While the bill’s sponsor calls it a safety measure, advocates for people with disabilities, joggers, and other groups say the bill would unfairly target them.
A proposed bill banning people from county roadways in the St. Louis County Council is facing stiff opposition from a diverse group of stakeholders, reports Kelsey Landis in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “The measure proposed by Councilman Ernie Trakas, a Republican from unincorporated South County, bars standing, sitting, walking or otherwise moving along roadways in St. Louis County.”
As Landis explains, “Joggers, walkers, people with disabilities and community groups have all complained that it would unfairly target them,” as many people are sometimes forced to use the street when sidewalks are not available or accessible. “The pro-pedestrian group Safer Streets for Kirkwood and St. Louis County sent a letter to council members urging them to vote down the bill. And Trailnet, a St. Louis-based nonprofit that advocates for pedestrians and cyclist safety, also opposed the bill.”
While the bill makes an exception for locations without sidewalks, critics say the bill makes mobility more inconvenient and unfairly penalizes people while the county fails to adequately maintain its pedestrian infrastructure.
FULL STORY: Advocates, residents protest St. Louis County bill barring people in streets
St. Louis to Introduce Traffic Calming Downtown
The city will redesign three major streets to slow traffic and improve safety.
Non-Roadway Traffic Deaths On the Rise
A growing number of traffic deaths occur in driveways, parking lots, and other non-roadway spaces.
Florida Law Targets ‘Activist’ Road Diets
Gov. DeSantis signed a transportation law that complicates the process for lane reductions, despite the rising number of pedestrian deaths in the state.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
New York’s Deadliest Neighborhoods for Pedestrians
Pedestrian deaths rose last year, but remain below pre-2020 levels.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
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