses on site. This new store is an exiciting step towards addressing the "food deserts" that exist throughout much of North St. Louis City and County.

Click here to see the KSDK Video.

Click here for a story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Click here for a story in the St. Louis American.

Click here for a story in the St. Louis Business Journal.




Old North Grocery Coop
A similar store opened earlier this summer just north of downtown. The Old North Grocery Co-op, located at 2718 N. 13th Street, features many fresh and healthy foods produced within 100 miles of the store. In addition to stocking food and household goods, the Old North Grocery Co-op provides a variety of cooking, food preservation, and nutrition classes as well as space for community events. The 13th Street Community Garden is located adjacent to the building and home to some very friendly egg-laying chickens. The Old North Grocery Co-op, the 13th Street Community Garden, and the nearby North City Farmers’ Market create a formidable axis of edible with the mission to provide affordable, fresh, healthy food to the community.

Click here to visit the Old North Grocery Co-op website.

St. Louis Gets $1 Million to Connect Arch to Bikeways

Photo Caption: A mother-daughter duo participating in one of Trailnet's rides to the Arch

The Metro transit agency (AKA Bi-State) just learned that it will receive a $1 million "Transit in Parks" grant to enhance the connection between the Arch grounds and adjacent bikeways, including the North River Front Trail and the proposed South Chouteau Trail. Trailnet worked closely with Metro, Great Rivers Greenway, the City of St. Louis, and other partners to shape the vision for this grant. The grant was one of 47 awarded throughout the US. Click here to see Metro's announcement.

“Connecting people to our parks, refuges, forests and historic and cultural sites is one of the primary goals of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative to establish a new conservation ethic for the 21st Century,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “With these projects, we are opening the way for many more people to discover the beauty, history and culture of America.” Click here to see the Federal Transit Administration's announcement.

We're very excited about this opportunity to work with Metro, Great Rivers Greenway, the City of St. Louis, and the National Park Service to enhance connectivity between the Arch, the River, and adjacent St. Louis neighborhoods. The St. Louis riverfront and the Arch are two of the greatest, yet woefully disconnected assets in our region. This grant will help bring our region a little closer to our natural and cultural heritage. Stay tuned for updates this spring...

Bikes are Great. Famous People Agree.

How does riding a bike make you feel? Leave a comment below!

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
-John F. Kennedy

"Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia."
-H. G. Wells

"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle."
-Ernest Hemingway

"And I love to ride my bike, which is great aerobics, but also just a great time for me to think, so it's like this terrific double bill."
-Robin Williams

"I thought of that while riding my bicycle."
-Albert Einstein

"Next to a leisurely walk I enjoy a spin on my tandem bicycle. It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face and the springy motion of my iron steed. The rapid rush through the air gives me a delicious sense of strength and buoyancy, and the exercise makes my pulse dance and my heart sing."
-Helen Keller

"Bicycles are almost as good as guitars for meeting girls."
-Bob Weir

"Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to work out in a gym."
-Bill Nye the Science Guy

"If I can bicycle, I bicycle."
-David Attenborough

"A lot of fun stuff happens when you go out on a bike compared to when you're in a car. You're more in the environment. It's enjoyable. Even when It's raining, it's still fun."
-Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam guitarist and long-time Seattle resident

"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood."
-Susan B. Anthony, the woman, not the coin

"The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets."
-Christopher Morley

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."
-H. G. Wells

Walking is Great. Famous People Agree.

Photo Credit: ALBOWIEB on Flickr

"All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking."
-Nietzsche

"The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best."
-Thomas Jefferson

"Anywhere is walking distance, if you've got the time."
-Stephen Wright

"One step at a time is good walking."
-Old Chinese Proverb

I can remember walking as a child. It was not customary to say you were fatigued. It was customary to complete the goal of the expedition."
-Katharine Hepburn

Walking is man's best medicine.
-Hippocrates

"My grandmother started walking 5 miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now and we don't know where the hell she is."
-Ellen DeGeneres

"There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo."
-Paul Scott Mowrer

"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, " I hear music," as though there's any other way to take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it, but it did not work."
-Mitch Hedberg

"From walking - something; from sitting - nothing."
-Bulgarian Proverb

"Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called 'walking'"
-George W. Bush

Drive Less... For the Kids

Photo Caption: Buckle-up for safety. Walk for even safer safety.

Our friend Alex Ihnen, a regular contributor on the UrbanSTL blog, recently posted a piece asking the question: Why doesn't someone tell you to drive less as a key way you can reduce the risk of injury or death when you have kids?

It is, in fact, a primary way that we can decrease the risk of child injuries. Yet, with all the advice that is given to new parents, no one ever recommends less driving. Is driving so deeply ingrained in our infrastructure and culture that we no longer see driving as a choice? (Exempting, of course, people who have no choice in the matter, including people with certain disabilities, living in poverty, too old, too young, and all the other significant groups that can't drive who in total make up ~30% of the population)

The American love affair with cars was largely about freedom--Route 66, the open road, Kerouac. But how free do you feel when you have to drive a one ton vehicle to Walmart to get a loaf of bread? Has the pendulum swung so far in the car-centric direction that we no longer have the basic freedom to utilize bi-pedal locomotion to get about our daily lives? Are we safer or less safe?

Visit UrbanSTL and read Alex's take. While you're there, take some time to explore the site -- it's a great St. Louis blog!

