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There’s bike-friendly, and then there’s bike-lovin.’ Copenhagen falls into the “lovin’” category.

Digital bike-counter display? Totally. Doubles as air pump? Awesome. But check this out:

The city will give a Biomega bike to cyclist number 500,000, and since there are about 12,000 cyclists that pass by on a week day (about 25k both ways), it shouldn’t take too long for that number to be reached. (emphasis mine)

12,000 cyclists per day, going in one direction on one city street? Totally awesome!

That’s what Ray Friem, our Chief Operations Officer of Transit Services, called it this morning at the Metro Board meeting. He was referring to news that GovernorNixon signed the state’s budget into law yesterday. In this budget is $12 million in emergency funding to help Metro restore some of the service unfortunately lost in March. This means that we can move forward with restoring service on August 3rd.

Governor Nixon deserves a big “thank you” card for recognizing the importance of the funding Metro, even (or especially) in tough economic times. He kept this money in the budget, he said, because it was essential to help people get to their jobs.

In other (also good) news, some federal funding became available for Metro this week as well.  Legislation passed this week in Washington that allows us to use 10% of funding from the stimulus package to fund operations. Originally, this money only went to cover capital improvements, i.e. building stuff, instead of operations, i.e. buying gas and paying bus operators. This will allow Metro to apply up to $4.1 million toward restoring transit service.

Also, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced this week that $7.5 million in federal funding will also be provided to Metro over the next two years.

So what does this mean for you? We will go ahead with the transit service restoration plan later this summer. This plan restores a little over a third of what was cut in March, especially to areas that lost service completely. See Courtney’s earlier post about the restoration plan for details, or read the updated version, which was created in response to customer comments.

I hope your week was this good. Happy Friday.

As you may have heard, on Monday night two D.C. area subway trains collided during rush hour. The accident occurred when one vehicle struck another vehicle, which was stopped on the tracks waiting for the passenger platform to clear at the next station. Sadly, nine people were killed, including the train’s operator, and over 70 people were treated for injuries. Investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

Whenever an accident like this occurs, it naturally makes people wonder about the safety of their own local transit system. We asked Training Specialist Suzanne Whitehead to explain some of the safety precautions in place on the MetroLink system that work to prevent this kind of accident. One safety measure is the cab signaling system, which  Suzanne explained to me:

MetroLink uses cab signaling to determine the appropriate speed at which a train can travel based on the curve of the track, elevation, etc. The cab signal is sent through the rails to the train which is picked up by an antennae on the train. The Train Operator receives a cab speed on their dashboard so they know what speed to travel between 5 MPH and 55 MPH. When the trains travel at the designated cab speed, all the trains stay on schedule and stay separated from each other. If a train goes over the cab speed for a section of track the operator receives an audible alarm reminding them to slow down, if the train continues at the overspeed, a penalty stop will occur automatically. A penalty stop is a safety precaution built into the train system to stop the train from going at excessive speeds.

Another feature designed to prevent collisions is a system that prevents more than one train from being in the same stretch of tracks at a time. This is called a positive train control system. Suzanne says:

This system divides track sections into blocks. Each block can only accommodate one train at a time.  The logic built into the MetroLink system prevents trains from running into each other. When a MetroLink train is stopped in a block and the following train reaches that block’s limits, the system’s logic gives the MetroLink operator in the following train a Zero Cab Speed Signal. This zero cab signal stops the train. The MetroLink Operator contacts the Operations Control Center (OCC) over the radio to report a zero cab signal. OCC may authorize an operator to continue in Yard Mode which overrides the cab signaling system. Yard mode restricts the train to no more than 15 miles per hour. This restricted speed is a speed which will permit the stopping of a train within half the range of the operator’s vision, short of other trains or obstructions.  Operators are trained to proceed cautiously while operating a train in yard mode.

