St. Louis Gateway Bike Plan Report Cards

GATEWAY

ST CHARLES

BIKE

FLORISSANT

PLAN

BRIDGETON

O ’ FALLON ST PETERS

ANNUAL REPORT

FERGUSON

OVERLAND

St. Louis

CHESTERFIELD

The Gateway Bike Plan is the region’s blueprint for making

CLAYTON

CREVE COEUR

bicycling safer, easier, and more convenient for residents of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County.

–

Initially spearheaded by Great Rivers Greenway and completed in 2011, the Gateway Bike Plan is now being implemented by area municipalities, local non-profits, and other community partners committed to advancing bicycling throughout the St. Louis region.

BALLWIN

LEGEND

KIRKWOOD

New On-Street Bikeway 2015

This report card identifies Great Rivers Greenway’s and its

Existing On-Street Bikeway

partners’ implementation successes during 2015,

Existing Off-Road Trail

including new on-street bikeways, bicycle safety and skills

Proposed Bikeway MEHLVILLE

2015 Bicycle Count Volumes

planners and engineers, and policy changes that support active transportation.

Greater than 100 26 to 99 Less than 25

training courses, professional development for area

OAKVILLE

0

2.5

5

10 MILES

Want To Get Involved?

There are plenty of things you can do to help make our region a better place to bike!

BICYCLING COUNTS! The Gateway Bike Plan's mission is to increase the number of people using bicycles for transportation while reducing the number of crashes involving bicycles. To help measure the number of people using bicycles, Great Rivers Greenway, Trailnet, and dozens of volunteers conduct an annual bicycle and pedestrian count. During two days in September 2015, volunteers counted 1,685 people bicycling during 2-hour count periods at 60 locations throughout the region. The data gathered through this annual count program can help local agencies better understand bicycle transportation patterns, measure the change in ridership created by new bicycle infrastructure progress, and make the case for bicycling as an important element of a complete transportation system.

200

2014

2015

2015 TOP BIKE COUNT LOCATIONS 1 Marine at Crystal Springs Quarry

150

2 Skinker at Forest Park Pkwy 3 Tower Grove at Shaw 4 Wydown at Skinker

100

5 Wydown at Big Bend 6 West Pine at Kingshighway

50

7 Gravois at Potomac 8 Euclid at Forest Park Pkwy

0

9 Clayton at I-270 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

10 Holmes at Scott

• Get out and enjoy life on two wheels! Visit Great Rivers Greenway’s website, greatriversgreenway.org for riding tips, interactive trail maps, and downloadable maps of the Bike St. Louis Network of on-street bikeways • Learn more about the Gateway Bike Plan at stlbikeplan.org

• Ask your city and county officials what they’re doing to support bicycling in your community • Volunteer for Great Rivers Greenway and Trailnet’s annual bicycle and pedestrian count program • Invite your friends, neighbors, and elected officials out for a bike ride

IMPLEMENTATION OF BIKEWAYS

GRADE

A

The Gateway Bike Plan recommends over 1,000 miles of on-street bikeways to provide a safe, comfortable, and interconnected transportation network for people bicycling in the St. Louis Region. In 2016, Great Rivers Greenway and its community partners completed 65 miles of new, updated, and upgraded on-street bikeways St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. Of those 65 miles, 33 were new bikeways on the Gateway Bike Plan Network, bringing the total network miles up to 257.

TARGET

APPLICATION OF DESIGN STANDARDS

new miles of on-street bikeways by 2017

33

TARGET

Complete up to

5

3

high crash locations

special facilities to address unique issues

0

new intersections identified or addressed

2

special bikeway projects

ACHIEVEMENT training courses per year

17

documented training courses throughout the region

training workshops for professionals and decision-makers

15

training opportunities held throughout the region

20 15

Chestnut Protected Bike Lane

ENCOURAGEMENT

GRADE

Encouragement activities foster a culture that welcomes and celebrates bicycling. Local governments, non-profit organizations, bike shops, and community groups across the region host events and activities throughout the year to encourage more people to get out and ride.

TARGET

MAJOR 2015 ACCOMPLISHMENT

200 MILES

20 14

20 13

100 MILES

20 12

5-10

B+

ACHIEVEMENT

3

Bike Friendly Designations awarded in 2015

1. City of St. Louis – Bronze Level Bike Friendly Community

Hosted the national Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professional’s Professional Development Seminar, a 3-day training for planners, engineers, advocates, and elected officials. Forty-seven of the 260 attendees were from the St. Louis area.