Missouri is Low in Annual Health Ranking

Smoking helps you lose weight?
For other pictures of the benefits of smoking, visit: http://www.nsma.org.au/propics.htm

The United Health Foundation recently published their annual ranking of America's healthiest and unhealthiest states. According to the report, which takes into account a myriad of factors, Missouri ranks as the 39th healthiest state or the 11th most unhealthy. According to this report, Missouri is tied as the 5th worst state for smoking prevalence and the 9th worst for obesity prevalence. Illinois ranked above Missouri as the 29th healthiest state overall.

To see the 2010 ranking, check out this article from Forbes.
To learn more about the report, visit the project's website.

Smoking and obesity are known to be two of the most significant risk factors for a variety of diseases -- including heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and type II diabetes -- which is likely one of the reasons that Missouri ranks so low overall. If Missouri is able to significantly reduce smoking and obesity rates, it is likely that overall population health will increase and we will ascend in the rankings.

Two Pertinent Pieces of News
First, the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) was recently awarded a grant through the federal Social Innovation Fund to tackle both smoking and obesity at the same time. MFH received $2 million of funding that they are matching with another $2 million of their money to create the Social Innovation for Missouri (SIM) funding program. This pool of $4 million will be granted to approximately 10-16 communities throughout the state to integrate two successful models: Trailnet's Healthy, Active & Vibrant Communities Initiative and Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights Support for Local Tobacco Policy Change. Trailnet is thrilled to be part of this effort and will be serving as a technical assistance provider to communities that receive SIM funding from MFH. The deadline has passed for communities to apply, but stay tuned for the funding announcement in the first quarter of 2011. The SIM communities will be charting exciting new territory in the years ahead as they work to tackle both obesity and tobacco use simultaneously.

Second, the indoor smoking bans in St. Louis County and St. Louis City go into effect January 2nd, 2011. The County Health Department has launched this webpage with information about the new restrictions. Just last week, Mayor Francis Slay announced that Lambert St. Louis International Airport would finally go smoke-free. And, St. Louis County recently received a $7.6 million federal grant to help reduce smoking prevalence.

As the 11th most unhealthy state in the US, Missouri has a long way to go. However, these and other promising efforts are setting the stage for important and long-overdue improvements to Missouri's health landscape.

Seriously Cool Bike Parking!

If you speak German, we would love a translation...because we really want to find out how we can get our hands on one of these!

-Trailnet's Office of R & D & A (Research & Development & Awesomeness)

Support Specialty Bicycle MO License Plates TODAY!

The design of the proposed license plate

TODAY is your last day to send a letter of support for the proposed Same Roads Same Rights license plate!

Our friends at the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation have been working for five years to create a specialty license plate (for automobiles) in support of bicycling in Missouri.

The specialty plate application has now been accepted! The next step is a hearing in the Joint Transportation Committee of the Missouri General Assembly.

Through the end of the day TODAY, November 30th, 2010, we can submit comments in support of the specialty automobile license plate. Our legislators will consider those comments when they decide to approve or disapprove the specialty license plate.

Proceeds from the plate will be used to support and promote bicycling in Missouri--bicycle safety education and related programs.

Visit the MO Bike Fed website to submit your comment. It will take you less than a minute:

http://mobikefed.org/LicensePlates

Livable St. Louis Conference 2010. What Have You Done?

Photo Caption: Bike parking at the 2010 Livable St. Louis Conference overflowed beyond the racks!

Six months have passed since Trailnet hosted the 2010 Livable St. Louis Conference with the theme Creating a Movement of Healthy, Active & Vibrant Communities. Since that time, Trailnet's staff has been busy working with out partners to develop bike and pedestrian master plans, adopt complete streets policies, secure a HUD sustainability planning grant, and host community events that promote biking, walking and play.

What have you done since the conference?
Our hope was that the conference would spark new ideas, foster new discussions, and develop new partnerships to create a more livable St. Louis region. Did you take away ideas or inspiration from the conference and turn it into action in your organization or your community? Leave a comment here or on Facebook and tell us what you have been up to?

The Social Costs of Traffic

Ferguson Twilight Ramble - RECAP

Photos courtesy of Live Well Ferguson on flickr

How do we get from here to there?

Seems like a simple question, right? The typical answer to this question is often a simple set of directions: first do this, then do that, then do this other thing, and whalla! you're "there".

But when "there" refers to a community full of bikers, walkers, and runners and "here" refers to your average American community, the road map is not very clear. In fact, just the thought of attempting to shift an entire community's habits is enough to make the average brain go numb. After hanging out in Ferguson last Sunday night for the inaugural Live Well Ferguson Twilight Ramble, I am proud to say there are no numb skulls in Ferguson! (Like how I pun-ted that one?)

The City of Ferguson and their many partners are on a mission to shift the culture of Ferguson residents to become more active. The Twilight Ramble was just one more in a series of great local events aimed at getting residents off of their couches and into the parks and the streets to play and be active. The event was actually a series of three bike rides: 1-mile, 5-miles, and 15-miles. The event was specifically designed to appeal to bike riders at all levels, from training wheelers and adults who haven't ridden since shortly after their training wheels came off, to experience cyclists. To ensure that riders at all levels were prepared, there were free helmets (courtesy of the North County Optimists and the St. Louis County Health Department) and free bike tune-ups (courtesy of Trailblazer Bikes).

