» Alternative Transportation

We get these questions often: What is the best area in St. Louis for transit accessibility?  What is the transit access like for a particular neighborhood?

Now, the folks at WalkScore, a website devoted to walkability (ability to walk to most or many personal amenities), have introduced TransitScore and Commuter Reports as a way to encourage and promote walking and transit use across the U.S.

WalkScore provides a feature for business, residents, real-estate brokers and others to advertise the “walkability” of an address through a “WalkScore” on a scale of 0 to 100.  Now, thanks in part to the efforts of their sister website City-Go-Round.org in encouraging transit agencies to provide open transit data, Walkscore is able to provide addresses with a TransitScore and Commuter Reports.  Metro St. Louis was one of the first transit agencies to publish open-source data based on the efforts of City-Go-Round, and now they have made information available for more than 100 transit agencies.  Here is the TransitScore and map for Blueberry Hill Restaurant in University City, MO:

Users can enter any address to find out its proximity to many amenities, including restaurants, bars, parks, schools and banks.  Now, TransitScore provides information an address’ nearby train and bus routes.

WalkScore also allows users to access to the Public Transit API (applications programming interface) to:

• Add TransitScore to website in form of embedded badges
• Show transit stops on a map of address
• Show details about nearby transit route

Businesses, real estate companies or other destinations can then use the information to tout the walkability and transit access of an address, and allows users to compare addresses for walking and transit options.

In addition, WalkScore also provides a Commuter Report, which provides the information for traveling from one destination to another by walking, biking, transit or car.

Commuter Report from Metro Headquarters to Blueberry Hill in University City

The report includes information about the area such as housing and transportation costs.

Housing and Transportation Costs Report for Blueberry Hill from Walkscore.org

While WalkScore does have some missing features, it is a tremendous tool for those seeking to advertise or find out the walking and transit amenities and options available in an area.  For another review of this new feature — and thank you for directing us to this development — please check out the St. Louis blog Exquisite Struggle.

It’s hot outside.  It’s mid-August, and the heat and humidity is practically melting the fortitude off of the average St. Louisans.  But have faith, for even the most brutal of Augusts only have 31 days.  Now’s the time to start looking ahead to September and the sweet relief of cooler temperatures and fading sunlight, and more opportunities to bike, walk and take transit in St. Louis. But until then, there are several ways you can get ready for early fall.

Look at all these people! Outside! Not melting! (Picture of Open Streets in San Fransisco via www.urbanstl.com)

Get On Board and Try Transit Month in September

August 30 Restoration launches a lot of new transit service for St. Louis, so it’s only fitting that September is Try Transit Month. To celebrate the service restoration, and to try to encourage more ridership, Nextstop will be hosting several Transit Tweetups in the area, highlighting rider stories and new routes, and hosting “Try Transit Challenges.” Do you have a great rider story? Do you know someone you would like to challenge to try transit for a day, a week? Please let us know! We’ll release a full schedule of events in the coming weeks, but in the mean time, please remind fellow riders of upcoming travel changes and check out the new schedules, route maps, and system map online.

Citizen’s For Modern Transit’s Ten Toes Express

Citizen’s For Modern Transit’s Ten Toes Express targets both older adults and work commuters to encourage people to walk more and use public transit. Sounds like a win-win, right? The program is free and each participant receives a pedometer, weekly walk log, MetroLink tickets, St. Louis maps, and more than 80 suggested walking tours with info on destination of interest and level of walking difficultly. Participants get to join up in groups and track their individual walking achievements. And it’s a great way to familiarize yourself with transit routes and explore the region. Registration for fall program has begun, and gets started in September.

Bike Education Courses (via St. Louis Bicycle Federation)

Biking in urban and suburban roads, like taking transit, can be an intimidating affair. But the rewards of better health, saved money and reducing air pollution are many-fold. Certified League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor (LCI) Martin Pion offers different levels of courses at his home in Ferguson (he provides both driving and Metro/bike directions). The courses range from a 4-hour crash course (no pun intended!) in traffic safety to a 18-hour course with plenty of on-road time and crash-avoidance practice. These courses can help you gain the confidence and skills you need to travel by bike, including biking combined with transit use.

Open Streets Events in St. Louis City

Open Streets returns to the City of St. Louis September 19, 8am – 1pm through downtown, Midtown and the Central West End. For those of you who missed the earlier Open Streets events, it is part-block party and part-active event, with everything from biking, walking, jogging, yoga, badminton, games and food. While no cars are allowed along the route to let people and bikes roam freely, last Open Streets they did have a Fire Department sprinkler to keep participants cool. Open Streets is also a great opportunity for businesses and civic organization to encourage wellness and community by bringing large groups of employees. The route is also accessible to several MetroLink and MetroBus transit centers to give families and individuals extra options for traveling to and from the festivities.

