Why Don’t We Have A Bike Parking Ordinance?

All the time say it is unfair to compare St. Louis to a bigger city such as Chicago or New York. I still think those are fair comparisons because they are simply bigger versions of what we have. But, I’ll go along with the critics that want a more balanced comparison. What if we compared the City of St. Louis to Springfield Missouri? When it comes to bicycle provisions they’ve got us beat.

Springfield has amended their “Land Development Code” to require off-street bike parking throughout their city. In fact, the one place that is exempt is their downtown. Springfield felt it is the city’s responsibility to provide such parking in the public right of way in the downtown area with a couple of exceptions. It is everywhere else that bike parking is required.

You want to build a new Wal-Mart with a huge parking lot? No problem, but you’ll have to provide bike parking as well. And not some tired old dish drainer type of rack that only holds the front wheel. Here is how they defined a bike rack:

“A bicycle parking facility that is fastened to a mounting surface, can accommodate up to two (2) bicycles, can support each bicycle by its frame in two (2) places and, allows the use of a cable lock or U shaped lock to protect bicycles from theft.”

Perfect. This definition of a bike rack eliminates all of the bike racks that are useless that people try to pass off as providing bike parking. This also leaves out the phallic bike racks on Washington Avenue East of Tucker. If only they had left them out literally. The ordinance includes a simple graphic of the types of racks meeting this definition as well as a provision for the city staff to approve a custom rack meeting the qualifications.

Let’s suppose you want to build that new big box in Springfield and the code says you need 250 auto spaces. You are also going to need six (6) bike spaces which, based on the above definition, means three separate racks holding no more than two bikes. Excellent. The ordinance’s supporting documents make reference that a 14,280sf Walgreen’s would need 3 bike spaces under the code which would mean two of the two-bike racks. The code also requires that bike parking be dispersed at various public entrances. Very good.

What is more amazing is their Chamber of Commerce and developers seem to have supported the ordinance. What is in their water?

Click here for a PDF copy of the ordinance
(first 7 pages) including background materials and letters of support from local Springfield cycling organizations.

So here is my challenge to the City of St. Louis and all the counties & municipalities in our region — where are our bike parking ordinances? People all the time say you’ve got to have parking. They are usually referring to plenty of free car parking. If it is true for motorists it is just as true for cyclists.

It is totally unfair to not provide bike parking and then say we are not going to provide bike parking because nobody bikes.

– Steve

The Blues Have Given the Lauries the Blues

When billionaire Wal-Mart heirs decide owning a major league team is too costly we have a problem. The problem is the City (and hence all of us tax paying residents) owns the Savvis Center where the Blues have a long term lease. Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz argued yesterday

I’ll summarize his entire article for you. We gave tax breaks to the Rams & Cardinals so why not the Blues? We need sports, regardless of cost. It is cheaper to buy the Blues now rather than replace them if they move to another city.

i guess I’m just not as wise as some. We pay hundreds of millions of dollars for facilities to create tax revenue and jobs. Do these things ever pay off as planned? Add up how much was spent on building the Savvis Center and then look at current debt, taxes received and jobs created. Does it work? Got me. The Post-Dispatch is reporting:

Previous owners also put in millions of dollars to keep the team afloat financially. Suppose I owned a popular retail store in the city that had a good customer base but it failed to turn a profit year after year. Sales provided tax revenue to the city and the business created jobs. Would the city be willing to build a new facility for me that I’d lease from them in the hopes I’d keep my business open?

If someone can prove to me the fiscal benefits outweigh the costs and risks then I’ll concede that sports is a good thing. Until then I see the Cardinals, Rams and Blues as big annoying problems. I believe if we spent our public time and money building great urban neighborhoods (including a downtown neighborhood) with great mass transit to connect them that we’d reap far greater benefits per public dollar.

Kansas City, if you want the Blues for your new publicly funded stadium I say fine. Pay us the balance of the lease on the stadium and best of luck. To Father Bondi at St. Louis University: you can stop building your stadium a few miles to the West because I think space just freed up at Savvis.