Caption: Some people came prepared with their own awesome helmets


Caption: Trailblazer Bikes was on hand to provide free tune-ups

Caption: The beginning of the 5-mile ride

The last ride of the evening, the 15-miler, started just at dusk and carried on into the evening. The route weaved all throughout Ferguson, never doubling back on itself and never retracing its path. It went up hills, down hills, past community gardens, past community colleges, through sleepy neighborhoods, down the Ted Jones trail and finally ended at Ferguson's new Plaza @ 501. I am proud to say that I regularly ride my bike, and I am not ashamed to tell you that there were a few hills in Ferguson that gave me a run for my money.

The City of Ferguson has hit a home-run with this new event. As with their Twilight 5K and their Sunday Parkways events, the Twilight Ramble was a great event that I can't wait to see grow in the next few years. Kudos to all the folks who worked hard to make this event such a success. Well done team Ferguson!

Caption: Ferguson's Plaza @ 501 served as the trail head for the rides

NOV 7th - Ferguson Twilight Ramble

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Are you going through withdrawal from fun FREE biking events?

Although the official Trailnet ride season ended with a bang with our Ride the Rivers Century, our partners are still going strong!

The fine folks in Ferguson are hosting the Live Well Ferguson Twilight Ramble next Sunday, November 7th.

The Twilight Ramble is actually three back-t0-back rides:

3:00 - 3:30pm
1-mile ride on Suburban Avenue (families, small kids, & beginning cyclists)
4:00 - 4:30pm
5-mile ride on the Ted Jones Trail (families, bigger kids, & beginning cyclists)
5:00 - 6:30pm
15-mile ride through Ferguson ending in the dark (more advanced cyclists)

All rides are FREE. All rides begin and end at:
Ferguson's Plaza 501
501 S. Florissant Road
Downtown Ferguson, MO

The Twilight Ramble features:

• free helmets giveaway (protect your brains!)
• ride support for flats and other easy repairs
• free cookout after the last ride

Riders are encouraged to decorate their bikes and themselves with lights! Be creative. Decorate your bike with battery powered Christmas lights, duct tape a lantern to your bike, build a fire pit in your tag-along...

For more information about the Twilight Ramble, visit:
http://www.livewellferguson.com/twilightramble.shtml

The Live Well Ferguson Twilight Ramble is sponsored by Live Well Ferguson! and a whole bunch of other great partners. Live Well Ferguson! was created through a partnership between Trailnet and the City of Ferguson. This event is one of the many exciting spin-off projects that have taken on a life of their own.

We hope to see you out in Ferguson!

I Love Vinita Park

I love Vinita Park. I know the word ‘love’ gets tossed around a lot these days, and some folks think it’s not appropriate to apply the word ‘love’ to a municipality that ‘can’t’ return it, but I stand by my statement and I’ll tell you why:

With a land area of just under one square mile, some people might miss the City of Vinita Park on their Saturday morning ride down Midland Blvd. But those who don’t pay attention to that one square mile are missing a lot – barbecues firing up in the park beside City Hall, the brand new, well-lit trail connecting Midland Blvd. to Page Ave., and Trailnet’s latest offering in Vinita Park – the Earn-2-Bikes class!

A partnership between Trailnet, St. Louis BicycleWORKS, and the City of Vinita Park, Earn-2-Bikes is quickly becoming a Saturday morning staple in the parking lot across from City Hall. The course is a six-week, bike maintenance and safety class, where students learn to work on brakes, tubes and tires, as well as develop on-road biking skills and safety knowledge. Students are encouraged to bring a friend/family member and participate together (hence the name ‘Earn-2-Bikes’), with the hope that they then will have someone to ride with when the course is complete. The class has a warm and encouraging atmosphere and seeks to develop students wherever they are in their bike experience.

Next time you’re riding down Midland or driving towards The Loop, think about stopping by and saying “Hi” to the next generation of bike lovers!

-Charles Johnson, Earn-2-Bikes Instructor

For more information on the Earn-2-Bikes program, e-mail Charles@trailnet.org. To learn about Trailnet’s continuing partnership with the City of Vinita Park, contact Jennifer Allen at Jennifer@trailnet.org or 314-436-1324 x 121.

Trailnet's Active Living Awards is TOMORROW!

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Every Fall Trailnet's Active Living Awards honor leaders in the movement to create more healthy, active, and vibrant communities. The awards ceremony is a celebration of the champions and innovators who are promoting a culture of active living in everything they do.

As with all great celebrations, the Active Living Awards is an incredibly fun event brimming with wonderful people, food, and drinks. We have been promoting the event on Trailnet's main website for months, but wanted to post a quick reminder here on the blog that the 2010 Active Living Awards is taking place tomorrow night:

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

We hope you can join us for this celebration. To learn more about the event, the 2010 honorees, and to purchase tickets, visit:
http://trailnet.org/m_awards.php

"Livability" in Rural America

Photo Caption: Cities and towns of all sizes should be "livable"

The term livability has become a national buzz word over the course of the last two years, in large part, due to efforts at the federal level -- a series of federal agencies have been working to coordinate spending to help create what they are calling more livable communities. Although there is no single definition of the term livable, the common thread is that livable communities provide a high quality of life for all residents and include spaces that are designed for people (for example, a historic main street), not just cars and quick commerce (for example, a big box strip mall).

As the livable communities movement has grown, a common misconception has developed that "livability" is solely a concept for big cities and urban areas. In fact, livability is a universal concept that can and should be adjusted to capitalize on the unique assets of all communities, whether they are urban, suburban, or rural. To dispel the idea that livability is an urban concept, Transportation for America has been publishing a series of case studies that showcase livability in rural and small town America. We encourage you to peruse these case studies and share them with your community leadership, especially if you happen to live in a small town or a rural area.

