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posted by Brent Hugh at 1/08/2010 08:01:00 PM
 Springfield: In addition to making driving difficult, snowfall can endanger pedestrians -- especially those who must rely on their own two feet to get to school.Jefferson City: A Jefferson City code says residents are responsible for clearing the sidewalk outside of their own homes.St. Joseph: Under City Ordinance Section 25-78, the property owner is responsible for removing ice and snow from his or her sidewalk, unless the city is the owner of it. . . .Chicago's Active Transportation Alliance has been encouraging individuals and businesses to shovel their sidewalks: The Chicago-based Active Transportation Alliance is urging residents, tenants and businesses to keep sidewalks clear and safe for pedestrians. . . .
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/08/2010 01:25:00 PM
VeloNews is reporting that the "road rage doctor" who slammed on the brakes in front of two bicyclists, causing serious injuries, will get five years in prison:
Christopher Thomas Thompson, found guilty of six felonies and a misdemeanor, has been in custody since his conviction in November. Following an often-emotional two-hour hearing Superior Court Judge Scott T. Millington sentenced Thompson to two years on the charge of assaulting cyclists Ron Peterson and Christian Stoehr with a deadly weapon and added a three-year enhancement because Peterson suffered serious bodily harm. The remaining lesser charges also carry prison time, but those sentences will be served concurrently with Thompson’s five-year sentence.This case has been widely publicized both within California and across the nation. According to the article, the court has been deluged with letters from bicyclists asking the court to give a sentence that emphasizes the severity of the crime and that will send a message to other drivers who may be tempted to engage in similar road rage. More about the case in the LA Times. Many more details in the VeloNews article. Important parts of MoBikeFed's Vision of Bicycling and Walking in Missouri include improving safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, educating motorists about safe operation, and working towards traffic justice for nonmotorized users--including appropriate consequences for those who deliberately or carelessly injure or kill bicyclists or pedestrians.
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/08/2010 01:12:00 PM
 We'd like to create the most effective State Network possible--you can help by forwarding this announcement to organizations, agencies, and public officials and inviting them to participateThe Missouri Foundation for Bicycling and Walking is pleased to announce that the Safe Routes to School National Partnership selected Missouri to participate in the 2010 and 2011 phase of the State Network Project. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia were chosen to participate in this project, which is being funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Missouri Network will work to increase physical activity among all students, ensure that federal SRTS funds are spent on quality projects, work to leverage additional state resources for SRTS initiatives, and advocate to remove barriers to walking and bicycling to schools through policy initiatives. The 2010-2011 phase of the State Network Project also includes a focus on serving lower-income populations and reducing crime. How to Join your Network: The specific policy efforts of the Missouri Network will be developed and achieved by working collaboratively with partner organizations and agencies. Please contact Brent Hugh at missouri@saferoutespartnership.org to express your interest in attending our kick-off telephone meeting on January 26th at 9:30 a.m. We invite government agencies, policy makers and non-profits from around the state working on health, equity, transportation, youth, environmental and smart growth issues to join us. Robert Ping, State Network Director for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership says, "The State Network Project has been very successful in bringing together partners to change state level policies that are resulting in opportunities for more children to walk and bicycle to schools safely. We're honored and excited about expanding this project, and the impact that it will make towards the goal of reversing childhood obesity by the year 2015. We encourage state agencies, policy makers and non-profits to join us in launching this new project." The Missouri Network A wide variety of organizations and agencies interested in promoting fitness and health for school children helped and supported Missouri's application for the State Network Project, including: * Missouri Department of Transportation, Office of Highway Safety, Safe Routes to School Program * Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation * Missouri Foundation for Health * Incarnate Word Foundation * U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Region VII Office of Minority Health * Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services * Department of Elementary and Secondary Education * Bridging the Gap, Kansas City * PedNet Coalition, Columbia * Trailnet, St. Louis * Urban Kansas City Community of Cycling * Missouri Convergence Partnership * Transtria, St. Louis * Missouri Council for Activity and Nutrition * Missouri Park and Recreation Association * University of Missouri Extension * KC Healthy Kids * Missouri Coordinated School Health Coalition * Let's Go KC * St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation * Ozark Family Resource Agency * Ozark Heart Health Program * Truman State University Bicycle Co-Op * Greater St. Joseph Area MPO * Mid-America Regional Council * A number of individuals and elected officials, including Mayor Darwin Hindman of Columbia and Representative Jeanne Kirkton of Webster Groves Additional funding in support of the Network has been pledged by the Missouri Foundation for Health, the Incarnate Word Foundation, the Regional VII Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation. "The response from agencies and organizations from around the state who want to work together to make bicycling and walking better and safer for Missouri children is just amazing. The state network is a great opportunity for organizations from around the state to work together with state and federal agencies like MoDOT, which is investing millions of dollars in better infrastructure around schools under its own Safe Routes to School program," says Brent Hugh, State Network Organizer for Missouri. "We have the chance to make a real difference in the health and safety of Missouri children." To find out more or to get involved in the Missouri Safe Routes to School Network, just email missouri@saferoutespartnership.org. 2010-2011 State Network Project Participants
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/07/2010 03:20:00 PM
Russ Willis, formerly of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation and now living (and bicycling) in Portland, writes about a driver who seriously injured a bicyclist, fled the scene, was put on probation, and has now broken the terms of the probation.
