{"id":520,"date":"2014-01-12T11:50:28","date_gmt":"2014-01-12T16:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/safetga.org\/?p=520"},"modified":"2014-01-12T11:59:18","modified_gmt":"2014-01-12T16:59:18","slug":"complete-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/safetga.org\/?p=520","title":{"rendered":"Complete Streets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much has been written in the last few months about the Complete Streets legislation being considered by the St. Louis County Council, whose aim is to encourage the County’s Transportation Department to include more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly elements in road construction. See the bill<\/a> and read stories by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/a>, St. Louis Beacon<\/a>, Trailnet<\/a>, and the Missouri Bicycle Federation<\/a>. Read also a Post-Dispatch editorial<\/a> opposing Complete Streets as well as a rebuttal<\/a> by Alderman Scott Ogilvie.<\/p>\n

A recent Post-Dispatch story<\/a> features Karen Karabell, a St. Louis bicycle activist who argues against Complete Streets<\/a>. (We’ve written about discussions with Ms. Karabell here<\/a> and here<\/a>.) The enthusiasm of Karen Karabell’s opposition to Complete Streets today makes her full-throated support of past Complete Streets legislation quite surprising.<\/p>\n

In 2009, Karen Karabell worked hard to promote the federal Complete Streets bill and flew to Washington DC to lobby for it in person<\/a>. She encouraged readers of a local cycling mailing list to write their elected officials with the following talking points (see complete email<\/a>):<\/p>\n