Advocating for Us -- National Bike Summit

Photo Caption: Missouri bike advocates meeting with Senator Claire McCaskill at the National Bike Summit last week. Trailnet's Emily Luten is third from the left.

Trailnet staff recently attended the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. This event was attended by upwards of 700 bicycle enthusiasts from around the U.S. (and Canada), ranging from advocacy organizations similar to Trailnet, bicycle retail owners, lobbyists, academics, and people who love biking. The theme of the conference was “Acting on a Simple Solution.” This simple solution, bikes, can help to solve lots of America’s problems, whether it is health, economic, or environmental.

This simple solution also coincided with our simple ask to the 112th Congress: don’t cut bicycle/pedestrian funding. Currently, the 112th Congress is going through major budget cuts and bicycle/pedestrian funding, along with all funding, is in jeopardy. Therefore the group ask, by National Bike Summit representatives from all states, was simply to not cut bicycle/pedestrian funding. In previous years, this ask is usually to increase funding, but since all funding is at stake, we just want to make sure our funding is safe.

Bicycle/pedestrian funding, which comes out of transportation funding, only makes up .03% of the budget. This low-cost solution is crucial to provide transportation opportunities with the added benefits of helping the environment, health, and economy. Since 2001, the federal investment in bicycle infrastructure has spurred a 25 percent increase in ridership. Bicycle commuting has increased even more—44% nationwide since 2000, and more than 70% in bicycle-friendly communities with the largest investment.* Bicycle projects also create more jobs than road projects, with 14.4 jobs created per $1 million investment for bike lanes compared to only 6.8 jobs per $1 million investment for road resurfacing.** With these facts in hand, we made a strong case for our ask.

The Missouri contingent met with Senator Claire McCaskill (pictured above) to discuss our agenda. Senator McCaskill bluntly explained to us the debt situation that America is facing, and that no funding is guaranteed. When discussing with her the benefits associated with bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure, she understood our case, but explained that trimming the budget was her priority. Our discussion with Senator Roy Blunt went similarly. He was interested to learn why bicycle/pedestrian funding is important, but his priority was to cut the overall budget, but not specifically bicycle/pedestrian funding.

When meeting with St. Louis area Congressional Representatives Clay, Carnahan, Akin, and Luetkemeyer, our discussion was more optimistic. Our Representatives (and in some cases, their Legislative Assistants) were proud to represent Districts where Trailnet was implementing rides, events, the Safe Routes to School program, Healthy, Active, and Vibrant Communities program, Bike/Walk Masterplans, and Bike-to-Work Day activities. We helped our Congressional Representatives to understand the link between bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure and improving the health and economic well-being of their constituents. While not all Representatives were willing to sponsor a bill, they were all interested and wanted to learn more about how they can help.

After returning from Washington, D.C., the job is now in our hands to continue advocating for funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects. It’s up to you to contact your Congress member to explain how important bicycle/pedestrian funding is to you, your family, and your community. Visit the League of American Bicyclists for a variety of resources related to bike advocacy. Visit the following website to find your district and the contact information for your Congressional representative:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=MO

*Source: National Household Travel Survey: American Community Survey, US Census
**Garrett-Peltier, Heidi, Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

North Riverfront Land Use Study

Photo Caption: The land use study is looking at the area of St. Louis shown in pink.

The City of St. Louis is in the midst of a major land use study that is looking at how we can best use our north riverfront corridor. The study area, shown above, includes roughly 30% of St. Louis's riverfront, the Riverfront Trail, the McKinley Bridge Bikeway, and the proposed Trestle bikeway.

If you ride the Riverfront Trail, you know that the corridor being studied is currently used by many of St. Louis's heaviest industries, including scrap metal recyclers, junk yards, and coal shippers, as well as a series of lighter industrial uses, such as machine shops, wholesalers, manufacturers, and Produce Row. In addition, the corridor has long served as a hub for major movement of goods into and out of the region due to its proximity to the river, rail lines, and I-70.

As our City develops this major land use study (it is an $800,000 study), we have a rare opportunity to think big and develop a vision for the corridor that serves the triple bottom line of profit, people, and planet. With the industrial era in America's rear view mirror, river cities throughout our country have been re-tooling their riverfront corridors to include a softer mixture of uses (lighter industry, offices, recreation, housing, retail, etc.) that reflects the modern value that environmental stewardship and profit can co-exist. If you visit St. Louis's north riverfront corridor today, you see the past -- fragments of the industrial era literally scattered across the land and spilling into the streets. The current state of the corridor is enough to scare off even hearty urban explorers, let alone the creative class that St. Louis so desperately needs to retain and attract.