Check out the Transportation for America case studies here:
http://t4america.org/blog/2010/08/26/livability-in-rural-and-small-town-america/

Happy Labor Day from Trailnet!

Gone Fishing - Trailnet-style

Happy Labor Day to you and yours! We hope your holiday weekend is filled with all the things you love.

Link Between Driving and Obesity

Image Credit: GOOD.is

The great people at GOOD recently posted a great graphic full of good information. Indeed, they did.

The graphic allows you to see the linkage between the way people travel and the obesity rates, by state. In short, the states that appear lighter in color have a greater percentage of people that travel via foot, bike, and public transit. The states that are dark blue rely heavily on cars for transportation.

Visit GOOD's site to zoom in and explore!

Arch Ground Design Concepts Unveiled!

Photo Caption: The Framing a Modern Masterpiece competition to re-design the St. Louis Arch and surrounding area just unveiled the five design concepts. The above design comes from the Behnisch Architekten team.

For the last series of months, five international design teams have been developing their visions for enhancing the St. Louis Arch grounds and adjacent area, including both sides of the Mississippi River. The five design concepts were unveiled to the public earlier this week. You can view them on the Framing a Modern Masterpiece website or in person at the Arch Visitors' Center located below the Arch.

The public comment period is only open through this Monday, August 23rd. Since this project will invariably transform St. Louis, we strongly encourage you to take the time to view the proposed designs and share your feedback with the competition coordinators. As you look through the designs, we encourage you to look for connectivity, walkable and bikeable environments, human-scale design (the creation of spaces and places that feel inviting, safe, and enjoyable), and designs that strengthen St. Louis's relationship with our natural and cultural heritage.

A local coalition called City to River has been strongly advocating that the designs reconnect the downtown to the Arch by removing the section of I-70 that currently divides the two. Once the New Mississippi River Bridge is built to the north of the existing MLK Bridge, that section of I-70 will be redundant, serving more as an obstacle than an asset to St. Louis. City to River has a series of renderings on their website that illustrate their vision.

The following are additional images submitted by the five design teams. To see the full designs, visit the Framing a Modern Masterpiece website. To provide your comments, visit the National Park Service comment form for the competition.

Photo Caption: The Weiss/Manfredi team envisions converting dead space beneath the highways as space for active recreation.

Photo Caption: Re-design of the actual Arch grounds presented by the Van Valkenburgh team

Livable St. Louis Network to take bus of regional leaders to Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2010

Flickr Photo Credit: tandemracer

Livable St. Louis Network (LSLN) partners are bringing 30 regional leaders to attend the 2010 Pro Walk / Pro Bike Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee. LSLN has provided scholarships and Great Rivers Greenway has provided free travel on a charter bus to create the opportunity for our leaders to move our St. Louis livability agenda forward.

We know that Pro Walk/Pro Bike can catalyze change for our region because that's what happened in 2008--Trailnet brought regional leaders to the conference and it lead to the passage of the City of Ferguson and City of St. Louis Complete Streets policies. Read the full story in "Pro Walk/Pro Bike Attendee Spotlight: St. Louis is sending a bus!"

Want to ride with us? There's still room on the bus! Contact Cindy Mense at cindy@trailnet.org or 314.436.1324 x113 for more info.

Want to know more about the Livable St. Louis Network? The Livable St. Louis Network works to catalyze partnerships to enhance the capacity to adopt model transportation and land use policies to remove barriers and open avenues for creating livable communities. It accomplishes this by leveraging resources to provide professional development, technical assistance, and avenues for new and expanded partnerships.

St. Louis University School of Public Health funds LSLN; Trailnet is the lead partner.

For more information about LSLN, contact Cindy Mense. Her contact information is above.

Tour and Taste of Ferguson

Caption: The Old Ferguson West Community Garden is just one of the gorgeous gardens on the Tour

Trailnet's community partners in the City of Ferguson are hosting an upcoming event that combines two things we love: riding bikes and local/organic produce. The City of Ferguson is rapidly becoming an innovator in the movement to create healthy, active & vibrant communities. Their recent successes include Ferguson Sunday Parkways events, their inaugural Live Well 5K that attracted nearly 900 people, adoption of a Complete Streets policy, urban farming and community garden ordinances, and more.

See what all the excitement is about this Sunday:

Tour and Taste of Ferguson
Sunday, August 22, 1 - 4pm

The Ferguson Cycling Club in partnership with EarthDance is hosting their inaugural Tour and Taste of Ferguson this coming Sunday afternoon, August 22, 1-4pm. Join the group for an easy bike ride around lovely Ferguson. The tour will visit community gardens, resident gardens, and finish at the historic Mueller Organic Farm (the oldest organic farm in the region!). You'll have the opportunity to "taste" local produce at each stop along the way.

The ride will be a total of 10 miles and move at an easy pace along quiet neighborhood streets. The ride will begin at the Plaza at 501, located at 501 S. Florissant Road in Ferguson.

If you plan to attend or have questions, please send an email to Gerry Noll:
grnoll@sbcglobal.net

For additional info on the ride, including a helmet-cam video of part of the route, visit the following websites:

Ferguson Cycling Club
Helmet-Cam Video made by the one and only Gerry Noll
NOCO, The online magazine of North County

F as in Fat - 2010

Caption: THE annual report on obesity in America. The 2010 report focuses considerable attention on the link between city design and health.