Shaw Neighborhood Photography Competition

Photography competitions are common throughout the year, but the Shaw Neighborhood Housing Corporation is hosting a photography contest this year in corresponding with the Shaw Art Fair Oct. 2 at Flora Place. The Shaw Neighborhood reached out to Metro on Twitter to help promote the contest, as they saw the August 30 Restoration as a great opportunity for people to try the new service while exploring Shaw and nearby neighborhoods. The contest area includes Shaw, South Grand Business District, Missouri Botanical Gardens, Tower Grove Park and The Grove. Contest deadline is 9/15, with one 8X10 framed or unframed photo per entrant. Turn in entries to Shaw Neighborhood Housing Corporation Office, 4067 Shenandoah in St. Louis (behind Thurman Grill).

Know of any upcoming St. Louis event that support transit or alternative transportation use? Email us at blog@nextstopstl.org.

OK, it’s summer 2010.  Oil continues to spill into the Gulf of Mexico, and we still spend billions of dollars to feed our ever-increasing appetite for petroleum, all while pumping millions of pounds of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.  Isn’t it about time we embraced some alternatives?  It’s time to get on a bike, a train, or a bus, St. Louis!

Courtney and Arch Observer's Jim Barnthouse with t-shirts and gear from Trailnet, Great Rivers Greenway, and Metro. Who needs cars with faces like these?

Thursday, June 17, is National Dump the Pump Day.  Sponsored by the American Public Transit Association (APTA), Dump the Pump Day is designed to focus on conserving fuel, reducing the environmental impact of everyday commuting, and reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil by finding alternatives to the use of personal vehicles.

Walk. Bike. Take transit. It’s a great time to get out of your car and explore your neighborhood, try transit, or bike to work.  Did you know bike commuters lose an average of 12 lbs during their first year of bike commuting?  Or that public transit users walk an average extra 20 minutes a day over auto commuters?  All over the country, transit and bike commuting is increasing as people realize the benefits of staying away from traffic.

To encourage St. Louis area commuters to Dump the Pump, Metro, together with community partners Citizens for Modern Transit, Trailnet and Great Rivers Greenway have donated some awesome gear to encourage you to walk, bike, or take transit, including:

• Bike Helmets from Great Rivers Greenway
• Membership to Citizens for Modern Transit
• Metro 10-Ride ticket booklets
• Metro messenger bag
• Trailnet ride vouchers
• Forest Park Shuttle tickets

Trailnet & Great Rivers Greenway T-shirts and other promotional items

Entries will be accepted through Monday, June 28.  Prizes will be awarded July 6. Click here to register to win some of the awesome gear from local organizations promoting alternative transportation (as shown by myself and Arch Observer Jim Barnthouse).

I hear Jim Barnthouse is alternative energy.

People can also obtain entry forms for the Metro Dump the Pump prize giveaway at:
•    Metro Headquarters – 707 N. 1st Street, St. Louis
•    MetroRide Center – 7th & Washington, inside America’s Center, St. Louis
•    Great Rivers Greenway – 6174 A Delmar Blvd., St. Louis
•    Trailnet – 1533 Washington Avenue, St. Louis

Commuters choosing public transit on June 17 may also be greeted and thanked personally by members of Metro’s leadership team, employee volunteers, and even cheerleaders from North East Middle School in St. Louis.  Because you deserve some recognition and thanks for dumping the gas pump.

Need more reasons to convince people to give up some gas?  According to the APTA:

• Each year, the use of public transit in the U.S. saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline by eliminating the need for 900,000 automobile fill-ups each day.
• Commuters who switch to public transit can reduce the carbon emissions of their personal vehicles by 20 pounds a day, or 4,800 pounds a year.
• In addition to helping save the environment, families that use public transit and live with one car can save an average of $9,000 a year.
• For every $1 invested in public transportation infrastructure, $4 is generated in economic returns to communities.

June 17: National Dump the Pump Day.  Step away from the car, and spend the day being the alternative.

St. Louis will be all about bikes this weekend with the return of St. Louis City Open Streets, the Tour de Grove cycling and neighborhood events, and ARTCRANK, a show featuring bike-inspired posters by local artists.  Throw in the Central West End Taste & Art Fair, accessible by bike and transit, and you’ve got a full weekend of great St. Louis events.

