Tour of Missouri

Census: Bicycle commuting has doubled in Missouri since 1990, and more than doubled in major cities since 2000

New Census data shows that bike to work rates grew substantially in Missouri in 2010--the most recent data available.  The amount of bicycle commuting in Missouri has nearly doubled since 2000--and more than doubled in the major cities--and the walk-to-work trip is up 71% since 2007.

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Huge victory for bicycling and walking in the U.S. Senate

A huge victory for bicycling and walking in the U.S. Senate today--leadership of the Senate Transportation Committee has accepted the Cardin-Cochran Amendment into the core language of MAP-21, the Senate's Transportation Bill. This revised bill, with 37 technical changes (including Cardin-Cochran) recommended by the relevant commmittee leaders, is now the primary MAP-21 bill that the Senate will vote on.

Getting to this point has taken weeks of hard work by advocates from around the country--including a number of key groups from around Missouri and thousands of ordinary citizens like you who have contacted members of Congress.

National bicycle and pedestrian groups have been working together more than ever to coordinate advocates from around the country and to work directly with congressional leadership on bicycle and pedestrian issues.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking summed up how the bicycle and pedestrian programs will work in MAP-21--if it becomes law as now written:

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National Bike Summit: The Power of the Pin

Carolyn Szczepanski--a former Kansas City journalist who now works for the Alliance for Biking and Walking--accompanied the Missouri delegation to the National Bike Summit last year, and published this report about the Summit visit in Mother Earth News, March 14th, 2011:

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Hwy 47 Missouri River Bridge at Washington moving forward--will connect Washington to Katy Trail

Efforts to replace the aging Hwy 47 Missouri River Bridge near Washington, Missouri, are moving forward.  The bridge is one of the oldest Missouri River bridges remaining in Missouri.  It provides a key connection between the city of Washington and the Katy Trail--and right now the narrow, two lane bridge is very daunting for Katy Trail users to cross.

The new bridge is envisioned to include a bicycle/pedestrian lane similar to those found on newer bridges like the Page Avenue bridge near St. Charles, the Hermann bridge, and the Jefferson City bridge--all of which now allow easy and safe connections between the Katy Trail and the nearby city.

A local committee has been doing initial work to determine the parameters and locate funding for the new bridge.  The bridge has been identified by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments (which covers the entire St. Louis metro area) as one of its top priorities over the next eight years and MoDOT has also identified the bridge as one of its top priorities for replacement.

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Federal transportation bill: National Rural Assembly opposes House bill's elimination of pedestrian safety, transit funding

The Daily Yonder summarizes some of the problems with the House transportation bill, planned for a vote this week--pointing out that both the New York Times and the National Rural Assembly oppose the bill:

The New York Times editorial page and the National Rural Assembly agree that the  transportation bill written by the House is a bad deal. 

The Times describes the bill as "uniquely terrible." It would change the way public transportation is funding, making money much less certain. It would open nearly all of the country's coastal waters to drilling. It would direct almost all spending to roads and bridges, ignoring other forms of transport.

The National Rural Assembly is against the bill because it eliminates all funding for pedestrian safety (and rural America has significant pedestrian fatality rates). It doesn't spend enough on bridges and it guts the "Safe Routes to School program. 

The National Rural Assembly is saying the bill should be killed. 

Obama transportation secretary Ray LaHood (a Republican) says it is the "worst transportation bill" he's seen in 35 years of working in Washington, D.C.

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Latest on federal transportation bill

Here is a roundup of what is going on with the renewal of the federal transportation bill in Congress.

Thursday the Senate bill passed its first legislative hurdle by a bipartisan vote of 85-11.  That clears the way for debate and a final vote on the bill. The bill still has some severe problems for bicycling and walking programs and funding, but an amendment sponsors by Senators Cardin and Cochran promises to address the worst ot the problems.  According to Streetsblog:

The pursuit of bipartisan support has been a hallmark of Boxer’s reauthorization efforts, even more than any specific policy goals. Before today’s vote was held, she expressed her hope for more than the 60 votes necessary to move forward, and in the end she received broad support from across the aisle.

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Federal transportation bill: What is the situation, what are the problems with this "terrible" House transportation bill?

Congress is working this week to pass a bill that will set federal transportation policy and funding for the next six years.  Different versions of the bill are making headway in both houses of Congress. Both versions are likely to come to a final vote next week.

In this article, we'll tackle the House bill, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012 (H.R. 7), and in a separate article, the Senate bill, known as MAP-21.

House version "uniquely terrible"

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ADVOCACY ALERT: Contact Congress today; six-year federal transportation policy and funding in the balance

Right now, Congress is working to set federal transportation policy and funding for the next six years.  Funding for bicycling and walking is under attack--and a call or message from you to our elected representatives could really make a difference.

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Missouri Congressmen vote to defund bicycling and walking

Yesterday Missouri Congressmen Sam Graves (Northwest Missouri) and Billy Long (Southwest Missouri) voted to eliminate federal funding for bicycilng and walking. They both supported a plan that targets bike/ped programs for elimination and reverses decades of progress that have resulted in Missouri getting more trails, more bike lanes, safer bridges, and more sidewalks in communities all over the state.

The US House of Representatives is working on a new federal transportation bill wlith all of these terrible setbacks. Both Congressmen sit on the House Transportation Committee that has a key role in shaping the future of our communities.  Despite many letters and phone calls from constituents, Graves and Long both voted against a bi-partisan effort to restore bike/ped funding. However, Congressman Russ Carnahan also sits on that committee and was one of the "yes" votes to save bicycling and walking. Please be sure to thank him!

Some elements of the horrible federal transportation bill include:

Safe Route to School would be "repealed" -  a popular and successful program that has helped communities around the state make it safer and easier for kids to walk and bike school by building sidewalks, improving crosswalks, and supporting educational programs.

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"St. Louis Open Streets to be model for national movement"

Today Washington University in St. Louis announced a report showing the value of the St. Louis Open Streets program.

Open Streets, which in St. Louis is organized by Mayor Slay's office, closes down a section of streets through a neighborhood to motorized traffic, leaving the neighborhood as a perfect place to walk, bicycle, roller skate, and enjoy other community activities.

Open Streets Initiatives, a movement growing around the United States, open urban spaces normally reserved for cars to people, providing a safe environment for socializing and other activities. The goal of the events is to promote healthy living and community building.

Researchers at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, evaluated the 2011 St. Louis Open Streets Initiative to examine participation in the events.

St. Louis Open Streets, held over two weekends in Oct., brought bicycling, walking and other diverse events to streets in Old North St. Louis and The Grove neighborhoods.

“With over 1,800 participants in 2011 and leadership from the mayor’s office, St. Louis has the potential to become a model and leader in the Open Streets movement,” says J. Aaron Hipp, PhD, assistant professor of public health at the Brown School.

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