MoBikeFed, a resource for rural Missouri | Hannibal Courier-Post

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Rachel Ruhlen writes in the Hannibal Courier-Post:

Now that I'm President of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation, aka Queen of the Bicyclists, I thought I'd share with you what MoBikeFed does. Specifically, what it does for rural Missouri.

In their campaign to save the Rock Island Corridor for a rail-trail, the Rock Island Coalition said, "We didn't know who to talk to at Ameren," and Ameren leaders may not have listened to their small contingent. Ameren listened to the Coalition, MoBikeFed, Rails-to-Trails, and 11,000 signatures. As a result, Missouri State Parks owns the rail-bed today.

Because of the Rock Island Corridor, a dozen little towns across central Missouri will have new life, just like the little towns on the Katy Trail experienced.

After over a decade of conversations, MoBikeFed has a very good working relationship with the Missouri Department of Transportation. Expect to see highways that cut through small towns routinely get upgraded with sidewalks in the coming years. Find this unbelievable? We are still blinking our eyes in surprise that MoDOT listened to our request to designate and sign the Bicentennial Trans-America Route. Bicyclists from Washington, D.C. to Astoria, OR have an easier time now following the route through Missouri-- and supporting local businesses in small towns across southern Missouri.

Bicycle tourism on the Katy Trail and bicycle routes like the Bicentennial Trans-America Route boosts the economy of rural Missouri.

The cities have regional bike/ped advocacy organizations: Trailnet in St. Louis, PedNet in Columbia, BikeWalkKC in Kansas City. MoBikeFed routinely works with these organizations, providing resources, experiences, connections, and a state-wide reputation. Rural communities don't have their own bike/ped advocacy organizations. They rely on MoBikeFed for information and experience. MoBikeFed advises city planners and engineers who want to design better roads for bicycling and walking but don't know how because it's not in the standard manuals. MoBikeFed advises city staff and other officials on adopting and implementing Complete Streets. MoBikeFed advises schools on organizing a Walk to School Day.

Besides all this, MoBikeFed is a watchdog organization to raise the alarm every time a bicycle ban is proposed, which happens at least annually. Without MoBikeFed, there might be towns, counties, and roads in Missouri that bicyclists aren't allowed to use. MoBikeFed protects you from bicycle bans and pedestrian restrictions.

Rural Missouri has been particularly hard hit by the obesity epidemic and that is in part because it is difficult to walk or bike in rural Missouri. MoBikeFed helps make rural Missouri a better place to walk and bicycle.

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MoBikeFed, a resource for rural Missouri | Hannibal Courier-Post

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