Six Missouri cities--from large to small--join the national Mayors Challenge for safe biking, walking

How many Missouri cities have joined US Department of Transportation Secretary Foxx's Mayors Challenge for Safer Streets for bicycling and walking?  And can your city still join the Challenge?

US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx has launched a major nationwide effort to encourage cities to become safer and more inviting for bicycling and walking

Six Missouri cities have already joined the Challenge--a nice mix of large cities, suburbs, and smaller rural cities.  Here is the list:

• Kansas City
• Columbia
• St. Louis
• Lee’s Summit
• Wildwood
• Warsaw

And yes--cities can still join the Challenge, and are encouraged to do so.  Send your Mayor, city council members, or interested city staff to the USDOT Mayor's Challenge Page, which has all the information they will need and a link to the sign-up form:

  https://www.transportation.gov/content/join-challenge
 

What is the Mayors Challenge?

Secretary Foxx's Mayor's Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets

Secretary Foxx is challenging mayors and local elected officials to take significant action to improve safety for bicycle riders and pedestrians of all ages and abilities over the next year. Mayors' Challenge participants will be invited to attend the Mayors' Summit for Safer People, Safer Streets in March, and their cities will spend a year helping their communities undertake seven activities to improve safety. The challenge is based on the 2010 USDOT Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation.

Cities can join the challenge here or by emailing their Team Leader’s contact information to pedbikesafety@dot.gov

Cities can join the Mayors Challenge - click here for details

Mayors and other elected city officials can participate by leading a call to action and helping their cities take on the Challenge activities outlined below.

Call to Action

• Issue a public statement about the importance of bicycle and pedestrian safety
• Form a local action team to advance safety and accessibility goals
• Take local action through the Challenge activities, listed below

Mayors' Challenge Activities

• Take a Complete Streets approach
• Identify and address barriers to make streets safe and convenient for all road users, including people of all ages and abilities and those using assistive mobility devices
• Gather and track biking and walking data
• Use designs that are appropriate to the context of the street and its uses
• Take advantage of opportunities to create and complete ped-bike networks through maintenance
• Improve walking and biking safety laws and regulations
• Educate and enforce proper road use behavior by all

Only mayors or their designated representatives can sign up for the Challenge. But please encourage your Mayor to join the Challenge--and contact your city council representative and ask him or her to encourage the Mayor to join the Challenge.

Ask you Mayor to visit the Mayor's Challenge website for more information or to sign up for the Challenge.

Creating a world-class bicycle and pedestrian transportation system in Missouri, building a movement in support of better bicycling and walking--including among Missouri elected officials, and improving safety for all road users are among the four major goals of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri. Encouraging cities across Missouri to join the Mayors Challenge helps us accomplish all of those goals.

Your ongoing membership and generous financial support help us turn our Vision into reality!