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According to the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, “HB 1691, to make Bike Month, Bike to Work Week, and Walk/Bike to School Day/Week/Month a permanent part of the Missouri state holidays calendar, has passed the Missouri House as a consent bill.  The bill now goes to the MIssouri Senate.

Rep. Will Kraus sponsored the bill and wrote this summary in his weekly newsletter to constituents:

‘Bill on Bicycle and Walking Days Goes to the Senate
Last week, I presented HB 1691 to the House of Representatives for a vote.  This bill requires the governor to issue annual proclamations for a Walk and Bike to School month and day in October and Bike to Work month, day and week in May.  It received strong bipartisan support as it passed by a vote of 142 yes, one no, and one present.  The bill has been sent to the Senate and has been assigned to the Progress and Development Committee.

I would like to thank Brent Hugh, Executive Director of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation, Jonathan Hugh, and all others who have helped with this bill.

At no cost to the state, days such as this provide an opportunity for schools to organize safe passage for kids to walk or ride to school; create enthusiasm, knowledge and comradeship for healthy exercise; and lead to positive physical and mental health benefits for Missourians.’”

According to the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, “Ciclovia—the street festival where cities close down miles of streets and residents come out to enjoy walking, bicycling, scootering, skating, and all other manner of fun physical activity—is coming to Missouri in a big way this summer.

Kansas City’s Car Free Weekends on Cliff Drive are entering their third year and have been a very successful program.  By removing cars from the drive on weekends, more citizens are able to enjoy bicycling and walking and crime has been reduced significantly. Now Kansas City is expanded on this successful program by creating the city’s first full-blown Sunday Parkways festival.” St. Louis is also expanding it’s ciclovia programming this summer. 

The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation is working to bring ciclovia festivals to cities around Missouri.  The state has gone from no Missouri ciclovia festivals in 2007, to one in 2008, and now seven planned for 2010.

Learn more at MoBikePedFed.

According to a press release issued by the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has announced an agreement to save the historic Katy Bridge at Boonville. This comes after Union Pacific railroad moved to abandon the railroad right-of-way through the bridge which would have threatened the legal integrity of about 165 miles of the Katy Trail (currently used for biking and walking).

According to Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation:

“Trail advocates across Missouri have been working years to save the bridge

‘The MKT Bridge at Boonville is beautiful, historic, and surprisingly important for the legal health of a long section of the Katy Trail,’ said Brent Hugh, Executive Director of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation. ‘That is why trail lovers from across the state have been working for over six years to save and preserve the Katy Bridge.’

The Governor said that with the announcement of the bridge transfer, the Missouri Division of State Parks was prepared to discuss with Boonville officials how the bridge might eventually be incorporated into use by bicyclists, joggers and hikers using the nearby Katy Trail. Boonville is one of the most populous communities along the trail, which is used by more than 300,000 people each year.

Several groups from across the state took steps to build support for saving the bridge. Boonville’s Save the Katy Bridge Coalition has galvanized local support and fund raising, while groups like the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation have worked to develop statewide support. Great Rivers Environmental Law Center filed legal briefs in support of then-Attorney General Nixon’s state lawsuit designed to save the bridge.

‘In 2005, when the state allowed Union Pacific to abandon the Katy Bridge without taking the proper legal steps to preserve the underlying rail corridor, it put 165 miles of the Katy Trail in a very unfortunate legal situation,’ says Hugh. ‘Transferring the bridge to the City of Boonville will resolve that legal problem while also creating a historic and tourist attraction in Boonville. And some day we’d like to see the Katy Trail re-routed to use the historic bridge.’”

Background on the legal issues surrounding the Katy Bridge:

http://mobikefed.org/2005/12/map-of-rail-connections-to-katy-trail.php
http://mobikefed.org/2005/12/abandonment-of-boonville-bridge.php
http://mobikefed.org/2005/06/removal-of-mkt-bridge-at-boonville.php

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The Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation, founded in 1994, represents the interests of bicyclists, walkers, runners, and trail users throughout Missouri. Through its network of affiliated clubs and groups, MoBikeFed represents over 15,000 Missouri citizens and speaks for the 2 million Missourians who bicycle regularly and the 5.8 million who walk.

The Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation is working to realize its vision of active transportation in Missouri by creating a world-class bicycle and pedestrian network in Missouri, building a movement around walking and bicycling, encouraging more walking and bicycling, and increasing safety for all road users. Find out more or join the federation at http://MoBikeFed.org

Photo: Young bicyclist on Katy Trail with Katy Bridge at Boonville pictured in back. Courtesy of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Foundation.