The bike lanes on southbound Tower Grove Avenue at Vandeventer have recently been removed.
Bike lanes on Tower Grove Avenue at Vandeventer were installed in Summer 2013. They were removed in May 2018.
This short stretch of bike lanes was installed in August 2013 and was repainted several times since. It is broadly appreciated by cyclists for helping guide them through this complex intersection, which is on one of the busiest bike routes in St. Louis.
In May 2018 the St. Louis Streets removed these lanes. We protested this change, and KMOV News did a story about the situation.
Alderman Joe Roddy represents the district where the lanes removal occurred. He writes:
I spoke again with the Traffic Commissioner yesterday afternoon. She explained that $12,000 was expended to create the new turn lane and that happened only after they spent an extensive amount of time studying the intersection and concluded that the risks of car accidents were greater.
We have reached out to Alderman Roddy and Commissioner of Traffic Deanna Venker to request a copy of this study, and we’ll update this post when we learn more.
Update: See our latest post for an update.
It will be interesting to see iif the study exists. If it has to remain with this configuration, we need signage and more sharrows clearly painted. Vehicles need to know that bikes will need to take the lane. A lot of cars turn right and that spells disaster for bikes hugging the curb. This is a very tricky intersection and i’m not sure Joe Roddy or the traffic commissioner have ever cycled across it. Perhaps that would be a good exercise? Those calling all the shots really need to jump on a bike and see what itt’s like traversing this part of TGA. From Manchester Ave to the botanical Gardens would be fun.
I hope it does not remain in that configuration. In a utopian bike society, a “sharrow” would be helpful; but here, do motorists even pay attention to sharrows (or understand what they are)? The City can clearly fix its mistake. That is a heavily traveled bike route. Cyclists need that bike lane for their safety. Commercial trucks should bear the inconvenience for the sake of cyclists’ lives and public safety.