Morganford Green Bike Lane Markings

SUPPORTING POLICIES

GRADE

Policies are the foundation on which local governments and organizations base their decisions. Policies that support bicycling, like Complete Streets policies and bicycle parking ordinances, can have a profound impact on the way we design and build our streets and our communities.

TARGET Fund regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator

D

ACHIEVEMENT City of St. Louis hired its first Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator

East West Gateway and Great Rivers Greenway share duties for regional bikeway coordination and Gateway Bike Plan implementation, with contracted support from Alta Planning + Design & Trailnet.

2. Washington University – Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly University

GRADE

ENFORCEMENT Law enforcement officers play an important role in fostering mutual respect and responsibility among all road users. From police officer bike patrol training to bicycle traffic regulation courses, law enforcement agencies across the region are taking a proactive approach to creating safe streets for people on bike, on foot, and in motor vehicles.

TARGET

1

bike-related law enforcement training every two years

15

65

documented events occurred in 2015

3

jurisdictions adopting a Complete Streets Policy

The City of St. Louis strengthened its existing Complete Streets Policy

In addition, the City of Kirkwood adopted its first bicycle and pedestrian master plan, and the Cities of Wildwood and St. Louis joined the national Mayor’s Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets, led by the USDOT.

MAJOR 2015 ACCOMPLISHMENT Bike St. Louis Map Update

B+

ACHIEVEMENT

3

law enforcement trainings in 2015

3. Nebula Coworking – Silver-Level Bicycle Friendly Business

Bicycling promotion events per year

A+

including 12 APBP webinars, 2 FHWA webinars, and the APBP Professional Development Seminar, which included more than 21 available courses and over 90 hours of training opportunities.

0 MILES

20 11

Education is not just about giving people the skills and confidence they need to get out and ride. It’s also about equipping local governments with the tools and training to help make bicycling a part of the transportation system.

4

ANNUAL NEW MILES OF BIKEWAYS

Bike Friendly Community per year

GRADE

including 11 Bike Smart courses and 6 CyclingSavvy courses.

33 new miles, 32 updated or upgraded

1

EDUCATION

TARGET

ACHIEVEMENT

Identify and address

miles of new on-street bikeways in 2016

C

Well-designed streets support safe travel for all modes of transportation, from motor vehicles and transit to bicycling and walking. Applying design standards that address active transportation makes bicycling a safer, easier, and more convenient travel choice.

ACHIEVEMENT

200

GRADE

MAJOR 2015 ACCOMPLISHMENT St. Louis Bicycle Works continued to partner with the St. Louis County & Municipal Police Academy to train officers in effective bicycle riding and bicycle patrol tactics, which supports community policing and increased awareness for bicycling. Two 32-hour police cyclist courses and one 8-hour bicycle maintenance course were offered in 2015.

2 14

GATEWAY

BIKE

PLAN

St Charles

GATEWAY BIKE PLAN

O’Fallon

ANNUAL REPORT

St Peters Ferguson

The Gateway Bike Plan identifies a regional system of on-street bikeways in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County to be constructed over the next 20 years. The goal is to connect key destinations such as parks, trails and greenways, colleges and universities, transit and transfer centers, employment centers and town centers. Increasing the number of regional bikeways provides transportation options for residents as well as improving the quality of life in the St. Louis region.

Overland

In addition to identifying the regional system of onstreet bikeways, the Gateway Bike Plan includes strategies for education, encouragement and enforcement to make bicycling safe for residents of all ages and abilities. This is an important component and an opportunity for neighborhoods, local communities, interested citizens and bicycling advocates to join together to improve bicycling in the region.

St Louis Creve Coeur

Clayton

Chesterfield

This is the fourth annual report to the community since the Plan’s completion. With a Plan that covers three counties and numerous jurisdictions, tracking the progress each year is very important. In 2014, 64 miles of bikeways were implemented through the Gateway Bike Plan region. Numerous safety skills and education classes for bicyclists were conducted by Trailnet and local businesses, and educational opportunities for municipal and county transportation engineers were provided. The expansion of the on- and off-street bicycle networks and connection of key facilities has dramatically increased the opportunities for safe active transportation throughout the St. Louis region.

Performance Management and Accountability

To track the Gateway Bike Plan’s progress, each key element is graded based on defined targets established by the plan. A lower grade (C and below) reflects facets of the bicycle plan that may need more attention. Categories that received higher grades (A or B) indicate areas in which the Gateway Bike Plan is making significant progress. Scores for these elements are on the following page.