I also found out that Metro does not use automatic operation of trains.  All MetroLink trains are operated manually by the train operator, and a train will not move unless the operator has told it to do so. This way, should some malfunction in these systems arise, the operator is in control of the train. Being a light rail system rather than a heavier subway system, and with only two cars per train, MetroLink trains are also easier to stop in an emergency.

These are the precautions that we have taken in order to move people as safely as possible. If you have any additional questions regarding the safety features of MetroLink trains, please do not hesitate to post them here.

There’s a lot of anger out there against cyclists. In my years of bike commuting, I’ve been swerved at, “bumped” off the road, screamed at by people trying to startle me, had a fast-food soda cup (half-full) thrown at me out the window of a minivan, and honked at for no reason (other than to scare me). There’s no question that motorist harassment makes it scary to bike commute and seriously diminishes from the joy that comes from getting out on a bike.

Columbia, Missouri’s City Council has reacted by passing an ordinance that officially makes biker harassment a crime. (Via TH.)  According to The Missourian,

The ordinance, which is modeled after similar ordinances in South Carolina and Colorado, makes it a misdemeanor to do the following: throw an object at or in the direction of a cyclist, threatening a cyclist to frighten or disturb the cyclist, sounding a horn with the intention to frighten or disturb a cyclist, knowingly placing a cyclist in the path of physical injury, or knowingly engaging in conduct that creates a risk of death or serious physical injury for a cyclist.

Residents who spoke at the meeting said they have experienced all of the above, and those who remained after the deliberation stood and cheered when the ordinance was passed.

“If you’ve ever been in a subcompact car and had a semi get on your back bumper and blow the horn, that’s what it was like,” ordinance supporter Steve Epstein said of being tailed by frustrated motorists.

(emphasis mine). I think we can all agree that the items detailed by the ordinance are all bad things that drivers should not do to cyclists. That’s pretty uncontroversial. My question is, Does this ordinance help, by providing recourse to the bikers? Does it cover something the law already addresses? Does it fan the flames in Columbia’s dispute between bikers and drivers?

Feel free to weigh in on these questions or share your bike vs. car stories in the comments (whether your perspective is from behind the wheel, or from behind the handlebars).

A satellite image of a typical Tyson’s corner road. (Image: Microsoft Virtual Earth via Downtown Creator)

One of the toughest challenges facing public transit agencies is designing a system that works well in lower-density areas outside of traditional urban centers. Suburban and ex-urban sprawl pose a serious problem for alternative modes of transportation–for bikers, walkers, and transit riders–in cities all across the country, including our own dear St. Louis.

Time magazine published an interesting article last week about Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, one of the nation’s most notorious and massive examples of sprawl, located in the D.C. area. Right now, this ‘exurb’ consists mostly of shopping malls, big box stores, and office complexes, and has very little housing. The article details a new development plan inspired by the proposed addition of a light rail line through the area, with four stops proposed for Tyson Corner. The development, all sponsored by private developers rather than a local government, calls for the addition of thousands of living units and the institution of a street grid in an area that now is connected primarily by parking lot. It’s Transit-Oriented Development on a massive scale, with the impetus for the project coming mainly from the addition of the light rail stops and from a desire to reduce traffic.

It’s an interesting idea and, as far as I am aware, unprecedented in its scale. What do you think? Will this work or even happen? Could transit-oriented development of this type transform St. Louis in the future? I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

Rick at StlRising posed a question today about the WeCar Prius that he can see from his downtown office window.

Does anybody know about the program? How do you get in on it? Could I ditch my car, ride Metro downtown, and then have the We Car available for trips during the day out of the office?

WeCar is an interesting program. Lots of cities have flex-car programs; St. Louis’s is run by home-town Enterprise.  The essential idea is that you apply to become a member and, once a member, you can reserve the WeCar for specific periods of time and use as needed.

