Missouri Bicycling, Walking, Running, and Trails News

April 8th, 2022, Will Baumeister was killed by a hit-and-run driver while bicycling on Stadium Drive near the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Will and his partner, riding just feet away from him, were well lit and riding on a straight and well lit section of road with good visibility.  The speeding driver who struck and killed Will, paused briefly to survey the scene, and then drove off.

Will was a lifelong avid cyclist.  At the time of the crash, Will and his partner Wendy were bicycling as their primary mode of transportation.

Will was well aware of the importance of being well lit while bicycling at night. At the time of the collision, Will was pulling a bicycle trailer.  Both Will's bicycle and the trailer were very well lighted from the rear.

Police have been unable to identify the vehicle or driver, and Will's case has received very little attention in area media or from police.

Help us identify the vehicle and driver - $500 reward

Can you help us spread the word, or provide information to help identify the vehicle or driver involved in this hit-and-run fatality?

Thanks to everyone who participated or presented - in person or virtually - the 2022 Missouri Active Transportation Summit in Jefferson City was a big success.  The program was packed with interesting and information presentations and information from agency staff, advocacy organizations, consultants and engineering firms, and community members.

Below are links to powerpoint presentations from some of the presenters at the Active Transportation Summit held August 12th, 2022.  More information about each session and presenter is below. Full 2022 Summit Program is here (PDF).

• KEYNOTE ADDRESS: SPF Yields: Springfield's successful pedestrian safety program (Powerpoint) - (PDF) - Mandy Buettgen-Quinn, City of Springfield

Distracted driving, texting while driving, and electronic device use while driving leads to hundreds of fatalities and serious injuries in Missouri every year.  Missouri is now one of just TWO states that still allows texting while driving. 

Passing distracted driving legislation in Missouri has long been a priority of MoBikeFed members.  We have been working to support state legislation on distracted driving, texting while driving, and hands-free electronic device use for nearly two decades now.

In 2009, Missouri passed a law prohibiting texting while driving for drivers age 21 and younger. However, attempts to amend the law to include drivers of all ages, and more recent attempts to require use of hands-free devices while operating motor vehicles, have gone nowhere in the Missouri legislature.

Today the Missouri General Assembly gave final approval to HB 3020, which included Governor Parson's proposal to spend $69 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to develop the most difficult and expensive part of the new Rock Island Trail State Park. 

The governor's proposal survived two votes on the House floor, but was cut by the Senate's version of the bill, which was also adopted by the House today.

"This is a lost opportunity and that is disappointing," said Brent Hugh, Executive Director of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation.

"But communities along the old railroad and supporters from across Missouri line have been working for decades to preserve the corridor and develop it as a new State Park and cross-state trail, and have made tremendous progress.  We have a lot of optimism about the future of the trail and the many opportunities to develop it and benefit trail communities and Missouri as a whole."

UPDATE May 5th: Good news: Tuesday the Conference Committee restored the $1 million Rock Island Trail State Park Endowment funding plus an additional $150K funding for 2023 in HB 3006.

Less Good News: Wednesday the  HB 3015 Conference Committee failed to restore any of the $3.5 million for the RIT in 2022. The good news here is that several on the Committee spoke in favor of restoring some of the funding. But two key Senators - Vice Chair Lincoln Hough and Senator Sandy Crawford, whose district takes in a good piece of the new 144-mile State Park - spoke against any increase.  Sen Hough, in particular, was vehement in his opposition.

We are still waiting for the Senate to take up HB 3020, which includes Governor Parson's proposed $69 million in funding to build most of the most difficult parts of the new 144-mile statewide trail connection.  It may come to the Senate floor later Thursday or Friday - or perhaps it will go into next week. 

We know that intensive discussiosn and negotiations are going on over the Governor's proposal and other aspects of HB 3020, which is the state plan for spending some billions of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding sent to Missouri.