The driver now faces a hearing at 9 a.m. on February 5, 2010 on the sixth floor of the Civil Courts Building, 10 North Tucker, St. Louis. Willis and advocates in the St. Louis area are working to get a group of bicyclists to attend the hearing. Here are the basics of the case as summarize by Willis: when i left st. louis to move to portland almost two years ago, there was at least one item still on my advocacy agenda there left unfinished.Read the full article for the full details--because there are many, many more.
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/06/2010 07:27:00 PM
 One of the goals of MoBikeFed's Vision of Bicycling and Walking in Missouri is to connect all nearby communities to the Katy Trail network. Missouri has made some real progress on this front, with a Missouri River crossing at St Charles completed in the 1990s, the bike/ped connection to Hermann completed recently, the bike/ped connection to Jefferson City funded and nearing final design, and the Department of Natural Resources working on the connection between the Katy Trail and the Kansas City area. One of the biggest missing pieces is the Missouri River bridge at Washington, Missouri. As with Hermann and Jefferson City, the Katy Trail is north of the river while the main center of population is south of the river. In Washington, an old, narrow, two-lane bridge is the only way to cross the river. Recently the Missouri Highway 47 Bridge Committee gave a presentation to the Washington, Missouri, City Council. The committee's goals for the bridge include bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. They are aiming for a 10 foot separated path on the bridge, which is the recommended minimum width for a path on new construction. The main deck of the bridge would be 48 feet wide, enough to allow for four twelve foot lanes. Initially the bridge would likely be set up with two lanes. The Missourian has an article with more details. That article mentions that one option is to build the bridge wide enough for four lanes of motor traffic but configure it to carry two lanes plus a 10-foot separated bicycle/pedestrian path. If the bridge is re-configured for four lanes of motor traffic at a later date a ten-foot extension could be added to hold the bicycle/pedestrian path at that time. They are hoping the bridge can be replaced within the next ten years. More details and information about the Washington bridge project:
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/05/2010 04:50:00 PM
AASHTO--The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials--has issued a press release naming "creating livable communities as one of its top ten transportation topics of the year.
To have AASHTO--which bills itself as "the 'Voice of Transportation' representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico"--list livability among its top areas of interest shows just how far the the national discussion in this area has come. America's transportation policy affects our way of life--everything from neighborhood livability, urban planning, and suburban sprawl--but usually policies, budget, and projects go forward with very limited or no awareness of the effect they have on communities the surround them. The AASHTO press release says: As America enters a new decade, what will be the buzz about transportation? Clearly a safe, efficient, and viable transportation network should be at the forefront of issues facing policymakers at all levels of government and in all areas of our society in the coming months. . . .Read AASHTO's complete list here.
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/05/2010 12:29:00 PM
 With Columbia's longtime mayor Darwin Hindman announcing he will not run for another term, a variety of candidates have shown interest in running for the position.With Columbia playing a leading role in Missouri and the nation on bicycling and walking issues, such as creating trail and on-road systems, Safe Routes to School, promoting bicycling and walking, and focusing on bicycle and pedestrian education, bicycle and pedestrian issues are bound to come up in the election. One of the first candidates has jumped right in with an anti-bicycling platform: Mike Yoakum . . . a Columbia College senior and chairman of Columbia's Substance Abuse Advisory Commission, has announced his candidacy for mayor of Columbia on Facebook.You can have a look at Yoakum's campaign Facebook page here.
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/03/2010 12:22:00 PM
MoDOT is asking for public comment on the proposed bike/ped bridge over the Missouri River in Jefferson City. Even a short note saying you support the project would help a lot! Email comments@modot.mo.gov by Monday, January 4th. MoDOT has put online materials from the recent public meeting about the bridge attachment. You can see the plans and visualizations of the proposed path. The path has been over ten years in the works. And if you have ever wanted to bicycle or walk from the Katy Trail across the river to Jefferson City, where all hotels, restaurants, and other services are located, you know it is very much needed and will be very well used. Creating safe ways for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross major barriers like the Missouri River and connecting Missouri communities to the Katy Trail network are two of the major goals in MoBikeFed's Vision of Bicycling and Walking in Missouri. 