Open Streets on Sunday, June 13 from 8am -1pm is a chance for you to walk, bike, run, skate, push a stroller, hula-hoop, pretty much whatever you want on a street route closed off to automobile traffic.  It’s a great opportunity to explore St. Louis neighborhoods, be active, meet local business owners, and get out with friends and family.

Open Street Route Map for June 13, 2010

At the last Open Streets event in June, I saw badminton games, picnics and lemonade stands, as well as food and beverages available along the route.   In addition, hubs located along the length of the route host a variety of activities – strength training, hula-hooping, yoga, kids contests, mini massages, stretching instructions, cooking demonstations and more.

The route will link the Old Post Office Plaza in Downtown St. Louis with the Central West End Taste and Art Fair on Euclid Avenue. The CWE Taste and Art Fair is Friday through Sunday featuring over 60 regional artists, 19 local eateries and live music on Friday and Saturday.  The Fair location is only a few blocks from the Central West End MetroLink and Bus Transfer Center.

Trailnet in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway and the City of St. Louis will also host a Bike St. Louis tour for experienced cyclists starting at Anheuser-Busch and complete with a stop at the Velodrome in Penrose Park.

Also this weekend, the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood will host the 2010 Tour de Grove events Saturday and Sunday, with multiple cycling races and a 5K race, live music and VIP spectating parties.  ARTCRANK, featuring bike-inspired posters by 35 local artists – all just $30 each -  at Atomic Cowboy in the Grove on Saturday, June 12 (7:00 – Midnight) and Sunday, June 13 (Noon – 4:00).

To get to all of these amazing active events this weekend, you can take bicycles on MetroLink trains in the rear of the first car, and both front and rear of the second car.  Also, all MetroBuses also have racks for two bikes on the front of the bus. Plan your trip on Google Transit.

Few excuses and plenty of reasons to get out and support our local biking and pedestrian, art, dining and music scene in St. Louis this weekend.  And every weekend for that matter!

So, it’s late Sunday night, and you’re just waiting for a bus, minding your own business, staring out into the parking lot, checking your phone, thinking, “Man, I hope this bus gets here soo….WAIT, WHAT!?! IS THAT A PLANE TRYING TO LAND IN THIS BUS BAY!!!”  One young man waiting for the bus last night got quite the surprise.

At approximately 10:45 p.m. Sunday, May 2, pilot Darrick Helmuth, 27, of Plain City, OH, made an emergency landing in the MetroBus bus bay lane at the Fairview Heights MetroLink Station in Fairview Heights, IL.  Flying from Columbus, OH, Helmuth was trying to reach St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia (coincidentally also owned and operated by Metro) and reportedly ran out of gas.  Capt. Steve Johnson with the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department reported that Helmuth tried to make his way to the Cahokia airport, but had to make an emergency landing in the 1978 4-seat Cessna.  Capt. Johnson said the pilot saw the lights from Metro station and decided to land.  The small plane has a 36-foot wingspan and 8-foot wheelbase, but Helmuth guided the craft safely onto the bus bay lane, which is 26 feet wide and 600 feet long.  No injuries were reported, and the station only had minor property damage (one small tree did not clear the wingspan).

Metro security on the site radioed for emergency help and assisted the pilot. Extra security was kept at the Fairview Heights Station all evening for customers’ protection.   There were no delays to MetroBus or MetroLink.  Today, the pilot and others helped tow the plane out of the bus bay lane and into a grassy area where the plane will be disassembled and hauled out of the station at the owner’s expense.  Regular MetroBus service returned to the bays by noon on Monday.

Certainly was an unusual day for our Metro riders and security.  We’re certainly glad that the pilot, witnesses and everyone involved is uninjured, and hope the plane and Helmuth have a safe return to Ohio.

This is the first of a series of posts on bikes and transit. Biking is an important mode of transportation for millions of Americans, whether it is for health, transportation, leisure or sport. Using bicycles with transit can help increase the health and convenience of using public transit and vice versa. We here at Nextstop are big proponents of biking and bike infrastructure for St. Louis. Please let us know if there is more information that we can provide or distribute to promote biking in the region.

Note: In this video I demonstrate how to use the bike racks on MetroBus without a bike with me! (it was in the shop! Ha!) You can see how it works though. Thanks to Jim Barnthouse at Arch Observer for the great video.