Ballwin

Kirkwood

In 2014, Great Rivers Greenway and Trailnet expanded the annual volunteer-based on-street bicycle and pedestrian count program to conduct manual counts at over 60 unique sites.

(Average 2-hr Bicycle Count Volumes by Location)

Legend 200

150

2014 Volumes

Existing On-Street Bikeway

Mehlville

2013 Volumes

Existing Off-Road Trail Proposed Bikeway

100

50

0

Cl ay W ton yd ow Euc n- lid S k M N ar Sk inke in r e- ink e Cr ys r-FP ta lQ P u Eu arry cli dW W F P Pi ne ine PP -E -K u in W yd gsh clid ow ig h nS B way ig B To Clay end w t o er nGr 2 ov 70 Cl eay Sh t M aw an onch Ski nk es te e r-S r ut to n

Great Rivers Greenway is committed to helping implement the Gateway Bike Plan and assisting local agencies with technical assistance, funding education and encouragement programs, and offering partnerships on projects. For more information on the Gateway Bike Plan, visit: www.stlbikeplan.com

Florissant Bridgeton

BIKEWAY NETWORK EXPANSION

38 111 200

new miles completed in

2014

new miles completed since plan adoption

2014 Bicycle Count Volumes

Oakville

Greater than 100 High

26 to 99

new miles implemented by

2017

Less than 25 Low

Encouragement A-

Design and Application of Standards

In 2014, the communities of Wildwood and Maplewood both received Honorable Mention recognition as Bicycle Friendly Communities. The communities of Sunset Hills, Bellefontaine Neighbors, Crestwood, O’Fallon, and Wildwood showed support and encouragement for bicycling by hosting bike ride events and triathlons showcasing Gateway Bike Plan routes. Trailnet held 22 Bicycle Fun Club rides, and local bike shops offered training courses to help educate and encourage bicycling and activate the community.

Performance Measure

2013 Activities

2014 Activities

Target

Create and Revise Bike System Maps (Online and Printing)

New 2013 map developed and an online version posted

Network map to be published in 2015.

Revise Map every two years

Achieve Bicycle Friendly Community recognition at city, county and state levels

City of STL retained Bronze status. Cities of Clayton and Ferguson achieved Bronze status.

Two applications and two Honorable Mentions for Wildwood and Maplewood

Facilitate and Support Existing and New Bicycling Promotion Events

40 documented encouragement events and programs in the region

30 documented encouragement events and programs in the region

Average One Community Per Year

15 events per year

Implementation of Bikeways A+

The Bike St. Louis Phase 3 project (pictured below) dominated the implementation projects in 2014, installing an additional 47 miles of bikeways in the fall, including buffered bike lanes, shared lane marking routes, and one bicycle boulevard. In addition, the City of Wildwood implemented 9 miles of bike lanes and shared lane markings that connect Gateway Bike Plan Routes. The City of Richmond Heights implemented a 1-mile bike lane on Dale Avenue as part of a complete streets project that also featured back-in angled parking, pedestrian and ADA improvements, and environmental features.

Performance Measure

2013 Activities

2014 Activities

Target

Miles of installed routes that comply with 2009 MUTCD and current AASHTO

34 Miles (30% of network goal complete)

55 miles (38 new miles, 17 improved to standards)

200 additional miles by 2017

Miles of on-street bicycle facilities installed as a result of route accomodation

5 miles

5 miles

5 miles per year

Great Rivers Greenway and the City of St. Louis kicked-off the implementation of their Bike St. Louis Phase 3 project in the summer of 2014. By the end of the year, 47 miles of bikeways designed to AASHTO and MUTCD standards were implemented in the City of St. Louis, including buffered bike lanes, shared lane marking routes, and a bike boulevard. In addition, MoDOT added another 5 miles of bike accommodations as part of routine maintenance of their facilities. With the addition of these bikeways and through regional coordination of consistent bike facilities, the St. Louis region has expanded its implemented Gateway Bike Plan network to 225 miles.

B+

Education continued to be a top priority in 2014. Regular training programs by the League of American Bicyclists, Trailnet, and CyclingSavvy were augmented by six jurisdictions hosting at least eleven safety and education events for the general public. Great Rivers Greenway sponsored Association of Pedestrian & Bicycle Professionals (APBP) webinars each month for industry professionals, ranging in topics from Road Diets and Complete Streets to Protected Bike Lanes.

