Two Capitols/Capitals

This week I went to Jefferson City to lobby the politicos for bicycling issues, and it was a big success.  This year we more than tripled the turnout of bicyclists at the Capitol and had some great conversations about transportation policy, recreation policy, funding, and transportation safety.  Unfortunately the notoriously troubled Missouri Amtrak route got us home at almost one in the morning

While almost all of our state legislators are very nice and personable people, I have to say that a lot of our Kansas City delegation is underwhelming.   There doesn’t seem to be the same sense of unity and passion that that is there among the St. Louis and Springfield contingents. Those legislators are not shy about fighting for their communities and making sure their interests are represented. You can be sure St. Louis reps are fighting for transportation and mass transit dollars, while I hear very little from KC reps about light rail.  The Kansas City delegation seems to be less engaged and active than others. Kansas City is Missouri’s biggest city by far, but we have to start acting like it.

Anyway, on Monday I’m off to Washington, D.C. to repeat the whole process on the national level as part of the Missouri delegation to the National Bike Summit. It’s kinda cool that the League of American Bicyclists is headquartered on K Street with all the bigwig lobbyists.

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Columbia Ritual

I usually visit Columbia several times a year, and on today’s visit I realized I seem to have developed a bit of routine.  There many stops along the way, but these three are obligatory on every trip.

First, when I get halfway there I tune the radio to 102.3 FM, or “BXR.”  I think it might be the only decent radio station left in Missouri.

Second, as soon as get into town I head Downtown and get some excellent coffee at Lakota on 9th Street.

Finally, on the way out of town I stop by Flat Branch Brewery and refill my growler with some awesome beer

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St. Louis

Last weekend Jeff and I hit St. Louis for the awesome Midnight Ramble and exploring the city on our bikes. It was a great trip, almost car-free except for Michelle taking to/from the train station.  I was glad to see lots of folks taking advantage of the bikes on train program at the Missouri Bicycle Federation helped encourage – at least six bikes on the train home Sunday night.

The Midnight Ramble is amazing, something like 15,000 or more bikes riding from Downtown to Forest Park and back.  It blows away our puny 1000-rider Lenexa Midnight Ride out in the hinterlands.

In total we did about 85 miles all over the city, exploring South City, Forest Park, Downtown, the Delmar Loop in University City, and the riverfront trail.  I love to dis St. Louis as much and any self-respecting Kansas Citian, but also have to give our state’s second biggest city credit for taking the lead on bicycle infrastructure.  The Bike St. Louis plan has several dozen miles of posted bike routes across the city, utilizing both bike lanes and sharrows.  The Riverfront Trail from Arch to the Chain of Rocks Bridge is superb, and is just one of multiple bike/ped crossings on the Mississippi River.

The trip wasn’t all about bikes.  It was also about beer.  A stop at the Schlaffly Tap Room was obligatory, and the perfect prelude to the midnight ride.  I also had a glorious Young’s Double Chocolate Stout at Cicero’s on the loop. The Cards were in town at the same time, so we spent the weekend witnessing the goodness of a Downtown baseball stadium – another essential urban thing where St. Louis schools us big time.

I’m heading back in November for a MoBikeFed board meeting and can’t wait.

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Springfield Report

The Springfield trip is finished and it was much fun. I was in meetings all day so my exploration was limited to the evening, but I was very impressed with the dramatic change since I was in the city years ago. Downtown is jumping with all kinds of bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, etc. They have quite a nightlife scene. I’d estimate their downtown bar district is bigger than Westport. And there were condo and loft conversions all over the place. It’s a lot like Downtown KC right now, a giant construction zone. It appears that gentrification has hit the Ozarks.

Apparently at least a few folks aren’t too happy with Springfield getting all sinned up. All night long a couple of old kooks stand around in the middle of all the bars and hold up a rotation of signs like “man shall rule over woman”, “marrying the divorced is adultery” and the like. Good times!

Bicycling is a joy in Springfield. They have a great network of bike routes all over the city, including a few bike lanes and lots of sharrows. Springfield already has a law that KC is now considering, which requires new businesses to provide bike parking. This means the city has bike racks all over the place, at most bars, restaurants, shops, etc. Plus, the city is completely flat. It’s in the Ozarks, but up on a plateau of some sort. This was good because it was toasty hot.  I was sweating like a whore in church.

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Going to Springfield

I’m heading to Springfield this weekend for a Missouri Bicycle Federation board meeting. What do y’all Interweb people recommend for me there? I’ve never spent much time in the city besides passing through, so I’m looking forward to it a little bit. Sadly I’ll be in meetings all day so I’ll have the evenings to explore…

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