The announcement from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation goes like this:

"The country’s obesity epidemic continues to worsen, as detailed in F as in Fat 2010: How the Obesity Crisis Threatens America’s Future. Adult obesity rates climbed in 28 states during the past year and now exceed 25 percent in more than two-thirds of the states, with rates higher among Blacks and Latinos.

The report, by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), discusses how the nation’s response has yet to fully match the magnitude of the problem. At the same time, it highlights public recognition of the issue and acute concern over the prevalence of childhood obesity.

A survey commissioned by RWJF and TFAH found that eight in 10 voters believe childhood obesity is a serious problem—a viewpoint that transcends all demographic boundaries. More than half of voters say that a comprehensive program to combat childhood obesity is worth the financial investment, even if the program would sharply increase government spending.

The report suggests ways to ensure that the disease-prevention measures in the new health reform law are implemented most strategically to help prevent and reduce obesity. Other recommendations include expanding the commitment to community-based prevention programs and sustaining investments in research and evaluation."

The following announcement comes from the fine folks at Re-Connecting America:

"The report contains the latest data on adult and child obesity rates in America, as well as policy recommendations for local, regional, state, and federal officials to help combat the obesity epidemic.

While the majority of recommendations focus on nutrition and physical activity, the report devotes significant attention to the link between the built environment and health, and calls for programs and policies that increase walking, bicycling, and the use of public transportation. Under "Increasing Access to, Availability and Affordability of Physical Activity," (p. 83), it lists "Support mixed-use development and locate businesses, recreation centers, parks, libraries and other facilities near public transportation" as a strategy. There are also recommendations specific to the next transportation reauthorization bill on page 96, including "mass transit and pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure should be enhanced because they help reduce harmful vehicle emissions and promote physical activity" and "all major transit projects should assess their impact on health." The report also contains a good summary of current federal legislation that can potentially promote active transportation and expand funding for mass transit and transit-oriented development."

Review: Clips of Faith Beer and Film Tour

by Caroline Hillard

What do beer, movies, and bicycling have in common (aside from being my favorite pastimes)? All three were featured at last Friday’s Clips of Faith Beer and Film Tour in Soulard, sponsored by New Belgium Breweryout of Fort Collins, CO. I was one of several volunteers pouring beer there for Trailnet.

New Belgium characterized the event as a celebration of “the creative expressions of both brewing and film.” The idea here is that both filmmaking and beer making are artistic endeavors, so why not enjoy handmade films while sipping handmade beer? The link becomes more explicit when you realize that many of the filmettes featured on the tour unabashedly promote NB beers. Take, for example, a noir vignette in which the enigmatic protagonist reaches for a Fat Tire or the clip about two anthropomorphized bottles of Lips of Faith that go to New York City.

In any case, the beers did have an inspired quality to them. Although the line-up included NB’s well-known varieties such as Fat Tire and Skinny Dip, there was also a selection of truly unique (some only available on the tour) craft beers destined for a more discriminating consumer. These “esoteric” brews included the super-sour La Folie, the likes of which I had never encountered before. The beer-tasters could record their reactions to the samples in a “beer passport,” a booklet with basic info about each beer and an “attribute flower” for charting its characteristics. A few more ambitious tasters applied their skills to the Lips of Faith contest. The contenders had to guess the names and percentages of three beers mixed together in a pitcher. The very excited winner’s name (there was screaming) was then entered in drawing for the chance to win a trip to CO.

What does this have to do with cycling? Although perhaps not obvious to the attendees, an important objective of this beer-and-film fest was to raise money for bicycling advocacy. All proceeds from each stop on the Clips of Faith tour benefit the principal bicycle-based nonprofit group of the host city, which in St. Louis is Trailnet. And since it was staffed mainly by volunteers, that means all profits from the sale of beer, t-shirts, and donations have gone directly to Trailnet. Got that? Drink New Belgium beer, and foster more livable, bike-friendly cities! What other major beer producer do you know that hosts fundraisers for cycling organizations? As a company, New Belgium not only makes great beer, but they do so with an eye towards sustainability and environmentalism that seems to be unmatched in the beer-drinking world. Hats off!

So this was a night of beer-drinking with a purpose. From my vantage point behind the tap, the crowd appeared to be a relaxed group of folks: lots of couples, some cyclists, some dog-walkers, a variety of people of different ages and stripes. The atmosphere in the park adjacent to the Soulard market was lovely. This was not a huge sprawling affair, but rather was somewhat intimate, with around 350 attendees. A perfectly delightful Friday evening.

This event was my first experience as a volunteer for Trailnet, and I was impressed with the hard work and enthusiasm of the other volunteers and staff. I’ve been cycling in St. Louis since I moved here eight years ago, and, having never owned a car, I rely on the work of Trailnet and other cycling advocates to promote the infrastructure and local policies needed to make the streets here safer and more pleasant for my daily commute. Participating in Clips of Faith was a modest way to give a little bit back, while enjoying a fun evening in the process.

Caroline Hillard

Breakfast For Bikers

Brake for coffee with fellow cyclists, Trailnet, and the Downtown Partnership for St. Louis on your way to work! Enjoy coffee provided by The London Tea Room and bagels provided by St. Louis Bread Company. Join us downtown the last Wednesday of every month! For more information, e-mail emily@trailnet.org.