Performance Measure

2013 Activities

2014 Activities

Target

Number of identified spot high crash rate locations rectified

5 locations identified for improvements identified by the Working Group

5 locations identified and recommendations provided, but none rectified

Five locations identified and rectified

Supporting Policies C

Education A

Bicycling has been at the forefront of discussions involving transportation improvements in the region. For example, a Complete Street Ordinance was adopted by St. Louis County early in 2014. Active transportation is a key part of every transportation project, including resurfacing projects that allow the implementation of the Gateway Bike Plan as opportunities are presented.

A working group was created as a subgroup of the East-West Gateway Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee to support the implementation and the evolution of the Gateway Bike Plan. This group is composed of residents and transportation professionals from throughout the region. The working group decided in early 2015 that in addition to funding a single regional bicycle/pedestrian coordinator, the local municipalities are encouraged to identify a bicycle coordinator, so as to create a regional network of professionals to communicate and support bicycling facilities and activities.

Performance Measure

2013 Activities

2014 Activities

Target

Establish a citizen committee to support intergovernmental cooperation and review plan implementation

The Gateway Bike Plan Working Group was developed

The Gateway Bike Plan Working Group held four meetings in 2014.

Implement committee by the end of 2013

Fund a regional bicycle and pedestrian coordinator

Alta Planning + Design and Trailnet retained by Great Rivers Greenway as interim coordinators for the plan

No bike/ped coordinator established in the City of St. Louis or the Region.

Establish a coordinator by 2014

Number of Jurisdictions that have adopted new or updated complete complete streets ordinances

St. Louis County began debate on Complete Streets Ordinance, and Wildwood began Council discussions

St. Louis County adopted a Complete Streets Ordinance, University City updated their Complete Streets Ordinance, and Weldon Springs adopted the Gateway Bike Plan.

4 Cities per year

In Summer 2014, Trailnet organized and sponsored an event for local leaders to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana to explore their Cultural Trail.

Participants learned from their counterparts’ tips and lessons learned from that project, increased their knowledge and insight as to the economic and community benefits of implementing such a facility, and were inspired and motivated to consider how to implement similar community amenities in the St. Louis region.

Performance Measure

2013 Sessions

2014 Sessions

Target

Training programs offered by cycling instructors

36

13

5-10

Training workshops for planners, engineers, and decision makers

18

25

4

Enforcement D

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has continued to use Trailnet’s 2013 police officer training video on bicycle and pedestrian laws and behavior. However, other police departments continue to not take advantage of training events and webinars offered by Great Rivers Greenway and others to educate officers on law enforcement aspects related to bicycling laws and enforcement of laws.

Performance Measure

2013

2014

Target

Training for law enforcement officials offered

0

0

every two yrs.

1

2 13

GATEWAY

BIKE

PLAN

O’Fallon St Charles

Florissant

GATEWAY BIKE PLAN

Bridgeton

ANNUAL REPORT

St Peters

The Gateway Bike Plan identifies a regional system of on-street bikeways in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County to be constructed over the next 20 years. The goal is to connect key destinations such as parks, trails and greenways, colleges and universities, transit and transfer centers, employment centers and town centers.

Increasing the number of regional bikeways provides transportation options for residents as well as improving the quality of life in the St. Louis region.

Ferguson

Overland

In addition to identifying the regional system of on-street bikeways, the Gateway Bike Plan includes strategies for education, encouragement and enforcement to make bicycling safe for residents of all ages and abilities. This is an important component and an opportunity for neighborhoods, local communities, interested citizens and bicycling advocates to join together to improve bicycling in the region.

St Louis Creve Coeur Chesterfield

This is the third annual report to the community since the Plan’s completion. With a Plan that covers three counties and numerous jurisdictions, tracking the progress each year is very important.

In 2013, thirty-four additional miles of bikeway were implemented, more safety skills classes for bicyclists were provided, and educational opportunities for municipal and county transportation engineers were provided. The result of the growing bikeway network and efforts to spread the word about the benefits of bicycling is an increase in the number of people using bicycles to meet their daily travel and recreational needs (see map on right).

Great Rivers Greenway is committed to helping implement the Gateway Bike Plan and assisting local agencies with technical assistance, funding education and encouragement programs, and offering partnerships on projects. For more information on the Gateway Bike Plan, visit www.stlbikeplan.com

Ballwin

Kirkwood

In 2013, the Great Rivers Greenway District and Trailnet expanded the annual volunteer-based on-street bicycle and pedestrian count program to conduct manual counts at 50 unique sites, up from 34 sites in previous years.