Flexcars are great for people who are trying to be car-independent but want a little more flexibility and/or range than public transit can offer, even when there’s no friend to hitch a ride with. What I hear most is that people who are car-free by choice and who rely on transit find the added flexibility gives them the extra freedom they need in situations that might otherwise tip them towards going ahead and getting a junky, “just in case” car – and wasting all that money on insurance and maintenance for a car that is mostly parked. I think it’s also a great idea for businesses who don’t want to maintain pool cars but need employee transportation from time to time.  (More on those ideas at TreeHugger.) Details on St. Louis’s program after the jump. (more…)

Four years ago, in response to rising gas prices, transit agencies around the country celebrated National Dump the Pump Day. People who use public transportation save an average of $8000 annually on car expenses, and the amount keeps growing.  Dump the Pump Day is a day for people to avoid the gas pump, get out of their cars and traffic, and try alternative forms of transportation like public transit and bicycling.

To highlight National Dump the Pump Day, Metro riders shared with us their stories about how they use Metro and why they dump the pump for public transit.

Go to Metro’s website to find more information on how you can Dump the Pump everyday.

(Photo: Micov via Wikimedia)

Every day American drivers spend about a billion dollars to fill up gas tanks. Prices have risen 51 days in a row. More bad news for car drivers – the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy has released a report predicting a sharp decline in world oil output in the near future. This is a radical change from the previous administration. Our government is finally admitting that peak oil is not so far away. Just a couple years ago, the EIA predicted that oil output in 2030 would be 107.2 million barrels a day – now it’s saying it’ll be more like 93.1 million. Liquid fuel consumption in the US is currently 18.9 million barrels a day. The EIA believes liquid fuel production won’t be able to keep up with future rising demand.

So what does all this mean for mass transit? We already know public transportation saves gas. The leverage effect of trains and buses reduces gasoline consumption by 4.2 billion barrels a year. We don’t have to keep using liquid fuels though. Buses can be powered with electricity or fuel cells. 10 European cities already have fuel cell bus fleets. Electrified trains can be powered with renewable energy, reducing the need for increasingly costly fossil fuels. The Interstate Traveler Company has a plan to build a hydrogen / solar powered train system in Michigan from Lansing to Detroit. Mass transit, paired with innovative renewable technologies, can help save money and the environment.

These technologies take money and years to implement. But you can do something this week to reduce gasoline consumption, save money, and help the environment. Today is Dump the Pump Day, a national event to promote public transit. I helped record a video on how other Metro riders plan to Dump the Pump which we will be posting shortly.  For more information on how you can Dump the Pump,check out Metro’s website.

My friends and I waiting at a bus stop. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey King)

Big news: gas prices are up again, nearly a dollar from the low in December. But I have a confession to make–this news doesn’t bother me one bit. I don’t have a car, so gas prices just aren’t on my radar screen anymore.  (This is not to say that I don’t realize that high gas prices pose a serious problem for many people…just that I have managed to insulate myself from worrying about them.)

“But how can you live without a car in St. Louis? That’s impossible!” Nay! It is quite possible. For the entire three years that I have lived here, I have been car-less and fancy-free. Doubters take note. (more…)

I have a confession to make: I am a delinquent. I used to be a juvenile, but I no longer have that excuse.

About a month and a half ago, I was ticketed for riding the MetroLink with no fare, which is especially embarrassing when you’re interning for Metro. In my defense, I did have a valid student pass at the time, and I thought I had my student ID on me as well. (Student passes are only valid when accompanied by a student ID.) But I’m not the most organized person in the world, and I discovered that I had left my ID at home only after coming through my entire backpack multiple times in front of the fare enforcement officer.

So that is why I found myself at the St. Louis City Courts yesterday morning, lined up with all of the other first-time fare evaders. We lined up in alphabetical order and waited for our turn in front of the judge, who had a lively sense of humor for an enforcer of justice. Most people presented some sort of excuse but had no valid fare, and so paid the $20 penalty plus $50 in court costs. I was one of the lucky ones; because I did have a valid pass, I received a stern warning to never be seen riding around without a Student ID again. Duly noted.