Missouri Bicycle, Pedestrian, Trails News Headlines

Community invited to celebrate grand opening of revamped Chain of Rocks Park, Cha5on of Rocks Bridge ride, Sun Apr 14, 1-4pm - Fox2

Brent Hugh — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 20:35:03 +0000

The community is invited to celebrate the opening of the new 16-acre Chain of Rocks Park on the Missouri side of the river. The grand opening is scheduled for Sunday, April 14.

This project, spearheaded by Great Rivers Greenway, has revitalized the park, introducing picnic areas, a new event lawn, a designated food truck area, portable restrooms, and drinking fountains for daily use.

In addition, the park now has a newly constructed 1.5-acre prairie landscape, restored wetlands and woodlands habitats, and a rain garden. Enhanced security features, including cameras and lighting in the parking lot, have also been installed.

Link:

Community invited to celebrate grand opening of revamped Chain of Rocks Park, Cha5on of Rocks Bridge ride, Sun Apr 14, 1-4pm - Fox2

Post-Covid kids aren't walking to school like they used to - Scimex

Brent Hugh — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 00:05:03 +0000

The Covid lockdown period has disrupted Kiwi kids who walk to school, with students 42% less likely to return to their usual walking commute, new research finds. It's potentially accelerated an existing trend, with the study authors saying that between the 90s and 2014, the number of students being driven to school increased from 21% to 32%. The authors say that restoring the walking habit would reduce our reliance on private vehicles and encourage the physical and social benefits of active transport.

MoBikeFed comment: This study was done in New Zealand. What do you think about the U.S.?

Same, different, better, worse?

Link:

Post-Covid kids aren't walking to school like they used to - Scimex

French Revolution: Cyclists Now Outnumber Motorists In Paris, thanks to recent work to make the city more bicycle friendly: Forbes

Brent Hugh — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 18:47:03 +0000

The way Parisians are now traveling from the suburbs to the city center, especially during peak periods, has undergone a revolution thanks in part to the building of many miles of cycleways. ...

Those cyclists now on the streets and roads of central Paris are not Spandex-clad professionals as seen on the Tour de France but everyday transportation cyclists. ...

For journeys from the outskirts of Paris to the center, the number of cyclists now far exceeds the number of motorists, a huge change from just five years ago. Most of the journeys recorded were commuter trips. . . .

Culling cars has been far more popular than her petrolhead critics predicted, with Paris becoming cleaner and healthier to boot.

Link:

French Revolution: Cyclists Now Outnumber Motorists In Paris, thanks to recent work to make the city more bicycle friendly: Forbes

To reduce speedy drivers, St. Louis City shows off Complete Streets changes to major downtown streets - 4 News

Brent Hugh — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 16:29:03 +0000

[T]he idea from the city ... aims to slow traffic down on three major downtown streets - 4th, Broadway, and Washington Avenue.

“To make it safer and more convenient for people to get around using different modes of transportation,” said Scott Ogilvie, program manager for Complete Streets in St. Louis.

Ogilvie said construction is set to start next year on a plan that reduces the lane sizes on three major downtown roads while also extending the curb and adding medians. . . .
“The narrower the lanes, the more traffic is going to be calmed then.”

The plan also calls for a separated bike lane on 4th Street to add connectivity to bicyclists going north-south.

Ogilvie says St. Louisans should get used to seeing more of this type of design.

“There’s going to be a lot in the coming years,” he said.

Link:

To reduce speedy drivers, St. Louis City shows off Complete Streets changes to major downtown streets - 4 News

Cycling the Katy Trail - Part 3/3 (video) - The Mobile Cyclist

Brent Hugh — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:11:03 +0000

In this episode, I’m rounding out my Katy Trail adventure! I start out by stopping in to visit Dotty’s Café in Hartsburg Missouri. Dotty her team are a must stop location on the Katy Trail as they serve up their legendary cherry cobbler! Not only is this great café just yards off the trail, she is welcomes cyclists with open arms with free water to refill and super comfy rocking chairs on the front porch to take a rest before rolling on down the trail. I then head to the historic town of Rocheport where the original section of the Katy Trail was built back in 1990. Don’t miss the chance to ride through the one of the only tunnels on the trail! The next town is Sedalia where I meet Steve from Champion Bicycles. They have cyclists needs covered from the Western 1/3 of the trail. They are also the last stop of the very popular Pedaler’s Jamboree festival. I head in to Windsor to checkout the next big connector trail to the Katy, the Rock Island trail that leads all the way to Kansas City! Last stop is the trail head at the far west edge of the trail in Clinton.

