Missouri Bicycle News

An STL Post-Dispatch article tell about the progress of Bike St. Louis. The route network will connect many St. Louis-area destinations, making it friendlier and more convenient to get around town by bicycle.

"This won't just be good for people who live here. It will be a good tourist draw, too," said St. Louis Alderman Lewis Reed, D-6th Ward, who spearheaded the idea of the trail.

"You'll be able to hop on a bike anywhere in St. Louis, ride to any park or attraction in the city, and do it safely."

The price was right, too, Reed said. The first phase will cost about $380,000, but 80 percent of that came from a federal grant. . . .

Bob Foster, chairman of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, said St. Louis already enjoys a few exceptional bicycle accommodations. Metro, the local public transportation agency, allows bicycles on all of its light rail trains and most of its buses.

"We're ahead of a lot of places that way," he said.

Still, more improvements such as additional downtown bicycle racks are needed, he said.

Foster is also a member of the Missouri Bicycle Federation Board of Directors.

Although a project of this scope is a first for the city, it's not like Midwesterners don't already love their bikes. Chicago has designated more than 100 miles of bikeways and invested millions in bike-related improvements.

Related:

News: Celebrate National Bike Month in St. Louis!

News: Regional Bikeways of Metro St. Louis map released

permanent link to article: "St. Louis completing new bicycle-friendly routes"
posted by Brent Hugh at 10/06/2004 08:01:52 PM |comment on this article