Bike Lane Survey
Greg Lamprecht is requesting responses to a survey he is conducting for a university research project on bike lanes in St. Louis, Missou.
For all you who bike commute, would you guys take my Saint Louis bike lane survey? School research project. Feel free to pass this link on to anyone who might bike to work. Thanks, Greg
To participate in the survey, click here.
State Non-Motorized Transportation Engineer Visits St. Louis
The Missouri Department of Transportation is reviewing and updating all of its bicycle/pedestrian policies, according to MODOT’s new Non-Motorized Transportation Engineer, Melissa Anderson, P.E. Ms. Anderson was the featured guest at the June meeting of the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.
MoDOT moved her position from the planning department to the design department earlier this year. The move allows her to follow projects through bid lettings to make sure that nothing is left out, and allows her to work very closely with all the MoDOT districts.
While Ms. Anderson has been in the position only for a few months, she certainly has been busy. Her current top priority is to review MoDOT policies for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. MoDOT nearly is finished with a survey of all pedestrian facilities on state owned and maintained roads and is working on getting estimates to bring the roads into ADA compliance. They expect to create a budget and a multi-year plan to ensure that this is accomplished.
MoDOT is responsible for 32,000 miles of highways. Ms. Anderson emphasized that these highways are crucial to the economic vitality of the state. She noted that the MoDOT “Smoother, Safer, Sooner” project improved the 20 percent of the state roads that carry 80 percent of the traffic. This project included improving or widening shoulders, and changing to the new rumble strips that are less hazardous to people riding bicycles. She also mentioned that MoDOT, with its “800 Bridges” project, is reviewing all bridges in the state for structural integrity as well as for bicycle accommodations. She stated that most of them will not have bike lanes added due to low traffic volumes (200 or fewer vehicles per day) but that they will all have "Share the Road" signs posted on each approach.
In spite of the apparent demand for Complete Streets and particularly for dedicated bike lanes, Ms. Anderson asserted that these can increase costs due to the need to purchase additional right of way. Therefore MoDOT is less inclined to pursue dedicated bike lanes as a means of accommodating bikes. When asked about the state’s Complete Streets bill that MoDOT Director, Pete Rahn, argued against in the legislature's Transportation Committee earlier this year, which essentially killed the bill, Ms. Anderson indicated that the bill “had no teeth anyway” and that it “could have been changed to mandate 25 percent of expenses for a given project on bicycling and pedestrian facilities.” She stated that this would be unreasonable since it would “take away from other safety issues that could save lives.”
Ms. Anderson indicated that she will soon be reactivating the statewide Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which has not been active for about a year and a half. She is currently serving on the bicycle/pedestrian committee for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). She noted that Pete Rahn is president of AASHTO this year. Ms. Anderson plans to attend the ProWalk/ProBike conference in Seattle this September.
She urged cyclists to report problems on the roadways that present hazards for bicyclists. Go to MoDOT's website modot.org. Look for the “Report a Road Repar” link to make a report on needed repairs.
BPAC members had an opportunity to share concerns and ask questions. We are very hopeful that we will continue to see conditions improve for all road users in Missouri, and that Ms. Anderson will make the most of her engineering talent to bring about improvements that make the roads safer and more convenient for everyone.
The monthly BPAC meeting, open to all, is held on the second Wednesday of most months at the offices of the East-West Gateway in downtown St. Louis. Advisory committee members include planning officials from the region's municipalities, county and state transportation departments, representatives from the region's principal universities and employment sites, individuals from key public interest and advocacy groups and individuals representing the general public and cycling community. The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation is represented on the committee by Karen Karabell, who is current chair of the BPAC, Patty Vinyard, and Martin Pion, who also represents Conservion.
Bicycle Day at the Missouri Capitol
On Tuesday, February 26 bicycling advocates from across Missouri will gather in Jefferson City to talk with legislators about Complete Streets funding tied to any MoDOT funding, and traffic injuries and fatalities. We can bring specific issues from our region to the table as well. Bicycle Day is organized by the Missouri Bicycle Federation. Executive director, Brent Hugh sent the following:
The most important part of the visit is to meet legislators and/or staff in person, give them a friendly greeting, and let them know you are a real, live person who bicycles in Missouri.
As for the issues--we will have a packet with issue papers for each of the bills or issues we are discussing this year.
If you want to familiarize yourself with the main issues, look at our issue papers from last year:
http://mobikefed.org/2007/04/missouri-bicycle-advocacy-day-may-14th.php
At the bottom of the page: 2008 Legislative Priority: Complete Streets policy tied to any new MoDOT
funding and Traffic infractions that injure or kill.
If you'd like to join the St. Louis area contingent, call Patty at (314) 707-5001 for carpooling information or for more details.
Hit and Run Justice Fund
In response to the incident in which a motorist struck and injured a person on a bicycle at the corner of Cole and Broadway in downtown St. Louis on Monday evening, Jan. 28, 2008, and then left the scene as reported on KMOV Channel 4, we have launched a fund to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a motorist who injures or kills a cyclist and leaves the scene. Click this link to download (pdf) and read the press release. Click here to contribute online or mail a check to St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, Hit and Run Justice Fund, PO Box 23086, Saint Louis, MO 63156. Thanks for making St. Louis streets safer for everyone.
Biking and the Webster Groves Police Department
In December of 2007 the Suburban Journals published a story (online) (pdf version) in which Webster Groves Police Chief Dale Curtis is quoted as saying that police officers may tell a bicyclist to get off the road. Our policy and advocacy committee chair, Russ Willis, followed up with Chief Curtis. Read Russ' letter here. We received the following response from Chief Curtis:
We Need You to Make Biking Better
What's the equation here? TALK - ACTION = ZERO.
Some people can complain about poor conditions for bicycling all day. But if you want results, you need to speak up. A few years ago, the state legislature nearly made it the law that cyclists had to ride on the sidewalk instead of the street. If ordinary citizens hadn't been paying attention, and speaking up, you and I would be stuck on the Katy Trail and the sidewalk.
Cyclists pay taxes, vote, write letters, hold jobs and run businesses. We need to act like it. Half of St. Louisans own a bike. Are half of our roads bike-friendly?
If you visit a business that has no bike rack, ask why and follow up with a letter. If you know of a road that should have bike lanes or share the road signs, contact the powers that be. They aren't mindreaders.
And if you catch somebody who treats riders right, give him or her your praise, your business and your referrals.
So please, step up and offer to help with your time, energy and talents. We'll do our part by helping give you the tools to do so. You can find more information on advocacy.
We'll do this work together, and your support in the form of a membership or donation will help amplify your voice to the powers that be.
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In Memory of Shem Hartzler
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Shem Hartzler, 1977-2004, takes a spin at the 2003 Bike Fed Swap Meet. Shem believed passionately in the power of bikes to transform the world and the people who ride them.
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At the request of his parents, two memorial funds have been set up in his name:
1) Noah Jacob Hartzler Fund (to be used for his son's education) at Citizens State Bank, P.O. Box 869, Hesston, KS 67062. Checks can simply be made out to Noah Jacob Hartzler and sent to that address.
2) The Shem Hartzler Fund, to assist the Bike Federation in its mission. Checks can be made out to the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, and sent to 239 Spring Avenue, St. Louis MO 63119. The goal is to fund projects that reflect Shem's spirit: To date, we've helped buy bikes and accessories for children identified in the Post-Dispatch's Hundred Neediest Cases and built a bicycle-powered blender to show creative ways to use human power. Look for the bike blender at Earth Day May 1, and power yourself a smoothie.
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