MoBikeFed comment: Watch the Mobile Cyclist's video here: https://youtu.be/Imh4GWidfH8

Link:

Cycling the Katy Trail - Part 3/3 (video) - The Mobile Cyclist

Rock Island Bridge opening date, amenities and more details | Kansas City Star

Brent Hugh — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 12:09:13 +0000

Is it a public park? Kind of, but don’t come expecting to sit on grass or lounge under a tree.

So it’s an entertainment district? . . .

Could you call it a food court? . . .

An event space? . . .

This is the Rock Island Bridge: a reinforced, revamped railroad bridge spanning the Kansas River between the West Bottoms and Kansas City, Kansas. The finished project will suspend two stories of seating, restrooms, bars and businesses over water, a stone’s throw from Hy-Vee Arena. . . .

The Rock Island Bridge will be open seven days a week, but it will close overnight and for private events. It will also close down operations in January and February to avoid Kansas City’s frigid winter temperatures.

Anyone can wander through the “pedestrian crossing,” a narrow pathway on the north side of the lower level. Cyclists will be asked to dismount their bikes, but can roll them across the bridge between the bike paths on either side of the river.

MoBikeFed comment: The Missouri River cuts the Kansas City metro area in half one way, and the Kansas River cuts it another way. So bicycle & pedestrian accessible river crossings are vitally important for making the metro area accessible.

Not so many years ago, we had NO bike/ped accessible river crossings in the metro area. Now we have no fewer than three excellent crossings of the Missouri River (Chouteau Trafficway, the Heart of America Bridge near downtown KCMO, and the Lewis & Clark Bridge connecting north from Kansas City, Kansas). And now we have two good crossings of the Kansas River in the downtown area - the Riverfront Heritage Trail crossing and now the Rock Island Bridge, which should be open to the public some time this summer.

Even though the bridge is somewhat less than ideal from the bicycling perspective - riders will have to dismount to cross, as noted in the article. In addition, it is not clear if the facility will be closed even to bridge-crossing traffic every night and during the coldest winter months. All these things make the facility less usable as a transportation connection.

But on the positive side, have restaurants and other attractions on this historic bridge, in an attractive location, may more than make up for these disadvantages. And the push to build levee trails on both sides of the Kansas River has been underway for many, many years - and with the new bridge venue, it looks like they are finally going to happen. These trails alone will provide very important bike/ped connectivity for the central part of the metro area, long divided by the river.

See more about the planned facility, including a video tour of the double-decker bridge design, on the Rock Island Bridge web page:

https://rockislandkc.com/the-bridge/

Link:

Rock Island Bridge opening date, amenities and more details | Kansas City Star

When pollution goes way down, health goes way up | Natl Bureau of Economic Research

Brent Hugh — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:02:00 +0000

Business Insider summarizes: The latest evidence comes from "Lives vs. Livelihoods," a new paper by four researchers led by the renowned health economist Amy Finkelstein. They found that during the Great Recession, from 2007 to 2009, age-adjusted mortality rates among Americans dropped 0.5% for every jump of 1 percentage point in an area's unemployment rate. The more joblessness, the longer people lived — especially adults over 64 and those without a college education.

"These mortality reductions appear immediately," the economists concluded, "and they persist for at least 10 years." The effects were so large that the recession effectively provided 4% of all 55-year-olds with an extra year of life. And in states that saw big jumps in unemployment, people were more likely to report being in excellent health. Recessions, it would seem, help us stay fitter, and live longer.

