MoBikeFed President's testimony in support of Complete Streets in St. Louis County

Tonight the St. Louis County Council will take a final vote on the adoption of a Complete Streets ordinance for the county.  If adopted, this will be the 23rd Complete Streets policy adopted in Missouri, the first county with a Complete Streets ordinance and--with a population of over 1 million--the largest municipality in the state to adopt a Complete Streets ordinance.

MoBikeFed President Paul Wojciechowski

St. Louis metro area advocacy group Trailnet has led the Complete Streets advocacy effort in the County, working to keep momentum on the St. Louis County Complete Streets ordinance going through month of sometimes difficult and trying circumstances.  That work led to a vote on the Complete Streets bill last week, and now what is likely to be the final vote on the bill tonight.

Paul Wojceichowski, President of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation, testified in favor of the Complete Streets ordinance at the County Commission hearing last week.  Here are his remarks:

I am speaking as President of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation.  Our Vision includes the following:

• Improved safety for all road users
• Creating a world class bicycle and pedestrian network in Missouri
• Encouraging bicycling and walking
• Building a movement around bicycling and walking including education
• Seeking funding to accomplish the vision

Complete Streets accommodates all users—from motor vehicles to transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians, and Missouri is a leader in that as of 2012, we have over 22 policies and ordinance documents throughout the state.  Even the House and the Senate in Missouri passed a resolution supporting complete streets policies at all levels of government.  This was adopted in May of 2011.

As an engineer and planner with 30 years of professional experience with MoDOT, City of Clayton and consulting firms, I am cognizant of costs, and also understand that engineering design of streets takes the effective use of design guidance and standards such as the AASHTO Green Book, AASHTO Bicycle and Pedestrian Guidance, MUTCD and yes even NACTO, and local standards such as County standard drawings in concert with public engagement and engaging discussions with stakeholders in finding the best solution for the community.

Complete Street projects range from one-block segments to arterial corridors, and from to freeway interchanges to neighborhood streets, or to integrated light rail transit-bus-bicycle-pedestrian design.

• Transportation Planning
• Urban Design
• Public Outreach
• Traffic Engineering
• Safety
• Parking
• Land Use
• ADA
• Bicycle/Pedestrian Facilities
• Transit Integration

This is not a new concept.  ISTEA, in 1991, presented an overall intermodal approach to highway and transit funding with collaborative planning requirements, giving significant additional powers to metropolitan planning organizations.  The bottom line is that it takes multiple disciplines to create a holistic solution to transportation corridors. In St. Louis we have call this a Great Streets approach.  The traffic engineers and transportation planners at St. Louis County are fantastic staff and will work to help make sure that all modes are considered, using the latest models and methods, and seek to maximize capacity and service quality for all modes.

I encourage the County Council to take the step of passing this ordinance that provides the next step in working towards a truly vibrant community we call St. Louis County.

Paul Wojciechowski, AICP, P.E. LCI#3558

Do Bicyclists Support Complete Streets? That's a resounding yes . . . 

We have been running a poll this week to gauge support for Complete Streets among members and supporters of bicycle advocacy groups across Missouri for Complete Streets.

Our first results show that there is very strong support for Complete Streets: Over 90% support Complete Streets, over 60% very strongly support Complete Streets, and only 3% oppose Complete Streets.

We regularly survey our members opinions about the various initiatives and policies we support.  The support shown here puts Complete Streets right up at the very, very highest level of support by our members and supporters.

Especially notable are the very high percentage of respondents who "very strongly support" Complete Streets--a clear majority--and the miniscule number who oppose it--only 3%.

Look for more complete summary of the survey results, on all three important issues surveyed, later this month.

In the meanwhile, you can still take the survey.

We support the excellent work that local and regional advocacy groups, like St. Louis-based Trailnet, do in MIssouri. Your support of Trailnet helps make positive change like Complete Streets happen in the St. Louis region.

MoBikeFed support groups like Trailnet around Missouri--and hopes that you will, too--because creating a unified statewide movement in support of better bicycling and walking is among of the primary goals of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri.  Another of our primary objectives is developing a world-class bicycle and pedestrian network--and work like that done by Trailnet on the St. Louis County Complete Streets plan is what moves that objective forward. You can find sample Complete Streets policies and links to the information you need to move a Complete Streets policy forward in your own community on our Missouri Complete Streets page.And--your membership and support for MoBikeFed helps make our statewide vision a reality, and helps bring Complete Streets policies to more communities across Missouri. Right now your membership or donation to MoBikeFed will be DOUBLED by a group of 38 generous donors.