Legend

250 (2-hr Bicycle Count Volumes by Location)

To track the Gateway Bike Plan’s progress, each key element is graded based on defined targets established by the plan. A lower grade (C and below) reflects facets of the bicycle plan that may need more attention. Categories that received higher grades (A or B) indicate areas in which the Gateway Bike Plan is making significant progress. Scores for these elements are on the following page.

Performance Management and Accountability

University City

Mehlville

200

Existing On-Street Bikeway Existing Off-Road Trail

2013 Volumes

150

Proposed Bikeway

2012 Volumes

BIKEWAY NETWORK EXPANSION

100

50

0 PP

N

S

in

C e-

M

ar

ua

lQ

a st ry

er nk

al

le

an

er nk

id aw lid nd cl da m en i i uc Sh Be er se rs Eu e-E Sk g Sk A at eRo nBi nov n S on i r r t w S fW P to a y d G o o y a n n m a W er yd N Cl ra el Cl ow ow s G D W re T yd W Pe es D r

-F

r ke

n ki

ry

34 215 381

miles completed in 2013

miles completed to date

Oakville

2013 Bicycle Count Volumes

High

planned miles implemented by 2017

Greater than 100

26 to 99 Low

Less than 25

Encouragement programs are a critical component of the Gateway Bike Plan. In 2013, two new communities in the St. Louis region achieved recognition as bicycle friendly communities. Both the City of Clayton and City of Ferguson rating on achieved Bronze level status to join the City of St. Louis at meeting our that same level. Who’s next? 2013 also provided a range goal of opportunities for people to learn about commuting by bicycle to meet their daily travel needs through programs such as Trailnet’s increasingly popular “Trailnet on Tap” speaker series. The Travel Green program also helped increase awareness of bicycling safety and offered encouragement to those thinking about bike commuting.

A

2012 Activities

2013 Activities

Target

Updated Bike St. Louis Map in production for print and posting

New 2013 map developed and an online version posted

Revise map every two years

Achieve Bicycle Friendly Community recognition at city, county and state levels

City of Clayton prepared application

City of STL retained Bronze status. Cities of Clayton and Ferguson achieved Bronze status

Average One Community Per Year

Facilitate and Support Existing and New Bicycling Promotion Events

26 documented encouragement events and programs around the region

40 documented encouragement events and programs in the region

15 events per year

Performance Measure Create and Revise Bike system Maps (Online and Printing)

6 Bike Friendly Businesses

Implementation of Bikeways A rating on meeting our goal

• • •

•

•

In 2013, the implementation of the Gateway Bike Plan continued with protected bikeways being implemented via road diets and routine accommodation. These successes were not without their share of challenges. Several bikeways were implemented with parking and roadside buffers, while parking being retained led to challenges for phasing, with the ultimate improvement to arrive later (i.e. Manchester Avenue from Dale Avenue to Sublette Avenue).

Below are a few examples of projects implemented in 2013.

City of St. Charles – Installed shared lane markings and through bike lanes at Hackman Road and Old Highway 94.

Missouri Department of Transportation – Resurfaced several roadways and included bike lanes on Chippewa Street and Manchester Avenue in the City of St. Louis, and Clarkson Road in West St. Louis County.

City of St. Louis – The City of St. Louis installed a buffered bike lane on Arsenal to accommodate bicyclist in a safe manner, as well as calm traffic. In addition, the City added bike markings to the north and southbound approaches to Vandeventer on Tower Grove Avenue to complete the bikeway markings started in 2012.

The City of Wildwood installed bike lanes on a streetscape project on Old Manchester Road, and both Wildwood and the City of Ferguson implemented green pavement markings for enhanced bicyclist safety at intersections. In anticipation of a bicycle boulevard, the City of Ferguson installed our region’s first bike boulevard sign.

St Louis County – The St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic installed bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue, St. Charles Rock Road, Dougherty Ferry Road, and New Halls Ferry Road.

Trailnet created Streets for Everyone, a brochure and comprehensive guide about low-stress bicycle and pedestrian connections for the St. Louis region. The guide expresses the need for low-stress connections and the need to connect populations with low levels of biking. It also includes design guidance and basic cost estimates for six low-stress connections, best practices and common concerns for construction, and economic and health benefits. Streets for Everyone is used by municipal staff, policymakers, elected officials, and advocates to argue for creating low-stress connections in their community. Trailnet distributed the Streets for Everyone brochure to the 77 attendees of the Moving to the Next Level workshop and will be providing guides to workshop attendees in 2014.

B+ rating on meeting our goal

Performance Measure Number of identified spot high crash rate locations rectified Miles of installed routes that comply with 2009 MUTCD and current AASHTO Miles of on-street bicycle facilities installed as a result of routine accommodation

2012 Activities

2013 Activities

5 locations identified and one route identified

5 locations for improvements identified by the Working Group

Five locations addressed, but not yet rectified

34 Miles (30% of network goal complete)

200 additional miles by 2017

5 Miles

5 Miles per year

40 Miles

11 Miles

Target

Supporting Policies C+ rating on meeting our goal

Bicycling has been at the forefront of discussions involving transportation improvements in the region. For example, a Complete Street Ordinance was adopted

by St. Louis County early in 2014. Active transportation is a key part of every transportation project, including resurfacing projects that allow the implementation of the Gateway Bike Plan as opportunities are presented.

A working group was created as a subgroup of the East-West Gateway Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee to support the implementation and the evolution of the Gateway Bike Plan. This group is composed of a wide range of representatives that will guide implementation and changes needed to keep the plan a current document. The first meeting of the Working Group was held August 22, 2013. Another component to measure the plan’s implementation is to encourage and support local communities to endorse or adopt the Gateway Bike Plan, as well as pass complete streets ordinances.

Performance Measure Establish a citizen committee to support intergovernmental cooperation and review plan implementation

Fund a regional bicycle pedestrian coordinator

Number of jurisdictions that have adopted complete streets ordinances

2012 Activities

2013 Activities

Target

Additional discussions took place to formally establish the committee

The Gateway Bike Plan Working Group was developed

Implement committee by the end of 2013

Great Rivers Greenway continues to work with Alta

Alta Planning + Design retained

by Great Rivers Greenway as the interim coordinator for the plan

Establish a coordinator by 2014

St. Louis County began debate on Complete Streets Ordinance, and Wildwood began Council discussions

4 Cities per year

None

Education photo: Matt Wyczalkowski

Design and Application of Standards

Encouragement

A+ rating on meeting our goal

Gateway Bike Plan 2013 Workshop

Education is a critical component of the Gateway Bike Plan’s future success.

The St. Louis region has three training programs that support the goal of increasing bicycle safety and operation - the League of American Bicyclists, CyclingSavvy and Trailnet’s Bike Smart classes. All offer a variety of instructional classes for citizens around the region. A key goal in 2013 was to further increase the level of education offered for bicyclists. Trailnet and Great Rivers Greenway organized and put together the “Moving to the Next Level” workshop on November 20, 2013. This workshop was designed to educate regional officials on lessons learned from other bike friendly communities like Minneapolis, Memphis and Indianapolis, so that from project development to project implementation, the best possible designed bikeways are planned and developed.

Annual Target

Performance Measure

2012 Sessions

2013 Sessions

Training programs offered by cycling instructors

22

36

5 - 10

Special focused trainings

4

4

4

Training workshops for planners, engineers, and decision makers

18

14

1

New cycling instructors in the region

14

1

1

Enforcement B

Trailnet partnered with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in 2013 to create rating on a police officer training video meeting our on bicycle and pedestrian goal laws and behavior. The video featured a foreword from Chief Dotson and narration by a Lieutenant with the bicycle squad. It will be incorporated into the regular rotation of continuing education videos required for officers. This video was made possible by funding from the Missouri Foundation for Health.

Performance Measure Training for law enforcement officials offered

2012

2013

1

0

Target

1

Every two yrs.

2 12

Encouragement GATEWAY

BIKE

PLAN

ANNUAL REPORT

The Gateway Bike Plan identifies a regional system of on-street bikeways in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County to be constructed over the next 20 years. The goal is to connect key destinations such as parks, trails and greenways, colleges and universities, transit and transfer centers, employment centers and town centers. Increasing the number of regional bikeways provides transportation options for residents as well as improving the quality of life and making the St. Louis region a better place to live.

In addition to identifying the regional system of on-street bikeways, the Gateway Bike Plan includes strategies for education, encouragement and enforcement to make bicycling safe for all residents. This is an important component and an opportunity for neighborhoods, local communities, interested citizens and bicycling advocates to join together to improve bicycling in the region.

This is the second annual report to the community since the Plan’s completion. With a Plan that covers three counties and numerous jurisdictions, tracking the progress each year is important. In 2012, major progress was made with implementing many new bikeway miles; offering more safety skills classes for bicyclists; increasing educational opportunities for municipal and county transportation engineers and continuing to support recreational bike rides to raise awareness of our region’s many trails and greenways. Report Card Grades were identified in a qualitative manner using data compiled during 2012 from activities in the St. Louis Region. A lower grade (C and below) reflects facets of the bicycle plan that may need more attention as the Great Rivers Greenway and partner entities prioritize their efforts. Categories that received higher grades (A or B) indicate areas in which the Gateway Bike Plan is making progress towards the measures identified to track progress of the plan.

Great Rivers Greenway District is committed to helping implement the Gateway Bike Plan and assisting local agencies through a variety of avenues from technical assistance to funding education and encouragement programs and partnerships on projects. For more information on the Gateway Bike Plan, visit www.stlbikeplan.com

Encouragement programs are a critical component of the Gateway Bike Plan. Successful programs build confidence around on-street cycling, create and/or boost bicycle-friendly neighborhoods, communities and businesses, and lead to rating on economic enhancement in the form of increased travel choices. meeting our In 2012, many opportunities were provided for people to learn goal about commuting by bicycle to meet their daily travel needs.

Trailnet continued its popular group rides series, in addition to beginning the “Trailnet On Tap” series. The Travel Green program also provides encouragement to those thinking about commuting and increase awareness of bicycling safety.

B+

Performance Measure Create and Revise Bike system Maps (Online and Printing)

Achieve Bicycle Friendly Community recognition at city, county and state levels Facilitate and Support Existing and New Bicycling Promotion Events

Baseline Conditions

2012 Activities

Existing Bike St. Louis Map Posted

Updated Bike St. Louis Map in production for print and posting

City of St Louis

Not Defined

City of Clayton prepared application 6 Bike Friendly Businesses 26 documented encouragement events and programs around the region

Target

Revise map every two years

Average One Community Per Year

15 events per year

Design and Application of Standards 2012 brought the formal update of the American Association of State Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, fourth edition. This document was used in the development of the Gateway rating on Bike Plan. Additional supplemental guidance to address the meeting our wide range of bicycle facilities addressed in the Plan was goal based on current best practices found in the NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide. This addition to AASHTO guidance and MUTCD standards, provide a set of documents that will provide consistency in the development of bikeways as they cross jurisdictional boundaries.

A-

Performance Measure

2011 Activities

2012 Activities

Target

None

5 locations identified and one route identified

Five locations adressed, but not yet rectified

Miles of installed routes that comply with 2009 MUTCD and current AASHTO

75 Miles

40 Miles (17% of network goal complete)

200 additional miles by 2017

Miles of on-street bicycle facilities installed as a result of routine accommodation

25 Miles

Number of identified spot high crash rate locations rectified

11 Miles

5 Miles per year

Gateway Bike Plan Goals 1

Provide a prioritized system of routes that are contiguous and connected to other on and off road facilities.

2

Improve safety for all modes of transportation through the careful design and implementation of bicycle facilities.

3

Improve safety for all modes of transportation through the implementation of educational and enforcement programs.

4

Expand the public’s view that bicycles are a viable/acceptable mode of transportation through encouragement programs.

5

Increase the commitment of public officials to support or initiate public policy for bicycling at all levels of government – state, local and regional.

Implementation of Bikeways A+ rating on meeting our goal

Significant network additions in 2012 included the first green pavement marking in the City of St. Louis on Wydown Boulevard.

The green bike marking alerts bicyclists and motorists of a potential conflict where the bikeway and travel lane merge across each other.

While green bike markings will not be used everywhere, the material and application of this facility is in place to test the colored marking material, and the effectiveness of making the conflict area visible.

39 181 381

miles completed in 2012

miles completed planned miles to date implemented by 2017

2012 Highlights • The City of Richmond Heights implemented a City-wide bike marking project— adding 3 miles of bikeways in the plan, plus 6 additional miles on City streets.

• The City of O’Fallon implemented their bike loop project on City and MoDOT roadways—adding 11 miles of bikeways in the plan. Moreover, most of the added facilities were buffered bike lanes.

• MoDOT added 14 miles of bikeways in the plan. Many of these bikeways have been turned over to St. Louis County for maintenance.