The question, of course, is why. The economists ruled out a lot of possible explanations. Laid-off workers weren't using their free time to exercise more, or cutting back on smoking or drinking because money was tight. Infectious diseases like influenza and pneumonia kept right on spreading, even though fewer people were going to work and dining out. Retirees didn't seem to be getting better care, even though rising unemployment rates made it easier for nursing homes to staff up. So what could the explanation be? How does higher unemployment lead to longer life?

The answer was pollution. Counties that experienced the biggest job losses in the Great Recession, the economists found, also saw the largest declines in air pollution, as measured by levels of the fine particulate matter PM2.5. It makes sense: During recessions, fewer people drive to work. Factories and offices slow down, and people cut back on their own energy use to save money. All that reduced activity leads to cleaner air. That would explain why workers without a college degree enjoyed the biggest drops in mortality: People with low-wage jobs tend to live in neighborhoods with more environmental toxins. It would also explain why the recession reduced mortality from heart disease, suicide, and car crashes — causes of death all linked to the physical and mental effects of PM2.5.

MoBikeFed comment: The big story here is not so much "Recessions make people healthy" - as some news outlets have it - but rather than "Air pollution makes people sick and cleaning the air has a surprisingly large impact on our health."

Air pollution is an often overlooked but major contributor to health and longevity. One of the main benefits of promoting more bicycling and walking is, in bikeable and walkable city, people can replace car trips with biking, walking, and transit trips.

The biking and walking trips often cover short distances. But it turns out that those short trips are proportionately the most polluting - because it takes a mile or two for cars and their anti-pollution devices to warm up to peak performance.

The paper itself is published by the National Bureau of Economic Research - you can read the summary and a full PDF of the research paper here:

https://www.nber.org/papers/w32110

Business Insider summarizes the research here:

https://www.businessinsider.com/recessions-mortality-degrowth-economy-gd...

Link:

When pollution goes way down, health goes way up | Natl Bureau of Economic Research

Great Rivers Greenways Brickline Greenway in central St Louis receives $9.9M receives to connect Midtown to Metro | STLPR

Brent Hugh — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 20:08:03 +0000

The U.S. Department of Transportation is sending nearly $10 million to St. Louis to help fund a new portion of the planned Brickline Greenway in Midtown.

Great Rivers Greenway announced Wednesday it will use the $9.9 million to connect the Grand Metro stop to Laclede Avenue.

“This is a really big deal because the Brickline goes from Fairground Park to Tower Grove Park and Forest Park to the Gateway Arch, and so this bridge is the connector,” said Susan Trautman, chief executive officer for Great Rivers Greenway.

Although Armory STL and City Foundry are right next to each other, I-64 currently prevents a direct walk between the two attractions. City Foundry developer and New + Found CEO Steve Smith said this will also help people visit the Foundry without relying on a car.

Great Rivers Greenway
A graphic showing the proposed Brickline Greenway's pedestrian bridge to connect City Foundry and Armory STL. The project by Great Rivers Greenway was awarded $9.9 million by the Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program.
“We had 2.3 million visitors to City Foundry last year, but you kind of have got to get there by car,” Smith said, adding, “right now to take public transit and get to City Foundry doesn't really work. This will make it work.”

This project will create a raised pedestrian pathway that will go above the eastbound lanes of I-64/40 and below the westbound lanes, creating a walkable route from the Grand Metro station, past the Armory and City Foundry, to St. Louis University’s campus. The new path will be accessible for people on foot, in wheelchairs, on bikes or in strollers. Trautman said that construction will start in 2027 and that the project should be complete in 2029.

Link:

Great Rivers Greenways Brickline Greenway in central St Louis receives $9.9M receives to connect Midtown to Metro | STLPR

Bike lanes are good for business - Study after study proves it. So why do so many shops and restaurants still oppose better streets? - Insider

Brent Hugh — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 19:20:03 +0000

Businesses hate bike lanes. Sure, they reduce pollution, slow the pace of climate change, cut traffic fatalities, and make cities healthier and more pleasant. But they also take away parking spaces, which makes it tougher for shoppers to load up their cars with piles of stuff. Freaked-out business owners have been fighting bike lanes coast to coast, in cities from San Diego to Cambridge, Massachusetts. They worry — not unreasonably — that anything that makes it harder for customers to get to their stops will eat into their already precarious margins.