– Steve

Putting a Face on the Downtown Defense Fund

Organizers of the Downtown Defense Fund have added a great looking (and printable) flyer to their website. Click on the thumbnail image at right to see the full flyer.

– Steve

New Urban Review STL Podcast Available

It has taken me a while to get around to it but I’ve put together another podcast. This one runs just slightly over 7 minutes.

Click here to stream the podcast.

– Steve

St. Louis Citizens Form the ‘Downtown Defense Fund’ to Fend Off Slap Suit

Dear Fellow Citizens:

As you know, the National Register-listed Century Building in downtown St. Louis was recently demolished to make way for a parking garage. We thought this tragic demolition was the end of an ugly chapter in St. Louis’ history. Now, it’s gotten uglier.

Before the demolition, two Downtown residents, Marcia Behrendt and Roger Plackemeier, took principled action to try to save the Century Building. They were plaintiffs in two legal cases that sought to keep this historic building as part of our architectural heritage. But the buildings came down anyway.

Now, the City of St. Louis, the State of Missouri and the project developers have filed a lawsuit against them, alleging malicious prosecution — and seeking actual damages exceeding $1.5 million, plus punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to deter said defendants and others from like conduct.”

Should the City, State and developers prevail, Marcia and Roger could lose all of their assets. Just to defend themselves will cost tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs, even if lawyers donate some services.

Marcia and Roger stood up for us and for our community. Now, it’s up to us to stand with them.

You can help in one of three ways:

Write a check for any amount to help with legal costs. Make it payable to Downtown Defense Fund, and mail it to:

Downtown Defense Fund
c/o Scott Kluesner, Treasurer
7480 Cornell Avenue
St. Louis MO 63130

Funds received by the end of June are most important.

Attend a free fundraiser on Saturday, June 25, 7:30 p.m. at Gallery Urbis Orbis, 419 N. Tenth Street.
Bring cash or check in any amount to add to the pot, and enjoy music and good food and the company of people who care about our architectural heritage. No need to purchase tickets — but please do RSVP to mmnewman@earthlink.net so we can plan refreshments.

[UPDATE 6/8/05 – 2:45PM – You can also donate via PayPal at downtowndefensefund.com.]

Let’s show our support for preservation and for citizen action. Let’s show it big.

Best regards,

Margie Newman
Amanda Doyle
Fundraising Co-Chairs, Downtown Defense Fund

PS Note that donations are NOT tax-deductible. Should the lawsuit be resolved before the money raised is spent, remaining funds will be donated to a group or groups dedicated to architectural preservation.

From Steve @ Urban Review – St. Louis:
On a personal note I know both Roger and Marcia. They are very good people that I consider to be trusted friends. They did a good thing in trying to stop the razing of this great building for an unnecessary parking garage. The developers prevailed and the current and future citizens of St. Louis lost that battle. We are getting yet another parking garage. But the powers that be are trying to make an example out of Roger and Marcia by filing slap suits against them. This is supposed to send a message to all the rest of us not to get involved.

To everyone behind these suits – FU!!!!!!

This whole thing just pisses me off big time. I’ve got a long list of people and explicatives to describe them but I fear if I did I’d get sued as well. You all know who you are and you know what you are. You also know where you can go!

For everyone else when you stop into the “friendliest” grocery stores in town just remember that you are helping to fund the destruction of downtown St. Louis as well as suing two good people trying to protect the city and their personal investments. This is a black and white issue. You either stand for saving downtown, our urbanity and helping people like Roger and Marcia. Those doing these evil deeds are at the very least making their views known.

All of you, elected or in a position to help, that remain silent are wimps. Grow a spine and take a position. I cannot respect someone that refuses to take on important issues such as this. For once think of the city over yourself. The old idea that you keep quite now so you can get more power so you can do things later doesn’t fly with me — the later never comes because you are always worried about the next thing. This city needs people willing to stand up and be counted. The Downtown Defense Fund is a good start. Many of us are about to stand up and be counted and all of you back room people had better keep a look out because we are going to out number you. Your days of keeping quiet are over!

F@ck this makes me so angry!!!! