Bicycle Advocacy Resources

Motorist Contact Letter--MBF will send a letter to motorists who threaten or endanger bicyclists. Repeat offenders will be tracked. Just get the license plate and report it to us. Follow the link for details.

Missouri Department of Revenue unsafe driver report form--this form can be used if you have direct knowledge of a Missouri driver's unfitness to drive. The Department of Revenue will investigate and in some situations require re-testing of vision and driving. More info about the program.

MoDOT Feedback Form--using this form is the best way to report a dangerous condition on MoDOT road or to ask for Bike/Ped accommodations on a project planned or under construction. Be polite and persuasive as you explain where the problem is, why this is an important or commonly used bicycle/pedestrian link, and what solutions you suggest for the problem. It is federal and MoDOT policy to provide for bicycle and pedestrian facilities where appropriate, and to provide for bike/ped safety, so thank them for doing so in general and request them to do so in this particular case.

It isn't always easy to tell which roads are administered by MoDOT. Generally any numbered or lettered route (40 Hwy, Route V, Route CC) is MoDOT-administered.

When you send feedback using this form it goes through regular MoDOT channels and eventually ends up on the desk of the engineer assigned to the project you are addressing. Results are not guaranteed, but MoDOT does take citizen feedback seriously. For the sake of future as well as current projects, MoDOT engineers need to hear from many citizens making a compelling case for bike/ped accommodations.

Request street cleaning on a MoDOT road--just fill out the feedback form, specifying "street cleaning or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (toll free) to request that a particular shoulder be swept. Please explain that you would like it cleaned because you bicycle there (that helps build awareness of the needs of bicyclists within MoDOT).

Explain which section of road you would like cleaned; it is helpful if you know which MoDOT district it lies in (D1-St. Joe, D2-north central, D3-Hannibal, D4-KC, D5-central, D6-St.L, D7-Joplin, D8-Springfield, D9-south central, D10-Cape Girardeau).

Keep in mind that MoDOT roads include all federal freeways and highways in Missouri (with numbers like I-70, US Hwy 40) and all state highways and roads (with numbers like 350 Hwy, Route V, Route JJ). Basically, any road with a highway number or letter is a MoDOT road.

Dangerous Conditions Letter--a form letter you can send to government officials to alert them to dangerous conditions on roads.

How to take on MoDOT and win--or at least, not lose by MoBikeFed

How to advocate for better bicycle infrastructure by TALC

Bicycle Advocacy Tips from the League of American Bicyclists

Guide to Bicycle Advocacy (PDF file) by the Bikes Belong Coalition

MoDOT's Safe Routes to School page has information about applying for Missouri's SRTS grants. There is generally a grant application period once per year. It takes a consortium of school officials, government officials, law enforcement, parents, and other community members to create a successful SRTS program, so the first step in starting to apply for SRTS funds is to get a group of interested community members and officials together and decide what you are interested in doing. Most SRTS applications include both activities (promoting and encouraging safe walking and bicycling) and infrastructure (bike racks, sidewalks, crosswalks, etc.).

How to plan and execute a Walk/Bike to School Day in your own school. Walk/Bike to School Day is a great way to get kids out and active and build community spirit. It doesn't really take any money, just some time and planning. National Walk/Bike to School Day/Week/Month are in October every year, but you can plan your own local Walk/Bike to School Day whenever you like. Many schools do it once each Fall and again each Spring. Everything you need to know to get started is outlined in these Walk/Bike to School Day materials generously provided by PedNet.

All individuals and organizations in Missouri interested in Safe Routes to School are invited to join the Missouri Safe Routes to School Coalition email list. The Missouri Safe Routes Coalition, sponsored by the Missouri Bicycle Federation, is dedicated to moving Safe Routes to Schools forward in Missouri.

The mailing list provides a way for groups & individuals interested in Safe Routes to Schools to communicate, share ideas, get information, and work together.

We urge all interested organizations and schools to join the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. The Partnership also has an excellent page explaining what Safe Routes to School is.

TrailNet (St. Louis) has an excellent summary and list of resources for Safe Routes to School. Note especially their "Safe Routes Heros"--great examples.

The Safe Routes to School Toolkit (5 meg PDF). This toolkit, published by the U.S. Department of Transportation and NHTSA, summarizes the ideas and experience of successful pilot Safe Routes to Schools programs in the U.S. It is full of good ideas about how to get started with Safe Routes and how to make it work. The best single resource telling how to start and run a Safe Routes to School program in a community.

The National Safe Routes to School Clearinghouse is charged with developing a centralized source of information on successful Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs and strategies. One the site you will find information on how to start and sustain a Safe Routes to School program, case studies of successful programs as well as many other resources for training and technical assistance. Particularly helpful is a page with resources for getting your local SRTS program up and running, walkability and bikeability checklists, curriculums, and so on, and a page with information on available SRTS training programs.

I Walk to School.org--international Walk to School web site.

Walk to School USA

Getting started with Safe Routes to School from the National Center for Bicycling and Walking.

Safe Routes to Schools really works--the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, which sponsored one of the first Safe Routes to School programs in the U.S., found these changes in just two years of their Safe Routes to Schools program:

* Children walking to school went from 14% to 23% * Children biking to school doubled from 7% to 15% * Children carpooling increased from 11% to 21% * Children arriving alone in a car shrank from 62% to 38%

MoBikeFed's vision of Missouri's Safe Routes to School program. Safe Routes to School has the potential to dramatically increase the number of children who walk and bicycle to school, and to improve our communities for bicycling and walking. Our goal is for the federal funding to seed pilot Safe Routes to School program in numerous schools throughout Missouri, leading eventually to the Safe Routes program being established in every elementary and middle school in the state.

The Federal Highway Administration's page about the new federally funded Safe Routes program.

Missouri bicycle lawyers--lawyers who may be able to help if you have had an injury, collision, or incident related to bicycling.

Bicycle-related laws of Missouri and other states - including summaries of bicycle and pedestrian laws created by MoDOT, statements from the Missouri Driver Guide, the full text of Missouri statutes related to bicycles and bicycling, and links to info about bicycle laws in other states. The Missouri Driver Guide has a number of statements that make clear the cyclist's right to use the road as well as the cyclist's duty to follow the same laws as other vehicles. MoBikeFed has compiled a list of useful quotes from the Driver Guide.

An analysis of all the bicycle/pedestrian-related sections of federal transportation law (TEA-21)--this lists and explains all of the main sections of federal law relating to bicycle and pedestrian accommodation. Federal law requires planners and engineers to do much more for pedestrian and bicycle accommodation than most planners realize. There is much material here to help in any advocacy effort. These regulations apply whenever federal highway money is involved in road or trail construction and reconstruction or transportation planning.

In addition, the complete Federal Transportation Law (searchable) (Section 23, U.S. Code), contains most relevant transportation provisions affecting bicycle and pedestrian facilities, including TEA-21 provisions. Search for "bicycle" or "pedestrian" to find the most relevant sections. Title 23 is also available as a downloadable PDF file (612 KB).

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) bicycle and pedestrian regulations (Part 652 of the Federal-Aid Policy Guide). These are the federal regulations written by FHWA to implement the provisions of federal transportation law (TEA-21). They must be followed whenever federal highway aid funds are used in any transportation project. These regulations have some pretty strong language to support bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on construction projects that involve federal money. As of June 2004 the FHWA web site has this note about these regulations:

23 CFR Part 652 is outdated and will be revised after reauthorization of surface transportation programs.

The new revision will be even stronger in support of bike/ped facilities than the old version. The FHWA also suggests going to FHWA Bicycle and Pedestrian Program legislation and guidance and the important FHWA publication "Design Guidance: Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel: A Recommended Approach".

The Kansas City American Public Works Association Guidelines for Bicycle Facilities--these guidelines have been officially adopted by the KCAPWA. They are influential with all public works departments in the area, even if they have not been officially adopted by a particular city (and often they have been adopted by cities in the area). This is a draft version but the final version has only minor differences, if any.

The Law Officer's Guide to Bicycle Safety from MassBike. This program is intended to be taught by law enforcement officers to law enforcement officers as a stand-alone resource. The major objective of the program is to give law enforcement officers of all backgrounds the tools they need to properly enforce the laws that affect bicyclists. The program focuses on all police officers, including those who may not be interested in bicycling or who are not able to attend in-depth trainings. Most materials for the program are available online.

The Surface Transportation Board has information about decisions in cases where railroads have filed for abandonment of track sections. STB also lists all filings made by railroads, such as requests for abandonment or notice that the abandonment is complete ("notice of consummation"). Also, see the Code of Federal Regulations for railbanking, interim trail use, and railroad abandonment. This court case examines many of the issues involving railbanking, rails-trails, and abandonment of rail lines.

The Rails to Trails Conservancy has an email "early warning system" for issues about trails.

The Rails with Trails (rails adjacent to active rail lines) are, surprisingly, actually safer than rail lines without trails.

Missouri Blueways Report [MSWord format or PDF Format] by MoBikeFed Trails Chair Jeff Huff. This report outlines how to identify potential rail corridors for conversion to trails and then how to go about turning that corridor into a trail. It covers practical and legal issues. The report also includes a map of all known Missouri rail corridors--both those currently in use and corridors that are abandoned. A very high resolution version of the Missouri Blueways Map is also available.

Missourians take about 20 million bicycle trips each year. (About 0.4% of Missouri trips are by bicycle and the National Household Travel Survey reports 5 billion annual vehicle-trips in Missouri.)

About two million Missourians are regular bicyclists. (About 1.2 million Missouri adults and another 700,000-800,000 Missouri children are regular bicyclists, bicycling one or several times each year.)

400,000 Missourians are avid bicyclists, bicycling at least once a week during good-weather months.

Where Missouri Stands summarizes what we know about Missouri bicycling and walking rates, injury rates, and the economic impact of our lack of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations:

• Missourians walk and bicycle at less than half the national rate.
• As a percentage of motor vehicle crashes, Missouri has a far lower rate of pedestrian and bicycle injuries and fatalities than the national average. However, this does not indicate greater safety on Missouri roads but rather a much lower usage rate than the national average.
• Lack of proper bicycling, walking, and transit facilities mean the Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas have household transportation costs far higher than the national average--totalling approximately $700 million annually for each of the two metro areas.

In the U.S., road transportation is the single largest "end use" contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, with 22% of the total. Worldwide, road transportation contributes 9.9% of the total. Encouraging more walking and bicycling for transportation is one of the best ways to reduce greenhouse emissions, and our low rate of walking and bicycling is one reason the U.S. has such high greenhouse emissions from transportation.

No driver's licence: About 13% of Missouri adults, over 25% of total population. No motor vehicle: 8.3% of Missouri households, 25% of St. Louis city households, 13% of Kansas City households. 32% of Americans do not have a drivers license. 7.9% of U.S. households are "zero-vehicle" households.

A bicycle statistics benchmarking report of various cities and states around the U.S. reports that the estimated bicycle mode share for St. Louis is 1.2%. This is low--a tie (with Columbus, OH for the lowest of any city studied, far lower than cities like Portland, Seattle, Denver, and New Orleands (which range from 4% to 7%) and lower even than cities like Houston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, New York, and Miami (all of which are over 1.5% mode share). Kansas City is worse yet, with only 0.4% of trips made by bicycle (Household Travel Survey [PDF], p. 39).

This draft benchmakring report was compiled by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation for the Thunderhead Alliance. The report has many other statistics related to facilities, funding, injuries, and advocacy. The report seems to show a relationship between stronger advocacy and higher rates of cycling, better facilities, more funding, better bicycle planning, and lower injury rates.

How does Missouri stand up to the national average for walking and bicycling? There is no question that Missouri falls well below the national average for rates of bicycling and walking.

• As mentioned above, St. Louis is right at the bottom when its rate of bicycling is compared with peer cities and Kansas City is 1/3 of St. Louis's dismally low bicycle mode share.
• 21% of Kansas Citians reported riding a bicycle at least once in a summer (KC Household Travel Survey [PDF], see p. 22), which compares unfavorably with the national average: 27% report bicycling at least once per month in the summer.
• Nationally 8.7% of trips are made by walking and 0.8% by bicycle for a total of 9.5% combined (2001 figures, National Walking and Bicycling Study). In Kansas City 3.9% of trips are made by walking and 0.4% by bicycling for a total of 4.3%--less than half the national average on all counts (Household Travel Survey [PDF], see p. 39).
• The silver lining in all this is that it demonstrates that there is tremendous pent-up demand for bicycling and walking in Missouri. People who live in Missouri are not physically different from those who live elsewhere in the U.S. If we do in Missouri what other cities and states have done around the country to better accommodate safe walking and bicycling then our bicycling and walking rates will rather easily increase towards the national average. Raising our rates of bicycling and walking above the national average would be a daunting task. But simply raising to the national average is not so hard. We know what to do, because cities and states across the country have done it already. Missourians simply need to find the political will to actually do what others have already done.

Injury statistics for the state of Missouri, 1994-2002, including traffic and non-traffic bicycle and pedestrian injuries, from the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services. (To find the relevant statistics, look at "Motor Vehicle-Traffic" and "Motor Vehicle-Non-traffic" and be sure to "drill down" by clicking on the title of the initial results to get results broken down by pedestrian, bicycle, motor vehicle, etc. Also a summary of bike/ped injury stats for 2002.

Analysis of these injury statistics for the years 1996-2002 reveals that bicycle injuries, which comprise approximately 1.3% to 1.5% of injuries involving motor vehicles in Missouri, are actually 12% of Missouri roadway injuries, when both bicycle-automobile and bicycle-only injuries are considered. Pedestrians represent 3.5% of all roadway injuries, according to the DHSS data.