“As someone whose family had a small business when I was growing up, I know how invested you get in it,” says Joseph Poirier, a senior researcher at the urban-planning consultancy Nelson Nygaard. “It’s your whole life. Anything you think could threaten that, even if the government and their consultants tell you it’s not going to be a problem, is very scary. It makes sense.”

It’s also wrong. Four decades’ worth of research proves it. I know this because I’ve read every study and report I could find that looked specifically at the economics of bike lanes since 1984 — 32 research articles, to be exact. The results show that making streets friendlier for bikes — and sidewalks friendlier for pedestrians — is actually good for business. The rise of “complete streets” and “road diets,” as urban planners call them, has been a huge boon to businesses in cities.

MoBikeFed comment: Click the link for the full article - well worth a read.

Link:

Bike lanes are good for business - Study after study proves it. So why do so many shops and restaurants still oppose better streets? - Insider

How to Make Cycling Up Hills as Easy as on Flats - CyclingAbout/YouTube

Brent Hugh — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 20:11:03 +0000

Alee Denham of CyclingAbout has some practical advice for making hillclimbing easier - how to calculate the gear ratio you need or want, how to set up your bicycle to accommodate the needed gear ratio, how to approach climbing, and more.

The full Youtube video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipENw5mjjSg
Alee's links to further details and reosurces:

Understanding gear ratios: https://www.cyclingabout.com/gear-ratios-how-to-select-touring-bike-gear...
Understanding cadence: https://www.cyclingabout.com/pedalling-cadence-secret-cycling-up-hills/
Drop bar shifters + MTB derailleurs: https://www.cyclingabout.com/wider-gear-range-road-shifters-gears-for-ea...

Lots more on Alee's web site: https://www.cyclingabout.com/who-is-alee-denham/

Link:

How to Make Cycling Up Hills as Easy as on Flats - CyclingAbout/YouTube

After years of conflict and controversy, influential nationwide MUTCD street design manual finally released with many improvements | League of American Bicyclists

Brent Hugh — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 15:14:03 +0000

Way back in December 2020, the Federal Highway Administration released its first proposal for an update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) since 2009. Now, almost exactly three years later, the 11th edition of the MUTCD is finally published.

The League of American Bicyclists has long understood the importance of the MUTCD. It is a document that provides the building blocks used throughout the United States to sign, stripe, and signal streets so that people biking, walking, and driving have clear indications of how they are expected to interact no matter where they are in our nation. . . .

This edition of the MUTCD started on a rocky foundation. The first proposal had a drafting error that could be read to ban bicyclists. . . .

Other sections of the proposed MUTCD had issues too. We cataloged and commented on them extensively, ultimately submitting over 200 itemized comments as an organization and over 2,000 comments from our supporters.

MoBikeFed comment: Like the League and hundreds of organizations across the country, MoBikeFed also realized the importance of the MUTCD and the dysfunctional direction the planned 2020 MUTCD was taking.

It was letters and phone calls from hundreds of organizations like ours, and many thousands of individuals, that stopped the publication of the manual and led to the improvements in the manual that has now been released.

Continuing that process, we hope to see even more improvements in the next edition of the MUTCD that is due in just a few years.

This seems like an arcane corner of the traffic engineering and urban design world. But the MUTCD - updated by a very slow, bureaucratic process - has literally been stuck in the 1960s and 1970s-era of road design for many decades.

And if a design is not in the MUTCD - well, many local and state road and highway departments won't even consider it.

So even the moderate changes that have been made in the new MUTCD are going to make a really major impact - and we should see more positive change as the MUTCD update schedule is accelerated due to requirements in the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

Link:

After years of conflict and controversy, influential nationwide MUTCD street design manual finally released with many improvements | League of American Bicyclists

Great Rivers Greenway planning new Chain of Rocks Park Opening in for Spring 2024 | Riverfront Times

Brent Hugh — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 13:03:24 +0000

Great Rivers Greenway will open a new Chain of Rocks Park just in time for spring.

The new park will be on the Missouri side of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and will aim to bring people to the site on a regular basis with enhancements in safety, security, event opportunities and the facilities needed to support them.

