2020 Statewide Issues

2208 MISSOURI BLVD, STE. 102 #200, JEFFERSON CITY, MO 65109

MOBIKEFED.ORG

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

Brent Hugh director@

mobikefed.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Chuck Daugherty, Jefferson City

Michael Hennies, St. Louis David Hutchison, Springfield Chrysa Niewald, Owensville

Steve Raper, Strafford Weslley Ridgeway, St Louis Stefanie Smith, Gladstone

Laura Vie, Columbia

ADVISORY COMMISSION Bruce Adib-Yazdi, Springfield

Clark Allen, Poplar Bluff Barry Bean, Gideon

Ron Bentch, Columbia Virginia Blaine, Farmington Josh Boehm, Jackson County

Kim Cella, Citizens for Modern Transit, St Louis Andrew Clements, St Joseph Matt Davis, Jackson County Gary Elmestad, St Charles Joe Ferguson, Washington

David Fiedler, St Louis Kyle Frakes, Kansas City

Caryn Giarratano, Jefferson City Jeff Glenn, Missourians for Transportation

Investment Janet Godon, Columbia City Parks

Nicholas Grigsby, St Charles Greg Harris, Missouri Rock Island Trail

Trevor Harris, Columbia Matt Hartman, SpokedSTL, St Louis

Shawn Hayden, Springfield Douglas Hermes, Liberty

William Hill, Nixa Mark Hines, Overland Park

Jeff Huff, Jefferson City Steve Johnson, MO River Communities, Columbia

KartaPurkh Khalsa, Kansas City Mary Kromrey, Ozark Greenways, Springfield

Anissa Lockett, Columbia Doug Long, Green Hills Trail Association

Matt Maher, Prologue Cycling Steve Marquardt, Nevada Area Multisport

Rolfe McCoy, Chillicothe Brian McEntire, Podiatric Stress, Farmington, MO

Christopher McNeese, A&B Cycles, Springfield Noah Medling, University City

Martin Meyer, Hannibal Becky Nace, Blue Springs

Ralph Pfremmer, Magnificent Missouri, St Louis Vance Preman, Kansas City Rachel Ruhlen, Roanoke VA Dave Schieffer, Kansas City

Fred Schmidt, Washington DC Paul Sidwell, Kansas City

Paul Skeans, Ozark Sean Staggs, Kansas City

Sam Swearngin, Kansas City BJ Taylor, Raytown

Alex Tetlak, Kirksville Ian Thomas, America Walks, Columbia

Frank Thompson, Look 4-States Joe Torrisi, Saint Louis

Annette Triplett, PedNet, Columbia Patrick Tuttle, Joplin

Patrick Van Der Tuin, St Louis BWorks Laurie Vie, Columbia

Patty Vinyard, Belleville Mac Vorce, Warsaw Chamber of Commerce Mike Weiss, Big Shark Bicycle Co., St. Louis

Robin White, Augusta Steven White, Prairie Village Mitchell Williams, Kansas City Paul Wojciechowski, Wildwood

Matthew Wyczalkowski, SafeTGA, St. Louis Caroline Zukoski, St. Louis

In the past, Missouri has ranked as high as 17th in the national Bicycle Friendly State rankings. However, in the 2019 rankings, Missouri fell to the lowest position ever: 35th of the 50 states. The Bicycle Friendly State Report Card gives several easily implementable suggestions for moving Missouri’s Bicycle Friendly State ranking forward. We suggest moving forward with implementing these suggestions, as most of Missouri’s surrounding states are now doing. Create a MoDOT Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Creating a statewide DOT bicycle and pedestrian plan is one of the top recommendations of the 2019 Report Card. All Missouri Metropolitan Planning Organizations now of regional bicycle and pedestrian plans. Regional Planning Commissions are starting to work on their own plans. A statewide planning framework is needed tie all the existing MPO, RPC, city, and county plans together. Most of our surrounding state now have or are creating a plan. Create a statewide trails plan The 2013-2017 Missouri Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan created comprehensive inventory of trails across Missouri. Now is the time to take the next step and create a comprehensive statewide trails plan—identifying existing trails and identifying missing links and current opportunities for linking our trail systems state wide. A statewide trails plan would, of necessity, be a multi-agency effort. But perhaps it makes most sense for Missouri State Parks, as owner of the most significant statewide trails, to take the lead in the planning process. MoDOT provide regular training on bike/ped issues to DOT and contractor staff MoDOT has done regular bicycle & pedestrian training in the past, but not in recent years. Regular training of MoDOT engineers and planner and consultants they commonly work with would pay huge dividends. Coming up with a plan and framework for this type of training could be part of the statewide bike/ped plan.