Time: 6:30am-9:30am
Location: The Old Post Office Plaza, 9th and Locust
Date: Wednesday, June 30th


Photos from Trailnet's Bike to Work Day

Why should I bike to work?
Commuting by bike is a great way to get exercise while making St. Louis a better place. Biking to work is not just for the Lance Armstrong look-alikes or cuffed jean hipsters--it is for everyone! Here are some quick facts on how biking to work cannot only change your life and your workplace, but the environment, as well!

Biking to Work Helps Your Health:

• Employees who exercise 30 minutes a day have lower health care costs than those who remain sedentary*
  
• 80% of new bicyclists improve their heart and lungs in only eight weeks
  
• Cycling leads to improved mental health and productivity in the workplace
  
• Cyclists on average live two years longer than non-cyclists and take 15% fewer days off work due to illness
  
• Those who bike to work are more fit, leaner, less likely to be obese, and have better triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and insulin levels than those who do not actively commute to work, according to a study of nearly 2,400 adults.

Biking to Work Helps Your Business:

• In a 2007 survey of young professionals, 92% said they prefer to work for a company that is environmentally friendly.**
  
• It costs three to four times more to enroll a sedentary adult in a structured exercise program than to teach them how to integrate moderate-intensity physical activity into their life (such as bicycling for transportation.)

Biking to Work Helps the Environment:

• Motor vehicles produce $56 billion in health and other non-climate-related damages, about 1.2 to 1.7 cents for every mile traveled, according to a 2005
  
• A short, four-mile round trip by bicycle keeps about fifteen pounds of pollutants out of the air
  
• The more cyclists on the road, the more aware drivers are leading to less cycling accidents and fatalities

*Active Living Research Active Transportation Research Brief http://www.activelivingresearch.org
**Statistics from the Bikes Belong Coalition http://www.bikesbelong.org/statistics

Mayor Slay Signs Complete Streets Bill

Photo Caption: President of the Board of Aldermen Lewis Reed, Alderman Shane Cohn, and Trailnet Executive Director Ann Mack look on as Mayor Slay signs the Complete Streets bill into law.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay hosted a press conference and signing ceremony this morning to sign the St. Louis Complete Streets bill into law. It's official.

Trailnet has been working closely with City staff and elected officials for nearly two years to move the bill forward. The work is one part of our Healthy, Active & Vibrant Communities Initiative made possible through funding from Missouri Foundation for Health. As the national movement to reconnect urban planning, public health, and public policy grows, the St. Louis Complete Streets bill stands as a great example of a broad partnership securing an important win that will benefit health, livability, the environment, and create a foundation for a strong local economy. Our staff worked hard to build consensus around this bill, and we are very proud that it passed with near unanimous support from the Board of Aldermen (26 yea’s and 1 abstention), as well as, strong support from the Mayor’s office, Board President Lewis Reed’s office, and key city staff in the Board of Public Service and the Streets Department.

Congratulations to all involved on this important milestone for the City of St. Louis!

Who is next? Do you think your community is ready to consider a Complete Streets policy? Trailnet staff are available to provide communities with information, resources, and technical assistance to move Complete Streets and other important infrastructure policies forward. If you are interested, please contact Trailnet's Active Living Program Manager, Phil Valko, at phil@trailnet.org

Improving the Safety of Crosswalks - Daylighting

Now that the Complete Streets Bill has passed in St. Louis, we want to continue the conversation by focusing on some specific ways that we can improve the walkability, bikeability, and overall safety of streets throughout the region. We'll be posting a series of videos and photos highlighting specific strategies that communities should consider. This first video from streetfilms.org showcases a technique called "daylighting" that improves visibility at intersections and crosswalks.

St. Louis Complete Streets Bill PASSES!!!

Photo Caption: The St. Louis Board Chamber this morning

We are thrilled to announce that the St. Louis Board of Alderman just voted to pass the Complete Streets bill (Board Bill 7)!

Congratulations to the bill's sponsor Shane Cohn, all of the co-sponsors, and all the city staff who have worked hard to draft and promote this important bill! The Mayor will likely hold a signing ceremony in the coming week(s) to formalize the bill into St. Louis law.

We do not have the final vote tally; however, we believe the bill passed with unanimous support.

This is phenomenal news for St. Louis. In the next few weeks and months, we will continue to work with the City to develop a plan to implement Complete Streets throughout the City. As you might expect, implementation will happen gradually as the City undertakes street projects. We will keep you in the loop every step of the way.

Stay tuned...

St. Louis Complete Streets Bill Heading to Full Vote

Photo Caption: Complete Streets are designed to accommodate safe and enjoyable travel for people of all ages and abilities
Photo Credit: Jan Moser courtesy of pedbikeimages.org

The St. Louis Complete Streets bill (Board Bill 7) was perfected by the Board of Aldermen last Friday and will likely head to a final vote this Friday, June 11.

What will a Complete Streets bill mean for St. Louis?
It represents a very important philosophical shift towards designing and maintaining streets for people, not just cars. Throughout the past few years, St. Louis City staff and elected officials have unofficially endorsed Complete Streets principles through their support of creating bike lanes and designing more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets -- hopefully you have noticed many of these improvements throughout the City. In fact, just last Fall, St. Louis was awarded bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community status for the strides we have taken. Although the City still has quite a ways to go and quite a bit of old ailing infrastructure to take care of, the passage of the Complete Streets bill will mark a major turning point when St. Louis officially declares a commitment to creating people-friendly streets and neighborhood environments.

