Missouri Bicycling, Walking, Running, and Trails News

2000 miles on the Lewis & Clark Trail

Chris McDaniel, a 49-year-old teacher and mother of two from the St. Louis area, recently rode her bike 2,000 miles along the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Read the rest of the story on STLtoday . . .
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Kansas City Ballot Issues Affecting Cycling

Two of the proposed ballot initiatives coming to a vote November 5th in the Kansas City area have possible ramifications for cyclists in the area.

Question 1, which has been controversial because such a large proportion of the money raised will be directed towards downtown, allocates $16 million to downtown and $19 million throughout the rest of city: $9.6 million for streets, $2.6 million for municipal buildings, $2.5 million for bridges, $2.5 million for sewers, and $2 million for boulevard curbs and sidewalks.

Question 3, brought forward by Clay Chastain's organization, lacks support of any city officials. A system of trolleys is proposed, as well as a 100-mile mutli-use trail system centered on Penn Valley Park.

Details about both questions can be found in a Kansas City Star article.
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Trail Hub Planned in St. Louis

Organizers of Trailnet - the nonprofit organization dedicated to creating recreational trails and encouraging walking and bicycling in the bistate region - want to transform the 101-year-old building and its urban surroundings into a Riverfront Trail trailhead, a place where cyclists can rent a bike, grab a bite and watch the river roll by.

Read the rest of the story on the STL Today website.
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Winter Cycling Tips

John Andersen writes: The vast majority of cyclists hang up their steeds as soon as it turns cold enough that shorts are uncomfortably cool. Most of the remaining put the bike on hooks in the garage after a month or so of riding in long tights. The first hint of frost marks the end of the cycling "season". . . .

Well, guess what folks; Winter Cycling is not only practical but growing in popularity, a great deal of fun as well.

Find out more about winter cycling gear, clothing, & techniques on the Bicycling Life web site.
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Jeff. City Missouri River Bridge Bike/Ped Access Approved

A new bicycle/pedestrian lane across the northbound Missouri River Bridge at Jefferson City is planned for completion next year.

Find out more on the Missouri Bicycle News page.
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New bicycle/pedestrian lane across the northbound Missouri River Bridge at Jefferson City

A new bicycle/pedestrian lane across the northbound Missouri River Bridge at Jefferson City is planned for completion next year.

Bicycle/ped advocates in the area have been working for access across the bridge for decades, since bike/ped access was removed in the 1970s to create an extra motor vehicle lane.

"We'll change the grates and re-stripe the road," explained Roger Schwartze, district engineer for the department's Jefferson City-based Central District 5. "We're going to put up a sign that says 'Share the Road' and it will make the shoulder 18 inches wider than what is there today." . . .

MoDOT also still is looking for local financial support for a second bicycle/pedestrian crossing on the southbound bridge "that would be an overhang" outside of the bridge truss.
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EarthRiders Trails Association Granted 501(c)(3) Status

Kansas City--Midwestern mountain bikers, land managers and trail
advocates now have a federally recognized, tax-exempt organization to
which they can make tax deductible donations to further the development
and support of multi-use trails throughout the Midwest. The EarthRiders
Trails Association (ERTA) has received 501(c)(3) certification as a
result of major efforts by those in the Kansas City mountain bike
community.

ERTA's first project proposal, which was submitted to the Missouri
Division of State Parks (DSP) earlier this year, focuses on the 5,000
acre Lake of the Ozarks State Park in Southern Missouri. The proposal
recommends the construction of a 10-15 mile lakeside, multi-use trail
loop with open access to the public. This proposal is still under review
by the Missouri DSP, but if approved, would involve resources from ERTA
as well as the Missouri Department of Conservation, Capital City Cycling
Club, of Jefferson City, Columbia Bicycling Club and Osage Trail
Association. If approved, this program would be managed and funded by
ERTA with support from Missouri DSP.

To enhance fundraising efforts for various trail initiatives throughout
the Midwest, ERTA has established an online system in conjunction with
Active.com, allowing supporters to make donations via a credit card.
These donations will directly impact ERTA's trail building and land
management objectives throughout the Midwest. This page can be found at
http://www.active.com/donate/erta. Please note that while ERTA is
affiliated with EarthRiders Mountain Bike Club, also based in Kansas
City, dues paid by members of the club are not tax deductible. Only
donations made directly to ERTA are tax deductible. Should you be
interested in more information, or in making a donation of equipment or
other non-cash items, please contact Brad Davis at 913-485-3200, Ken
Miner at 913-481-9033 or Neale Shour at 816-436-4969.

http://www.earthriders.org/
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ST. LOUIS: Nowhere to run . . .

Nowhere to run, by Traci Angel starts this way: Whether it's the elements or construction, there is little to encourage a person to stay in shape this summer in St. Louis. Traci goes on to suggest that St. Louis is a pretty unfriendly place for both runners and cyclists. Even in the park, autos roar by, passing far too close without slowing at all.

Do you agree or disagree with this assessment of St. Louis? What should be done about? Click below to leave a comment . . .
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Possible 340-mile Loop of Bike Trail in KC Area

A recent meeting about Kansas bike trails (see Advocacy Alerts) resulted in the announcement of a possible 340-mile trail loop from Kansas City to Manhattan, KS (see Bicycle News; also be sure to read the comment for more interesting details).

Earthriders, one of the prime movers behind these trail initiatives in the Kansas City area, has recently incorporated a tax-exempt, non-profit arm that is poised to become a powerful lobbying force for mountain biking issues in the midwest.
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Ken Kifer: How to Avoid Bike-Car Collisions

Ken Kifer writes: For some years, I have been intending to write a page which illustrates (rather than explains) various kinds of traffic situations which can lead to collisions. . . . The new page is http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/traffic/bike-car.htm
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Putting 1 & 2 together . . .

News Item #1: Nearly one-third of adults, close to 59 million people, are considered obese. Moreover, close to two-thirds of adults are either obese or overweight; that is nearly two out of every three Americans.

News Item #2: Researchers in the UK conducted a study in which they asked previously inactive people to start cycling a few miles every day (see p. 318 of this very large PDF file). Distances involved were modest--15-20 miles per week. "[G]reatest relative risk exists in the lowest 20% of the national population distribution of aerobic fitness, and that risk reduces continuously as one's ranking improves. . . . Those completing the whole trial moved from a mean of the 31st percentile to the 48th percentile, i.e. from the bottom third of the national fitness distribution to a near-average position. . . . Body fat was significantly reduced among most of those subjects who were overweight or obese at outset (59% of the participants)." Participants typically lost 5-8 pounds of fat during two-month study period.

Can you put #1 and #2 together to come to a logical conclusion?
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St. Louis County jury awards $3.2 million in cyclist injury case

A jury in St. Louis County Circuit Court has ordered an award of $3,278,000 to a bicycle rider who was delivering newspapers when he was struck by a tractor-trailer truck in Mexico, Mo., on Sept. 15, 1995.

Christian Boggs, then 13 and now 20, sustained substantial injuries in the accident outside the Archer Daniels Midland plant. On Friday, the jury found the company 60 percent at fault because Decatur, Ill.-based ADM knew that traffic congestion on the street outside its plant was a safety hazard.
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