• The City of St. Louis chose to perform road diets—reducing travel lanes to provide bikeways on Tower Grove and on Morganford. The first green bike lane was added to eastbound Wydown Boulevard. The City has also implemented shared lane markings on several additional routes.

• The City of Chesterfield added to 2 miles of bike lanes on Edison Boulevard.

• Great Rivers Greenway has provided access to technical help for public entities in the form of consultant services to help communities implement the plan.

These services are provided to implement the plan as envisioned, including engineering final bikeway additions to the system.

Performance Management and Accountability In 2012, the Great Rivers Greenway District and Trailnet formally began an annual on-street bicycle and pedestrian count program, using manual and automatic counts, to collect information on their travel behavior. A total of 2,811 people were counted on bicycles and 6,129 pedestrians. The gender make up was approximately three quarters male and one-quarter female. Crash data was also analyzed from the Missouri Department of Transportation. The five worst intersections, and the single worst travel corridor for crashes involving bicyclists, were identified, with improvement concepts developed to address known issues. The following locations were identified for improvements:

• • • • • •

St. Louis County: St. Charles Rock Road Corridor (from I-70 to Kingsland Avenue) City of St. Louis: Skinker Boulevard at Forest Park Parkway City of St. Louis: South Jefferson Avenue at Cherokee Street St. Louis County: North Lindbergh Boulevard at Washington Road St. Louis County: Olive Boulevard at Schulte Road St. Charles County: Route K at Feise Road

Supporting Policies C rating on meeting our goal

It is critical that bicycling be at the forefront of discussions involving transportation improvements in the region. We can no longer think of active transportation modes as simply add-on elements of the transportation network. Instead, walking and bicycling should be fully integrated from the beginning of the planning process through implementation.

In 2012, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments revised their project solicitation guidance and selection criteria to emphasize the inclusion of Gateway Bike

Plan network routes on proposed projects. This step was critical to better integrate the needs of bicyclists into the planning and design of roadways.

Emphasis of bikeway elements in local road projects resulted in several specialized trainings in 2012 with Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) St. Louis district staff. These sessions were focused on best practices and policy and actions related to both MoDOT projects and local road projects. These trainings are intended to result in a policy of incorporating bikeways on roadway projects from planning, through design and construction, to maintenance throughout the St. Louis District.

Another component to measure the plan’s implementation is to encourage and support local communities to endorse or adopt the Gateway Bike Plan. To date, ten (10) public entities have endorsed the Gateway Bike Plan.

Performance Measure

2011 Activities

2012 Activities

Target Implement committee by the end of 2013

Establish a coordinator by 2014

Establish a citizen committee to support intergovernmental cooperation and review plan implementation

By laws prepared for a citizen committee at Great Rivers Greenway

Additional discussions took place to formally establish the committee

Fund a regional bicycle pedestrian coordinator

Alta Planning + Design retained by Great Rivers Greenway as the interim coordinator for the plan

Great Rivers Greenway continues to work with Alta

Number of jurisdictions that have adopted complete streets ordinances

City of Clayton

None

4 Cities per year

Education The education component of the Gateway Bike plan is a critical element for its success. Public education help supports the safe operation of bicyclists as vehicles on rating on roadways. The St. Louis region is lucky to have two meeting our established programs with this goal in mind: the League goal of American Bicyclist trainings and Cycle Savvy trainings.

Both offered a variety of instructional classes for citizens around the region. In addition, several individuals underwent training and are now certified to teach courses which expand the number and diversity of instructors throughout the St. Louis region.

A+

Education also involves training transportation engineers and planners the details of planning and designing bikeways as part of the transportation network. Last September, over 150 attendees participated in a two-day training workshop sponsored by Great Rivers Greenway and Trailnet. It was a milestone event for the region and featured state of the art design concepts, encouragement activities and mobile tours.

Performance Measure

2011 Sessions

2012 Sessions

Annual Target

Training programs offered by cycling instructors

4

22

5 - 10

Special focused trainings

1

4

4

183

1

14

1

Training workshops for planners, engineers, and decision makers

13

New cycling instructors in the region

0

League of American Bicyclists (10) Cycling Savvy (4)

Enforcement A rating on meeting our goal

Last October, two police officers, from Washington University and the City of Clayton, attended a training for law enforcement officials in the application of motor vehicle laws related to bicyclists. These individuals are now certified to train other officers in the region in this POST certified course.

Performance Measure Training for law enforcement officials offered

2011

2012

0

1

Target

1

Every two yrs.