Complete Streets are good for everyone. They make it safer for all roadway users including pedestrians, individuals with disabilities, bicyclists, and drivers. Complete Streets are designed to support independence of seniors, individuals with limited mobility, and safety for children walking to and from school, the local park, or their neighborhood store.

If you have not already contacted your Alderman to ask for their support of the St. Louis Complete Streets bill, please do so today! If your Alderman is NOT on the following list of co-sponsors, it is very important for you to call them. If they are on the list, please still call and thank them for their support. The bill is sponsored by Alderman Shane Cohn with the following co-sponsors:

-Freeman Bosley Sr.
-Jeffrey Boyd
-Gregory Carter
-Stephen Conway
-Marlene Davis
-Jennifer Florida
-Dionne Flowers
-Antonio French
-Lyda Krewson
-Samuel Moore
-Ken Ortmann
-President, Lewis Reed
-Craig Schmid
-Kacie Starr Triplett
-Frank Williamson
-Phyllis Young

You can find Aldermanic contact information HERE.

To read more about Complete Streets work taking place from coast to coast, visit the National Complete Streets Coalition.

To read the federal Department of Transportation endorsement of Complete Streets, click HERE.

Thank you for all you do to promote safe, convenient and enjoyable walking and biking throughout the St. Louis region!

Here Comes the Neighborhood

"Conventional suburbs are overbuilt and out of favor. In cities and suburbs alike, walkable neighborhoods linked by train are the future. Here’s how a new network of privately funded rail lines can make that future come to pass more quickly and cheaply—and help reinvigorate housing and the economy."

One of the plenary speakers at Trailnet's Livable St. Louis Conference, Chris Leinberger, just published an article in the Atlantic Monthly about the walkable future of American cities. Leinberger is a land-use strategist, author, developer, and researcher who is currently a fellow at the Brookings Institution. The article talks about the link between trains, regional walkability, housing, and the role that developers can play to kick-start the shift towards livable communities.

To read the article, click here.

To read a transcript of a conversation with Chris Leinberger, click here.

St. Louis Complete Streets Bill MOVES!

Caption: An example of a Complete Street in Portland, which safely integrates bus service, cars, a streetcar, bicycles, and pedestrian travel.

We are thrilled to announce that the St. Louis Complete Streets bill successfully passed out of committee this morning, which means that it will head to the full Board of Aldermen for a final vote - perhaps as early as next week.

Alderman Shane Cohn, the sponsor of the bill, introduced the bill to the committee members and presented a strong case for the importance of a Complete Streets policy for the City of St. Louis. Todd Waeltermann (the Director of the Streets Department) and John Kohler (an engineer in the Board of Public Service) both testified strongly in support of the bill. Trailnet staff member Phil Valko also testified on on behalf of the bill. The committee members held a great discussion about the importance of Complete Streets for the well-being of our City. The main discussion point was not "Should the bill pass?" but instead, "How can we make sure St. Louis implements the policy once it passes?" Trailnet is looking forward to continue working with city staff and elected officials to develop an implementation plan and take meaningful steps towards the realization of Complete Streets once the bill passes.

The bill picked up three additional co-sponsors today: Aldermen Jeffrey Boyd, Marlene Davis, and Ken Ortmann.

The full board still needs to vote on the bill in the weeks ahead -- if you have not already contacted your Alderman to ask for their support, please do so today!

Click here to see the current list of sponsors.

Toolkit Reprint! Now available for FREE

Now available for FREE!

We just reprinted the Healthy, Active & Vibrant Community Toolkit, and we want you to have a copy of it. We are now able to offer hard copies of the Toolkit for FREE. If you would like the Toolkit mailed to you, there will be a $3 shipping charge.

The Toolkit is full of case studies, action steps, and useful resources for individuals and decision-makers interested in transforming their community into a place that supports resident health, from cradle to cane. At its core, the Toolkit is focused on creating long-term solutions to address the obesity epidemic. However, we built on this core focus to provide you with a series of recommendations that not only combat obesity but at the same time create communities that foster the highest quality of life and independence for residents of all ages. The Toolkit is right in-line with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative.

The Toolkit presents an exciting vision for the future of our communities—a future built around quality of life, health, vibrant local economies, and the environment.

Targeted information is provided for the following groups:

• Schools, Childcare, and After-Care
• Community Residents
• Design Practitioners
• Faith-Based Organizations and Institutions
• Healthcare Providers
• Local Governments & Community Organizations
• State and Federal Governments
• Workplaces

If you would like to order a Toolkit, please email phil@trailnet.org.

You can also download a pdf of the Toolkit online for FREE at:
http://trailnet.org/HAVC_Toolkit.php

**We are able to make the Toolkit available for free with the generous support and partnership of the Saint Louis University School of Public Health.

Complete Streets Bill Introduced in St. Louis!

Photo Credit: streetswiki.wikispaces.com

Trailnet’s April 30th Livable St. Louis Conference ended with a BANG! Alderman Shane Cohn announced to conference attendees that only a few hours earlier he had introduced a Complete Streets bill to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Within a few short hours the St. Louis Complete Streets bill had attracted 11 Aldermanic co-sponsors from nearly every corner of the City, including more than half of the Streets, Refuse, and Traffic Committee members – a great sign that the bill has strong support.