Since 2019, Great Rivers Greenway, partners and community members have worked together to plan and design a new vision for the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge site at the western end of the historic Route 66 Bridge.

"This is something that has been coming from community engagement for years," says Vice President of Communications Emma Klues. "The planning effort was throughout 2019, 2020 and 2021, but we've heard from the community about this site for the last 10 to 20 years."

MoBikeFed comment: The Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River is a Route 66 landmark and one of the most scenic areas in the St Louis region. The old bridge has been converted to use as a bike/ped trail.

However, the western entrance and parking lot to the bridge has been a long-time thorn in the side, with numerous break-ins and robberies that made the western trailhead nearly unusable.

It is great to see Great Rivers Greenway grasping the bull by the horns and working with numerous partners to turn the Missouri terminus of the bridge into the destination it really should be.

More info about the historic bridge:

* https://greatriversgreenway.org/bridgeaccess/

* https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=missouri/chai...

* https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/missouri/chain-of-rocks-bridge-in-mo/

Link:

Great Rivers Greenway planning new Chain of Rocks Park Opening in for Spring 2024 | Riverfront Times

How to Ride a Bike on Winter Snow and Ice Without Slipping and Falling - YouTube

Brent Hugh — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:15:21 +0000

There are a lot of great reasons to ride a bike in winter -- it's just as fun as it is in summer! -- but all that snow and ice can make things slippery. So, after years of trial and error, and a few spills myself, here's some advice for staying upright. . . .

Here are my tips:

#1 Don't lean into your turns.
#2 Recognize slippery bits
#3 Gear! Especially, studded snow tires
#4 The ultimate no-brainer tip

MoBikeFed comment: The Shifter Youtube channel has some excellent tips for winter riding, based on years of experience. You can wath the entire video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgW3smxN1os

Link:

How to Ride a Bike on Winter Snow and Ice Without Slipping and Falling - YouTube

How (And Why) To Start a Delivery Bike Revolution — Streetsblog USA

Brent Hugh — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 13:14:03 +0000

Cargo bikes are cities' secret weapon against climate change, traffic violence, congestion, and more, a new paper argues — but getting more of these last-mile workhorses on the street will require a strategic approach that goes beyond basic bike-friendliness.

According to the University of Washington's Urban Freight Lab and nonprofit People for Bikes, cargo bikes could play a major role in greening the delivery sector, which is responsible for a staggering 28 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in cities worldwide.

Ultra-heavy freight trucks and vans, meanwhile, are significantly more likely to kill any pedestrians and cyclists they might strike, in addition to blocking crosswalks and bike lanes, which can cause crashes with other vehicles.

MoBikeFed comment: This shirt of thing won't work everywhere. But in the places it does work - like densely populated city centers - it can be tremendously effective.

Link:

How (And Why) To Start a Delivery Bike Revolution — Streetsblog USA

How lack of walking and bicycling culture makes us lonely - Business Insider

Brent Hugh — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 13:17:03 +0000

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ilya Davydov, 20, about his regret over moving to the US from Switzerland. Davydov was born in the U.S., raised in Europe and moved to College Park, Maryland, a college town about 10 miles outside of Washington, DC, to attend the University of Maryland in 2022.

---

Streets are destinations in other countries. Pedestrian streets, for example, are a destination in and of itself. You may walk around, sit on the bench, and enjoy the weather. If you have reduced mobility, you are less social, so you're unhappy.

Therefore, it affects all of your areas of life, for me at least. It's hard for me to connect. In a typical afternoon, I have a few hours of free time. During that time in previous places I used to live, I would meet up with friends and walk to a coffee shop and then just walk around, or we would go for a casual stroll in the park and just discuss things. Or we would go explore a new café in town or maybe a new bar. This was in Zurich, in Moscow, and in England. . . .

Here, a bicycle is perceived more so as a toy than a legitimate medium of transportation. . . .

Switzerland doesn't have that good of a bicycle infrastructure, but it's built significantly more densely, so you can either walk to places or you can bike there. The Netherlands has significantly more bike trails and bike lanes, and at the same time has reduced car size and reduced car speeds. A lot of people cycle there, so a lot of the drivers are also cyclists. So when they pass you, they can view things from your perspective. They slow down and they go around you.