Oh, man, IT’S HERE. Spring. It’s warm air, blue skies, cool pavement. For me, that means getting back on my bike – the poor neglected machine that’s been parked patiently in my basement over the winter (I don’t typically bike during colder months, but plenty of St. Louisans do!). Many days in warmer weather I like to take my bike on the bus or train to allow some added flexibility and enjoyment. To me, nothing makes me appreciate the sense of “place” in an area than exploring it from the seat and speed of a traveling bike.

But I realize one must not leap on that bike without looking. Springtime is a great time to look at the overall health and safety of your bike before embarking on that first major ride.

I talked with Nick Valdes of Big Shark Bike Company and Seth Teel of HOK to discuss what riders can do to get their bikes ride-ready:

“A.B.C.” – Air, Brakes, Cables

Seth recommends the “A.B.C.” method. First, check your tires for air. Tires that are not holding air well may have a leak or other problems. Nick says to be on the look out for dry-rot on the tire wall, tread wear, or feeling of hardness to the tire rubber. All could be signs that it’s time to replace your tires.

Bike use wears down brake pads. Make sure the bike can brake safely, and replace pads if needed. You may need to also replace the cables or chain, especially if your bike has been outside for part of the winter.

Nick recommends taking your bike to your local bike shop for a tuneup before you start the season to make sure your bike is working safely and efficiently.

Tire Repair Kit

If you plan on biking for longer than a few minutes away from your home, it’s a good idea to keep some basic bike repair gear with you, including a set of tire levers, one spare tube with the correct tire size and valve as your bike specifies, and an air pump.

Here’s a video I found useful on how to change a flat tire on a road bike. Don’t mind the jazzy background music:

Lights

As someone who often bikes near or after dark, I cannot stress how important are rear and front lights. And quite honestly, they are pretty cool. You can get energy efficient LED lights that can be permanently mounted to your bike, or removed whenever you park it.

Safety Gear

This is pretty obvious, but if you are going to the trouble of having your bike work properly, you should make sure you are safe as well. Wear a helmet, please. If you will be riding near dusk or dark, consider reflective strips or clothing to help cars and pedestrians spot you.

Get Ready to Ride!

St. Louis is blooming with great biking resources, from local urban trails to long training runs on the weekend. Here is a list of our favorite resources:

Trailnet – Loads of great rides for all ages, as well as other programs to help keep communities healthy and active.

St. Louis Bicycle Federation – Rides, swap meets, bike parking, advocacy and a lot of other benefits of membership.

Bike St. Louis – A system of on-street bike routes throughout St. Louis City and County. Great for learning how to get around town.

Madison County Transit Trails (part of Madison County Transit!!) in Illinois. 85 miles of scenic bikeways…great for exploring and long rides!

Great Rivers Greenway – Collaborative projects like Open Streets/Bike to Busch and the St. Louis Master Bicycle Plan, GRG has great events and projects to follow and participate.

Know of any other great resources or tips, let us know!

Next in Series…using bikes with transit!

St. Louis Mardi Gras Parade in Soulard.  Photo via prettywar-stl.

Heading to Mardi Gras this weekend!  Us too!  Take Metro shuttles to the Soulard Mardi Gras and avoid the hassles of finding a place to park that isn’t knee-deep in cleared snow and two miles from Broadway.  Saturday, February 13, the Soulard Mardi Gras MetroBus Shuttle will offer round-trip service to the festivities from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The Soulard Mardi Gras MetroBus Shuttle will run continuously between 14th & Spruce, near the Civic Center MetroLink Station, and 10th Street in Soulard, between Marion & Carroll. Passengers may board or deboard the shuttle at 14th & Spruce and at 10th Street.

The cost of a round-trip shuttle ticket is $5 (cash only). Metro passes and other tickets or transfers are not valid for this shuttle! Regular fares will apply for riding MetroLink, MetroBus or Metro Call-A-Ride to the Soulard Mardi Gras Shuttle pick-up locations.

Shuttle bus tickets will be on sale at the Civic Center MetroLink Station, and other select MetroLink stations, including:

Missouri MetroLink Stations

Shrewsbury-Lansdowne, Brentwood I-64, Clayton, North Hanley, Delmar Loop, Central West End

Illinois MetroLink Stations

East Riverfront, 5th & Missouri, Fairview Heights, Memorial, Swansea, College, Shiloh-Scott

On Saturday, MetroLink will operate rush hour service (trains every 15 minutes) on both the Red and Blue lines. Trains will operate from downtown until approximately 1:00 a.m.

If you plan on taking MetroBus, make note of these planned reoutes:

#30 Soulard

Northbound – Regular route to Broadway and Arsenal, left on Arsenal, right on 13th, immediate left onto I-55 North, exit at Gravois, right on Gravois into Tucker, left on Chouteau, resume regular route.