What is a Complete Streets policy?
Complete Streets is a new way to look at transportation. For over 60 years, American communities have been shaped almost exclusively by the automobile. In our zeal for cars, we forgot about people. Streets got wider, traffic moved faster, metropolitan regions sprawled out across former agricultural land, and in many cases we altogether stopped building even the most basic pedestrian facilities - sidewalks. Like all unhealthy relationships, our obsession with cars has gone a little too far -- many Americans are dependent on their cars whether they like it or not. In many American communities, children cannot walk to school, seniors cannot live independently, and local economies have disappeared as auto-centric strip malls and big-box stores have forced the little guys out of business.

Complete Streets challenges this old way of thinking by giving all types of transportation, including walking, biking, public transportation, and cars, equal importance when building and maintaining streets. Complete Streets create safe travel environments for seniors, people with disabilities, and children.

Trailnet has been working with City staff and elected officials for nearly two years to get the Complete Streets policy to this point. Now we need your help to make sure the bill passes and gets signed into law. If you are a resident of the City of St. Louis, please call or email your Alderman today to ask them to support the bill. Even if your Alderman is already a co-sponsor, we encourage you to call them and thank them for their support moving the bill forward. Here is a list of Aldermen who are signed on as co-sponsors:

-Freeman Bosley Sr.
-Jeffrey Boyd
-Gregory Carter
-Stephen Conway
-Marlene Davis
-Jennifer Florida
-Dionne Flowers
-Antonio French
-Lyda Krewson
-Samuel Moore
-Ken Ortmann
-President, Lewis Reed
-Craig Schmid
-Kacie Starr Triplett
-Frank Williamson
-Phyllis Young

To learn more about Complete Streets policies and why they are important for creating healthy, active, and vibrant communities, please visit the National Complete Streets Coalition.

To find contact information for your Alderman, visit the St. Louis Board of Aldermen online.

Cleveland Incentivising Local Food

Caption: Poached Egg and hollandiase sauce smothering local sweet potato, mushrooms, and peppers. Local Harvest Cafe on Morganford in South St. Louis serves up tasty dishes with local foods.

The City of Cleveland has instituted a policy to promote local foods, offering certified “local sustainable businesses” a 5 percent discount on city contracts.

Green City Blue Lake reports that the incentive will offer a “huge advantage” because most city contracts are decided by less than 5 percent.

The legislation, however, won’t apply to the largest consumer, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Still, city officials hope the policy will help stimulate a “self-help economy” and promote sustainability.

The idea emerged out of Cleveland’s newly established Office of Sustainability and is linked to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Food Policy Coalition. Here is the St. Louis Region, the Healthy Youth Partnership is forming a food policy council with leadership from MU Extension, Congressman Russ Carnahan's office, Gateway Greening, St. Louis University, Trailnet, and many more partners.

Read the full story here:
http://www.gcbl.org/blog/marc-lefkowitz/cleveland-adopts-local-food-incentives

Cycling Innovation Comes to Long Beach

Every great city needs a healthy dose of innovation. Cities need the space to experiment and imagine as they strive to be the best they can be.

Right now the hub of Long Beach innovation has been bringing the best of bicycle facilities to Long Beach so that everyone-from kids to grandparents-has a safe and enjoyable bicycling environment.

From separated cycle tracks to whimsical bike parking, check out what Long beach is doing.


Courtesy of StreetFilms.org:

Volunteer for Open Streets!

The Open Streets Poster

Open Streets is a program that showcases our City, promotes sustainability, and highlights our region as one that truly cares about livability! As fellow engaged citizens and fine people that care about the region, we'd like to ask you to please volunteer for 2-3 hours during Open Streets. Making this program a success depends upon a strong first event!

For more information about the Open Streets Events, visit: http://www.stlopenstreets.org/

Experience Open Streets as a participant and then as a volunteer! Fill out the following form: https://stlbikefed.wufoo.com/forms/st-louis-open-streets-volunteer-signup/

The City of St. Louis is hosting four “Open Streets” events in the year 2010. Starting with our inaugural event on May 1, this program is set to open approximately five miles of City streets to cyclists, skaters, pedestrians, joggers, residents, and tourists. That's right five miles of streets - car-free! There will be free lessons and activities along the way - try out yoga, tai chi, zumba, spinning, take the sit-up or push-up challenge, or join the historical architecture walking tour. Health and safety demonstrations, bike repair and local food vendors will be located along the route.

The Open Streets route follows Lindell and Locust and is bound by Forest Park and the Old Post Office Plaza. The event occurs from 8am until 1pm. The first event will follow an extended 7-mile route. The map for that route is shown here: http://stlouis.missouri.org/open-streets/route.html The remaining three events will follow the original Locust/Lindell route.

Please sign up to volunteer TODAY! Please pass this along to friends and colleagues to encourage them to volunteer, too. Thanks for all you do to make the St. Louis region bike and pedestrian friendly!
https://stlbikefed.wufoo.com/forms/st-louis-open-streets-volunteer-signup/

St. Louis Open Streets - Get Excited!

Caption: The Open Streets poster

St. Louis Open Streets will be the biggest street festival St. Louis has ever seen! The first of four events will be May 1, 2010, 8am - 1pm.

You don't want to miss it. Picture this: walkers, bikers, runners, and rollerbladers exploring the City's central corridor free of the hazard of cars. Forest Park, Grand Center, and Downtown activities hubs with climbing walls, yoga classes, live music, zumba classes, hula hoops, and more. Focused chess players adjacent to focused hula hoopers.

Discover the freedom of bicycling! Come on out to St. Louis Open Streets and celebrate the history and future of St. Louis. The future of St. Louis begins May 1! For more information, visit: http://stlouis.missouri.org/open-streets/