There are definitely changes that could be made here that would improve things. Reducing speed and reducing the throughput of cars. Proper bicycle infrastructure, at least around campus, and widened sidewalks would definitely improve the situation for me.

MoBikeFed comment: This is an interesting perspective from someone who has lived in several different places around the world, some bicycle-friendly and some less so. But he found the community and street design in his college town in the U.S. the least friendly of all for both moving around town and for making friends and social connections.

Click through for the full article for many more details and insights.

Link:

How lack of walking and bicycling culture makes us lonely - Business Insider

Why So Many U.S. Drivers Think Speeding Is Perfectly Safe — Streetsblog USA

Brent Hugh — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 13:11:03 +0000

A disturbing percentage of U.S. drivers don't believe speeding is all that dangerous, a new study finds — and until America's safety culture changes, it may be hard to develop political support for the structural solutions we need to slow them down.

According to an anonymous survey of 2,500 motorists conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, only 46.5 percent of U.S. drivers consider going more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit on the freeway to be "extremely" or "very" dangerous — with 40.6 percent openly admitting to doing it at least "a few times" in the last 30 days.

In residential areas, meanwhile, only 60.5 percent considered exceeding the speed limit by 10 miles per hour to be especially deadly, with 27.7 percent acknowledging they'd done so more than once in the prior month. And because those numbers are self-reported by drivers, researchers say the reality is likely even worse.

MoBikeFed comment: Faster traffic speed disproportionately impacts people who walk and bicycle. It is surprising to most drivers just how much more deadly a few miles an hour faster is.

For example, a comprehensive study by the AAA Foundation concluded that an adult pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle traveling at 25mph has a roughly 10% chance of suffering a serious or fatal injury. Yet if a driver hits an adult pedestrian at 40mph, there is a 75% chance that the pedestrian would incur a severe or fatal injury.

See https://www.pedbikeinfo.org/topics/speed.cfm

Link:

Why So Many U.S. Drivers Think Speeding Is Perfectly Safe — Streetsblog USA

Eight mistakes new winter bike commuters make and how to avoid them : Shifter

Brent Hugh — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 13:03:46 +0000

Riding a bike through winter can be a challenge, but there's no need to miss out on the pleasures and benefits of riding in winter. So, after doing it badly for years, I've compiled a list of mistakes that I (and some other people) have made over the years with the hopes of helping you avoid these rookie missteps.

Mistake 1: Gear Overload
Mistake 2: Overthinking Your Bike
Mistake 3: Overdressing
Mistake 4: Not Considering the Extremities
Mistake 5: Failing to Change Your Route
Mistake 6: All-or-Nothing Attitude
Mistake 7: Fear
Mistake 8: Going it Alone

MoBikeFed comment: View the entire video here:

https://youtu.be/Lrj2pQOnIPs?si=z6MSTpJCcFeIX_Pe

Link:

Eight mistakes new winter bike commuters make and how to avoid them : Shifter

Move over cybertruck, e-bikes are the real sustainability game changers | Momentum Mag

Brent Hugh — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 16:35:03 +0000

In a world obsessed with electric vehicles (EVs) and the flashy allure of shiny bobbles like the Tesla Cybertruck, a new sustainability study suggests that the unsung heroes of green mobility are the humble e-bikes, scooters, and mopeds. This exploration delves into the surprising environmental and financial benefits that these two-wheeled wonders bring to the table.

While EVs are making waves in the automotive industry, these e-bikes and mopeds are stealing the spotlight when it comes to environmental impact. According to a new report from The Conversation, e-bikes and mopeds are currently displacing four times more demand for oil than all the world’s electric cars combined. . . .

Breaking down the numbers reveals that the sheer volume of electric two- and three-wheelers on the road dwarfs traditional four-wheeled electric vehicles. With over 280 million electric mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, and three-wheelers last year, these eco-friendly alternatives are already cutting global oil demand by approximately one million barrels per day.

MoBikeFed comment: Ebikes are, of course, making more of an impact in places where they were ridden more. Click through to the full article for details.