Two great examples of city's that have re-invented their riverfronts are Saint Paul, Minnesota (our neighbors up river) and Pittsburgh's recent Alleghany Riverfront Vision Plan. Here is an image of Saint Paul's riverfront from the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation website:


Here is an image of Branch Street in St. Louis -- the only remaining direct connection between St. Louis neighborhoods and the north riverfront. In the distance you can faintly see the flood wall painted with the words "Riverfront Trail." Not exactly an inviting scene:



The Land Use Study underway presents an exciting opportunity to envision the future of our riverfront. If you would like to learn more about the land use study and share your input, please plan to attend the upcoming Public Information Meeting, Thursday, March 24, 4-6pm. The invitation (in italics) and meeting flyer are below:

On Thursday, March 24, 2011, the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) in coordination with HNTB (the lead consultant), will be hosting a Public Informational Meeting, about the Port/North Riverfront Land Use Study, at the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), Bissell Point Treatment Plant, in St. Louis.

The purpose of the meeting is to share the Study goals and to learn more about your vested interests in the area. We encourage you to attend because your input does matter. For more information, please review the flyer attached, or contact Hudson and Associates, at 314.436.3311.

We would like to hear from you!

Better Bike Facilities

Photo Caption: A bike lane marked with green paint to alert both cyclists and drivers of high-conflict zones where cars are likely to merge across the bike lane. Courtesy of SDOT

All across the US, cities large and small have been experimenting to create new kinds of bike facilities that create safer travel environments for cyclists and vehicles. The new facilities include a broad range of things, such as green bike lanes (shown above), contra-flow bike lanes, bike boxes, bicycle signal heads to tell cyclists when it's safe to go, and more. Cities like Philadelphia, New York, Phoenix, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Portland, Houston, and Boston have come together to share the work they are doing with one another through the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). Now, as part of the Cities for Cycling initiative, NACTO has released the Urban Bikeway Design Guide to "provide cities with state-of-the-practice solutions that can help create complete streets that are safe and enjoyable for bicyclists."

So, why haven't we seen any of these best-practices in Missouri?
First of all, the documents/guidelines that transportation engineers most commonly use -- AASHTO's Green Book and Guide for Bicycle Facilities and the MUTCD -- do not include these best-practices, despite the fact that are being successfully implemented from coast to coast. Second, our state's major cities are not yet plugged into NACTO's professional network. In addition, there are budgetary constraints, lack of local leadership, and not enough public pressure. With regard to the last item, take some time to peruse the Urban Bikeway Design Guide, educate yourself, and then educate your local elected officials. MO Livable Streets is hosting a series of advocacy trainings throughout the state that will prepare you with the tools you need to be an effective advocate for complete streets -- there is a training March 29th in Kirksville, April 28th in Kansas City, and one May 3rd in Cape Girardeau.

How quickly do you think we can get a green bike lane painted in our state? See below for additional pictures of best-practice facilities.

A contraflow bike lane -- think of it as a two way street, where only bikes are allowed on one side. Photo thanks to SDOT

A bike box, which improves intersection safety. Photo thanks to BikePortland.org

A bike corral places bike parking in a traditional car parking spot. It keeps the sidewalk clear for pedestrians and can accommodate more than ten bikes in a single car parking space.

Park(ing) Day!

In 2005, a San Francisco art and design studio called Rebar decided to explore the ways in which parking spaces can be reclaimed to create much needed public space. Every year since, the Park(ing) Day movement has spread throughout the US and world, including St. Louis, as a global day of creativity and advocacy for the preservation and creation of meaningful public space in our communities.

As the first green shoots of spring appear, St. Louisans are already starting to break out of their winter hibernation, seeking places and spaces in their community to play, relax, and gather with neighbors in the public domain. Does your neighborhood or community have the kinds of public spaces you wish it had? Pay attention this spring and summer and start making a list of the public spaces you wish your community had -- Parking Day 2011 will be taking place Friday, September 16th, and we want more St. Louis communities than ever before to participate in this incredibly fun, creative way to spark meaningful dialog about public spaces that enhance the livability of our communities.

Check out the links below for more information about Park(ing) Day and Rebar's incredible work:

http://parkingday.org/

http://www.rebargroup.org/