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/03/2010 02:40:00 AM
 A recent report on Fox4KC claimed that "In Missouri, if you clear your walkway and someone falls, you could be at more risk of being sued than if you just left it alone." In short, Fox4 is wrong for these reasons:
More at risk--or less--if you clear your walkways? The law being the law and the courts being the courts, the situation is a little more complex than we would like. But given that caveat--which would apply to any legal matter with numerous court cases behind it--Fox4 managed to spin this pretty much 100% wrong. Of course you could be more at risk of being sued if you clear the walkways, particularly if you go out of your way to be especially and unusually stupid and dangerous in the way you do it. But this summary of the Missouri law and legal precedents provided by the Missouri Bar Association makes it perfectly clear that:
In short, you don't have to keep walkways clear during a storm (though nothing is stopping you from trying, if you like), but you should clear them within a reasonable time afterwards. You don't have to clear every single walkway but you have to make some safe way for people to get to the places they need to go. And you have a duty to exercise reasonable care when you clear the walkways--for instance, not leaving them more dangerous when you're done. If you follow the same general procedure most people do when clearing snow or ice--shoveling a path through the snow as well as possible given existing conditions and spreading some salt or anti-slip material on any remaining ice--you're good. Doing that will reduce your liability--and failing to clear that snow and ice definitely will increase your liability. Again, don't take my word for it. But if you don't, please read with extreme care the Missouri Bar Association's summary of Missouri court cases on the subject, which I've summarized above. Requirement to clear public sidewalks in most cities The above points apply to sidewalks within a property--for instance, the sidewalks and walkways leading from a store's parking area to its entrance. For public sidewalks along the street, another consideration applies:
For instance-- Section 24-12 Cleaning sidewalks. All persons are hereby required to keep the sidewalks in front of, or adjacent to, the property or premises owned or occupied by them or under their control, within the city, clear and free from rubbish, filth, refuse, dirt, snow, ice and from any and all obstructions and dangerous agencies of every kind and description whatsoever; and any person failing to observe the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. Sec. 64-246. Removal of ice or snow. It shall be the duty of all persons owning or occupying any real property, fronting upon any street, boulevard or highway, to remove from the sidewalks in front or alongside of such property all ice and snow within a reasonable time after cessation of a storm depositing such ice or snow. The provisions of chapter 62, article III, pertaining to littering, and penalties for violations thereof, shall be applicable to violations of this section. 11.18.210 Snow removal. After any fall of snow, owners, managers, agents or occupiers of any premises shall cause the snow to be immediately removed from the improved area of the sidewalk in the public street adjacent to such premises, and the improved area of the sidewalk shall also be kept clear of ice at all times. If no part of the sidewalk area be improved, then a lane five feet wide in the sidewalk area shall be kept free from snow and ice at all times. Where structures contain six or more units, it shall be the duty of the owner or agent of the owner to comply with this provision. Where structures contain between one or six units, it shall be the duty of the person occupying the units nearest the public street, as well as the owner or agent of the owner, in-volved to comply with the requirements of this section. (Ord. 56726 § 1 (part), 1974: 1960 C. § 805.210.) 302.3 Private property areas. All sidewalks, steps, driveways, parking spaces and similar paved areas on private property shall be kept in a proper state of repair, free of all snow, ice, mud, overhanging trees and shrubs which obstruct walkways, and other debris and shall be maintained free of hazardous conditions. If any sidewalk or driveway or portion thereof on private property by virtue of its state of repair shall constitute a danger to public health and safety, the sidewalk or driveway or portion thereof shall be replaced. Steps shall comply with the requirements for exterior stairs. You can find the requirements for your own city by searching the city code section of your city's web site or calling your city hall. Who uses those sidewalks? In the meanwhile--clear your sidewalks! It's no more difficult than clearing your driveway and yes--lots of people do walk on those sidewalks all winter long. I've been walking all over Raytown the past week or so and pretty much every (completely snow covered) sidewalk I've been on has had tracks. People do use them, even in the dead of winter. And when the snow is this deep, probably 10 people walk in the street--where the snow has been cleared--for every one who struggles through the deep snow. As the St. Joseph News-Press wrote: . . . sidewalks are often used by senior citizens, children and people with special needs . . .Those people--people without a driver's license--make up more than 30% of our population and 16% of adults. When the sidewalk is impassable, those folk end up walking in the street--and that's not good for anyone. 
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/03/2010 01:21:00 AM
I must say on my recent trip to the Chicago area I was amazed--pretty much every homeowner had cleared the sidewalk in front of their property within 24 hours.
Now back in Missouri--not so much. But it's the same situation in Missouri as in Illinois and pretty much every other community in the U.S.--property owners have the responsibility to clear the public sidewalk on or adjoining their property. The St. Joseph News-Press had an article highlighting the situation today: Following the blizzard that hit the city last weekend, piles of snow are still gathered along sidewalks in St. Joseph. While city snow plows and salt trucks cleared the roads, they can’t do the same for residents' sidewalks. Recent Posts in Missouri Bicycle News
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