Bicycle injury and fatality data for Missouri:

• A summary of bicycle and pedestrian traffic crash fatalities and injuries in Missouri, 2000-2006
• An analysis of Missouri Highway Patrol statistics for bicycle and pedestrian injuries and fatalities for 2000, 2001, 2002.
• A further analysis of these statistics breaks down 2002 Missouri bicycle injuries by county. \
• The Highway Patrol statistics summary from 2002 forward is online.

Sources for nationwide and Missouri-wide bicycle and pedestrian injury and fatality statistics. Info about bicycle crashes from BicyclingInfo.org, including breakdown of bicycle crash types and causes, and crash types and percentages--and how to avoid each crash type.

Where do people bicycle? Many have misconceptions. Research shows that 70%-90% of all bicycling is on streets and roads with traffic. The remainder is on multi-use paths, mountain biking trails, and sidewalks.

4.3% of tourists visiting Missouri hike or bicycle. That is about 1.6 million people each year, and places biking/hiking just ahead of golfing, swimming, and boating and just behind night life, hunting/fishing, camping, and gambling.

Missouri's Bicycle Business: There are over 108 bicycle stores in Missouri, over 1,000 employees, and almost a $100 million in sales from these stores. Based on national averages, there are about $120 million in bicycle sales from large retailers for a total of $220 million annually in Missouri bicycle-related business.

Bicycle Retailer compiled a set of national bicycle sales statistics (1990-1998) and a separate compilation for 2002.

Nationally, bicycling generates more $133 billion annually for the economy, $17.7 billion in state and federal taxes, and supports nearly 1.1 million jobs.

Demographic characteristics of Missouri Recreational and Racing Bicyclists, compiled by MoBikeFed. (This is designed to help potential sponsors understand the characteristics of participants in bicycle rides, events, and clubs.)

Demographic statistics of Katy Trail users and economic and tourism statistics related to the Katy Trail

BikeLeague has an excellent roundup of bicycle-related facts and statistics.

Detailed discussion of various schemes for rating bicycle level of service. Discussion of Pedestrian Level of Service and Share-Use Path Suitability measurement, with details about the formulas. (PDF document)

An online BLOS/BCI calculator from Chicagoland Bike Fed

An Excel spreadsheet from MoBikeFed that will calculate BCI, BLOS, CBF (Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Bicycle Map Criteria), and IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation Bicycle Map Criteria) for four different roads at a time, for easy comparison of different roads and configurations. (Also available packed in .zip format.) Bicycle Utility Ratio--a method of measuring bicycle suitability that considers the bicycle friendliness of a road together with its usefulness in reaching destinations.

How to get your city to develop and implement a Bike Plan by Bruce Adib-Yazdi of Springfield.

Master's thesis: Obstacles to Alternative Transportation in Springfield Missouri Area by Adriana Giraldo.

List of cities & counties that have a bicycle/pedestrian coordinator.

Equal Rights for Cyclists Letter--a letter that helps motorists understand why cyclists have equal rights on the road, and how motorists (and cyclists) can and should act on the road. This is a very effective letter that has a 95% or higher acceptance rating among motorists; the text can be copied and used by individuals or groups as needed.

Do Missouri bicyclists pay their fair share of roadway costs?--When the question of on-road bicycling comes up in Missouri, a common question that is asked is: "Why should we allow bicycles on the road at all? Bicyclists don't pay for the roads they are riding on, do they?" Here's the answer . . .

Removing Barriers to Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Will Improve Missourians’ Quality of Life--Why are bicycle and pedestrian accommodations necessary in Missouri? Legislators, policy makers, and the public often ask this question. This statement from MoDOT helps answer this important question.

The MoBikeFed membership flyer (PDF format). Please print out copies of this and distribute to friends, bicycle club members, bicycle shops, and others.

MoBikeFed has created a comprehensive list of Missouri media outlets in Excel format. The list includes addresses, fax numbers, and email addresses. The list is can be used as a reference or can be used to create mail merge documents or press releases. (Note: to prevent automated harvesting of email addresses, the "@" in email addresses has been replaced with "-@-". Before using the email addresses, simply search for "-@-" and replace with "@".)

MoBikeFed has created a comprehensive list of Missouri bicycling, walking, and running clubs and a separate list of Missouri bicycle-related businesses. The lists can be used to help promote events across Missouri.

The MondoTimes has a comprehensive list of Missouri media webpages and contact information.

The Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association maintains an up-to-date and comprehensive list of Kansas City area media outlets in Excel and PDF formats.

Missouri General Assembly web site, including bill tracking, Missouri Revised Statutes, Missouri Constitution, and contact information for all Missouri Senators and Representatives.

The Missouri Digital Network has a site with many stories and details about Missouri Legislators, including committee assignments, legislation, bill calendars, legislator contact info, and news stories about each legislator.

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