Link:

Move over cybertruck, e-bikes are the real sustainability game changers | Momentum Mag

Kelli on the Katy Trail! | YouTube video

Brent Hugh — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 13:11:02 +0000

A nice video of Kelli's ride on the Katy Trail in October 2023, with views of some of the communities along the way and done shots of the countryside.

"The Katy Trail is a 281 mile trail stretching across most of the state of Missouri. Over half the trail's length follows Lewis and Clark's path up the Missouri River, where you can ride beneath towering river bluffs while eagles circle overhead. After leaving the river, the trail meanders through peaceful farmland and small-town Americana.

America's longest rails-to-trail project, formerly the MKT rail line, is flat and scenic.

Katy Trail stops: Pilot Grove, Clifton City, Sedalia, Green Ridge, Windsor, Calhoun, Clinton Rock Island Spur stops: Windsor, Leeton, Chilhowee, Medford, Pleasant Hill"

Link:

Kelli on the Katy Trail! | YouTube video

Why Americans Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can) - Not Just Bikes

Brent Hugh — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 13:02:02 +0000

When talking about bicycle infrastructure, the number one excuse I hear is "winter." Many Canadians see the cold and snow as a fundamental barrier to year round cycling. But one city, Oulu in Finland, with winter weather worse than most North American cities, shows that winter cycling has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with safe cycling infrastructure.

Want to learn more about winter cycling? Every February, the Winter Cycling Federation holds a Winter Cycling Congress where experts and advocates get together and talk about best practices in cycling infrastructure and maintenance. More information is here at https://wintercycling.org/

MoBikeFed comment: Click through to watch the video from Not Just Bikes showing how much bicycling happens in a city with good bicycle infrastructure, and that does a good job clearing snow from the bicycle path network - even when there is a ton of snow and very cold temperatures.

Link:

Why Americans Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can) - Not Just Bikes

Brett Dufur announces new guidebook to Missouri's Rock Island Trail | Facebook

Brent Hugh — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 13:03:38 +0000

I'm excited to announce my new guidebook will be out by spring! I think that counts as a Xmas present for some folks, if they are big time trail lovers!

"Ride the Rock" highlights the past, present and future of the Rock Island Trail, similar in scope to my Katy Trail Guidebook. When its done, it will be America's 4th longest rails-to-trails project and create a giant almost 400-mile loop with the Katy...!

I've been mopping up these gorgeous November days taking hundreds of final photos and am eager to finish polishing off the writing and editing the photos down. Huge thanks for the endless encouragement of friends and family as this has come together!

Notley Hawkins and Terry Barner and many others have contributed many wonderful, top-notch photos and stories for the book. What a great story to tell and trail to explore!

MoBikeFed comment: Brett's guidebooks to Missouri trails are always excellent - so be sure to check out his new Rock Island Trail guidebook, due out Spring 2024:

https://pebblepublishing.com/collections/frontpage/products/ride-the-roc...

Dufur has several other guidebooks available, include guides for the Katy Trail, Lewis & Clark Trail, Missouri Wine Country, and more:

https://pebblepublishing.com/collections/all

And remember that MoBikeFed has been working on a series of bicycle routes connecting the Rock Island, Katy, and surrounding communities:

https://ridewithgps.com/events/95937-rock-island-trail-katy-trail-connec...

You can see even more Rock Island Trail connectors and loop routes here:

https://mobikefed.org/missouri-bicycle-and-touring-routes#RockIslandConn...

And don't forget the Rock Island Gravel Route - connecting all RIT through Missouri and rideable today:

https://ridewithgps.com/collections/15786

Link:

Brett Dufur announces new guidebook to Missouri's Rock Island Trail | Facebook

Jackson Rock Island Rail Trail - Complete Hiking Guide | KC Hiker

Brent Hugh — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 13:08:03 +0000

It’s “all aboard!” for hikers and bikers who want to explore the former train line.

