Missouri Bicycle News

The PedNet Project, the short name for the Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Program, created by a $21 million federal grant is aiming to find out how many people will switch from automotive transportation to biking or walking when a more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure is available to them.

“The big issue we’re dealing with is what this city is going to look like in the future,” Curtis said. “Can we beat our addiction to the automobile?” . . .

Columbia will not be the first city to drastically improve nonmotorized transportation. PedNet’s plan is modeled from a similar project undertaken in Portland, Ore. In 1991, when the city had 83 bikeway miles, 2,850 cyclists per day were recorded. Now, Portland has 263 bikeway miles and records 12,500 cyclists per day. If Columbia’s report to Congress demonstrates results similar to Portland’s, it could mean large amounts of funding for projects like this to many more cities across the country, Curtis said.

Portland has seen the most bike use downtown. In light of this, Columbia has decided to make downtown a major focus as well. PedNet plans to create bike lanes on many of the smaller streets downtown and eventually make Broadway bike-friendly.