Missouri Bicycle News Article

Springfield has proposed a renewal of its current 1/8 cent transportation tax. The vote will be held during the regular Missouri primary election next Tuesday, August 5th, 2008.

For the first time, the ballot language for the Springfield tax renewal includes some language about funding bicycle and pedestrian projects. The official ballot language reads:

Shall the City of Springfield, Missouri, continue a sales tax of one-eighth of one percent for transportation purposes to fund high-priority transportation improvements which include the following: Upgrading U.S. Route 65 to a six-lane facility from Battlefield Road to Chestnut Expressway; interchange improvements at James River Freeway (JRF) an National Avenue, JRF and Campbell Avenue (Phase I) and I-44 and Kansas Expressway; Intermodal Connectivity investment to enhance mobility of alternative modes of transportation (Pedestrian, Bicycle and Transit); intersection improvements at Kearney Street and National Avenue; Turn Lane Safety and Capacity Projects; Bridge and Pavement Preservation Projects; Intelligent Transportation System Projects; and other shared funding projects with County, State, Federal and Developers to advance high-priority transportation projects; and including the repayment of bonds which may be used to pay for the improvements, with the tax to sunset in four years?

(Note: This will not increase the current one-eighth of one percent transportation sales tax.)

Those of you in Springfield, be sure to get out and vote on this issue Tuesday, August 5th, and urge your family and friends to do the same.

Please consider contacting your Springfield City Council member, thank them for including the bicycle and pedestrian provision in the tax renewal, and urge them to move to fully adopt Springfield's bicycle plan. City Council members can all be reached by emailing CityCouncil [at] ci.springfield.mo.us.

More about Springfield's bicycle plan here.

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