2019 Legislative Issue, Page 2

MoDOT update rumble strip policy to include periodic gaps in the rumble strips. MoDOT has taken a leadership position in innovative rumble strip treatments. A simple change to current rumble strip policy to allow periodic gaps in the rumble strips greatly reduces the negative impact of the rumble strips in bicyclist safety, by allowing bicyclists to move across the rumble strip area safely at regular intervals. Studies show that the periodic gaps do not reduce safety for motorists. Statewide bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee fully supported by MoDOT A top recommendation of the Bicycle Friendly State report card, and best practice of most states that score higher than Missouri on the Report Card, is implementation of a user group such as a statewide bicycle & pedestrian committee, following national best practices, so that MoDOT is constructively engaged with bicycle and pedestrian user groups on an ongoing basis. The MoDOT Commission created a statewide bike/ped advisory committee in 1998 but it has not met in over 10 years. If MoDOT is not able to create or support its own committee, full participation by MoDOT in other existing statewide bicycle & pedestrian committees, such as the Missouri Livable Streets Advisory Commission organized by DHSS, could partially fill this role. Address the current information void in understanding bicycle and pedestrian users and usage rates MoDOT and DHSS have both collected data on bicycle and pedestrian users and use rates. However this data has been collected on an occasional rather than a regular ongoing basis. For this reason, we lack complete, verifiable, reliable data on bicycling and walking in Missouri over time. Refine the official DOT target for reducing fatalities & serious injuries in Missouri As reported by the FHWA at FHWA.dot.gov/tpm/reporting/state/safety.cfm?state=Missouri the current state safety target goal is 445.4 Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries while the current 5-year average is 441. So the target goal is higher than the recent average. Other state goals related to nonmotorized safety are similarly set higher than actual past performance. Refining these goals and setting them according to national best practices would be a productive topic for the statewide bicycle/pedestrian plan.

2019 Legislative Issue, Page 3

Improve available brochures and literature distributed related to bicycling and walking The topic of improving official brochures and literature related to bicycling and walking has been raised in several different venues over recent years. Many current materials are incomplete, outdate, and even inaccurate. Again, the statewide bike/ped plan and a statewide bicycle & pedestrian advisory committee could provide frameworks and venues for addressing this issue. Engage in creating a real comprehensive, integrated bicycle and pedestrian accommodation policy at MoDOT The lack of a DOT policy dealing with bicycle and pedestrian accommodation in a comprehensive way, following national best practices, is one of the top identified needs in the Bicycle Friendly State Report Card. Recently the Oklahoma DOT has committed to creating a “Comprehensive Safe Streets Bicycling and Walking Policy.” These policies have different names, but regardless of the name, the need is for a policy that integrates planning and design for all modes of transportation, transportation access for everyone and all modes of transportation, all ages, and all levels of ability and disability, fully integrated into all street and highway planning and design, in the DOT’s projects. Again, the statewide bicycle and pedestrian plan and statewide bike/ped advisory committee would be excellent frameworks to start work on and set the direction for this policy. MoDOT support of the statewide Active Transportation Summit. Most states—particularly those higher in the Bicycle Friendly State Rankings--actively support their statewide bike/ped Summit, including substantial financial support. MoDOT has been active in our state Active Transportation Summit and given several excellent sessions, but the agency has never supported the Summit financially as most state DOTs do. And there is excellent potential for the Summit to become a productive part of the needed bike/ped training for DOT and contractor staff. Again, MoDOT’s plan for approaching this issue could be part of the discussion under the umbrella of a statewide bicycle and pedestrian plan and a statewide bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee. League of American Bicyclists’ 2019 Bicycle Friendly State Report Cards and State Rankings for all 50 states:

BikeLeague.org/content/state-report-cards