Southbound – Regular route to Gravois and I-55 South, left onto I-55 South, exit and left on Arsenal, right on 2nd, right on Utah, right on Broadway, left on Arsenal, resume regular route.

#40 Broadway

Northbound – Regular route to Broadway and Arsenal, left on Arsenal, right on 13th, immediate left onto I-55 North, exit at Gravois, right on Gravois into Tucker, left on Chouteau, resume regular route.

Southbound – Regular route to Gravois and I-55 South, left on I-55 South, exit and left on Arsenal, right on Broadway, resume regular route.

#99 Downtown Circulator

Regular route to Broadway and Clark, left on Clark, left on 4th, resume regular route.

Regularly scheduled routes will resume following the parade.

Have fun, be careful, and Happy Mardi Gras!

Photo via Jefferson County Community Partnership

Since 2007, the Transportation Solutions Committee of Jefferson County, MO has been creating public and private partnerships to introduce the JeffCo Express, a public transit solution for the communities of DeSoto, Hillsboro, Festus and Arnold. 

The bus has 16 seats and can accomodate two wheelchairs.  Funding has been secured for three years through MODOT’s New Freedom Project to help individuals with disabilities meet their transportation needs, including education, employment and health services.  A one-way ticket is $2 for the general public; $1 for disabled passengers or those 65 and older, with multi-ride passes available. 

The new service uses a deviated, or flex, route to transport passengers.  A flex route allows the driver to deviate off the designated route to pick up or drop off individual passengers that make advance reservations.  According to the Transportation Solution Committee, as long as a person with a disability lives within a one mile radius of a major designated stop and calls within 24 hours, the bus will come to their home to pick them up, and deliver to any requested destination within one mile of major designated stop.  Therefore, the service area of the route is greatly widened, and more convenient for riders.  All route and timetable info for the JeffCo Express is available on their website.

Deviated or flex routes are a great solution for rural or less dense areas, and provide both riders and service agencies with a needed amount of flexibility.  Congratulations to all involved in the JeffCo Express Project, and we wish JeffCo passengers happy and safe travels.  If you have any pictures or experiences seeing or riding the JeffCo Express, send them to blog@nextstopstl.org.

Transportation for America has released a report called “Dangerous by Design” that looks at pedestrian deaths vs. spending on pedestrian amenities and ranks cities across the U.S. Following the report’s release, T4A met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who promises that “the DOT Safety Council is going to look at this report and work with advocacy groups to ensure our streets are as safe as possible.”

Before we see how St. Louis fared, what does T4A think is causing problems?

Over the last several decades, most of the business of daily life has shifted from Main Streets to state highways that have grown wider and wider over time…the pressure to move as many cars through these areas as quickly as possible has led transportation departments to squeeze in as many lanes as they can, while designing out sidewalks, crosswalks and crossing signals, on-street parking, and even street trees in order to remove impediments to speeding traffic.

As a result, more than half of fatal vehicle crashes occurred on these wide, high capacity and high-speed thoroughfares. Though dangerous, these arterials are all but unavoidable because they are the trunk lines carrying most local traffic and supporting nearly all the commercial activity essential to daily life.

(emphasis mine). Pedestrian safety is a transit issue as well – for many people the transit experience can become uncomfortable, inconvenient, and even dangerous if the pedestrian access in their area is not sufficient and safe. Details after the jump.

So how does St. Louis fare? Based on 72 pedestrian fatalities between 2007-2008, and a 1.7% percentage of workers walking to work, St. Louis is number 21 (just behind Kansas City) for pedestrian danger. Take a look at T4A’s Missouri Fact Sheet for more details (opens a .pdf file!).

The federal government is already working to improve pedestrian safety near transit stops: I found a proposed FTA rule change on Regulations.gov that would essentially enlarge the area around transit stations that would qualify for federal funding for bike- and pedestrian-related improvements (the “catchment” area). You can check it out on Regulations.gov and submit a comment either for or against the proposed change.

What’s your walking experience around the St. Louis region?

Portland Transport blogger Bob Richardson won the Dump the Pump video contest. Richardson put together three different video entries, and his “Romance” spot beat out all other comers. (My personal favorite was “Tea Party,” but I thought they were all great.) Check out the winning video:

(Click here if you can’t see the video player.)

You can also check out a video of Metro St. Louis riders telling our interns why they dumped the pump.

Congratulations to Bob Richardson & friends, and to the Portland Transport blog, for their creativity and the win! (and thanks to Hard Drive for the  info.)