Overview

The Rock Island Line was a busy thoroughfare of train traffic running from Pleasant Hill through the Leeds manufacturing area of Kansas City, Mo. With a history dating to 1847, the company slowly stalled and finally hit the brakes for good in 1980. The tracks went dormant and trees grew up through the rail ties. It stayed that way until a Jackson County rail trail began to take shape, opening in 2019. It begins in Lee’s Summit, Mo., and extends 13.5 miles north to the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Mo. See our detailed guide and map below to plan your trip.

Length 13.5 miles

MoBikeFed comment: The KC Hiker Guide to the Jackson County Rock Island Trail is detailed and very good - check it out!

This is the most westerly portion of the Rock Island Trail, from the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City to Lee's Summit.

You can make the connection from the Jackson County RIT to the Rock Island Trail State Park, starting in Pleasant Hill, using these routes:

https://ridewithgps.com/collections/28919?privacy_code=jdhZfyPieoGEmoic

Link:

Jackson Rock Island Rail Trail - Complete Hiking Guide | KC Hiker

Missouri's Route 66 Gasconade River Bridge in Laclede County has been saved | Bridge | lebanonroute66.com

Brent Hugh — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 13:17:02 +0000

The Route 66 Gasconade River Bridge — an international tourist attraction for Laclede County — has been saved.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved conveying the century-old bridge and 0.80 acres of adjoining “excess property” to the Route 66 Association of Missouri at [the Sept 7th, 2023] commission meeting in Rolla.

The association’s goal is to rehabilitate the bridge for pedestrian and bicycle use —not for vehicles — although President Rich Dinkela said the first priority is to stabilize the structure.

The approval concludes a nearly nine-year struggle to save the Route 66 landmark from demolition, a struggle that began almost immediately after the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) closed the bridge unexpectedly for safety reasons Dec. 20, 2014, following a routine inspection.

“I’m very happy we’re moving forward,” Dinkela said by phone after the transfer agreement was approved. “I’m very happy we’re going to be saving the bridge.”

MoBikeFed comment: The work local advocates and the Missouri Route 66 Association have done to save this historic bridge, in cooperation with MoDOT and other agencies, is nothing short of astonishing.

The bridge is currently unsafe to walk or bicycle on. But shortly it will be stablized and preserved for the long term - no longer in danger of collapse. The bridge can be viewed from all angles via nearby roads and bridges. In time, it will be open to walk and bicycle again as well.

The bridge is on Bicycle Route 66/USBR 66 as well as MoBikeFed's NEW Old Wire Road Exploration Loop - which explores two strands of the Old Wire Road between Springfield and Waynesville in depth.

NEW Old Wire Road Exploration Loop: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44889557

Missouri Bicycle Route 66/USBR 66: https://mobikefed.org/missouri-bicycle-maps-and-routes#route66

Annotated USBR 66 in Missouri: https://ridewithgps.com/collections/8536

Link:

Missouri's Route 66 Gasconade River Bridge in Laclede County has been saved | Bridge | lebanonroute66.com

Bikes and Trails in Allen County Kansas - and how they have helped the county thrive | ThriveAllenCounty

Brent Hugh — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 13:03:31 +0000

Bikes and trails have been a big part of the Thrive story since our inception. In Thrive’s first decade, Allen County went from zero miles of trails to over 27 miles, plus sharrows and bike route networks, as well as an innovative bike share program.

Trails and bikes have become a part of our identity as a community. In the context of a small rural Kansas county, that’s pretty remarkable.

Why do we place such an emphasis on bikes and trails? It’s because we recognize their importance for both physical and fiscal health, for communities as well as for individuals. The personal health benefits of physical activity are irrefutable, and riding a bike for exercise and transportation is a simple way to build that activity into your daily life (plus, it’s fun!). But the economic benefits are just as impressive.

ALLEN COUNTY IS THE KING OF TRAILS
Allen County’s network of trails features an amazing diversity, including rails-to-trails, paved trails, gravel trails, dirt trails, nature trails, mountain bike trails, and fitness trails. And more are planned. We see trails as recreation, for sure, but also as transportation infrastructure, tourism destinations, and quality-of-life amenities. Allen County is building its brand around trails.

Link:

Bikes and Trails in Allen County Kansas - and how they have helped the county thrive | ThriveAllenCounty