Complete Streets in the Tower Grove Neighborhood: How new pedestrian connections to a park and through a neighborhood improve quality of life for individuals and a whole community

Complete Streets make communities work for everyone--those who walk, those who bicycle, those who drive or use public transportation, people of all ages, and people at all levels of ability and disability.

Recently, the Tower Grove area has implemented a comprehensive plan to improve walking and bicycling connections in the area, and particularly to create better pedestrian connections Tower Grove Park from every direction.

Dana Gray of Tower Grove Neighborhoods in St Louis sent this story about how that Complete Streets work has made a real difference in the lives of Tower Grove neighbors and the community:

On a beautiful fall day, I encountered Justin Vitale on Kingshighway at Magnolia, at the Tower Grove Park Pedestrian Access project, a newly installed crosswalk leading to Tower Grove Park. We struck up a conversation as we waited for the signal to change. I asked what his thoughts were on the area’s connectivity and ease of access, given he was in a wheelchair. 

Newly installed pedestrian signal and crosswalk on Kingshighway at Magnolia

Justin had come from lunch at O’Connell’s Pub, visited the Missouri Botanical Garden, and was headed to Alpha Brewing. He was hoping to finish his route while there was still daylight. I asked if he encountered any obstructions or other challenges on his route. There were no structural obstacles that he noted. I considered this a tremendous success, as the City of St. Louis adopted a Complete Streets policy in 2010. Since then significant city, state, and federal resources have been devoted to improving accessibility and connectivity. Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transportation. Locally, the City of Ferguson, City of Clayton, and City of St. Louis have all passed Complete Streets ordinances.

Justin lives in South County, but he routinely comes to the city for exercise and recreation. It’s not just the connectivity and access that are appealing, Justin enjoys the unique cultural attractions and businesses. He pointed out that in the County, most of the businesses are chains, while the independent businesses in the city are varied and interesting. The Missouri Botanical Garden is one of his favorite destinations.

As we continued to talk, I learned Justin has set a 25,000 mile goal for exercising. That is the approximate distance to circle the earth at the equator. He has completed over 11,000 miles and travels on his sporty Quickie GPV wheelchair or in a Top End Excelerator XLT handcycle (a bike cranked with your hands/arms). He tries to complete at least 5 miles every day. Justin is an inspiration for able bodied and disabled alike to get outside and move!

 

Complete Streets really do work for everyone.  Find out more about Complete Streets and how you can make help your community adopt and implement Complete Streets policies at the Missouri Complete Streets information center.

Working to support implementation of Complete Streets across Missouri, and to tell the story of how programs like Complete Streets make our communities better is one of the ways the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation helps Missouri create a world-class bicycle and pedestrian transportation system.  Creating a world-class bicycle and pedestrian transportation system in Missouri is one of four primary goals in MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri.

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

Please consider joining, renewing your membership, or making a special year-end contribution to help us reach our year-end fundraising goals and start out 2020 on the right foot!

Photo credits: Dana Gray, Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC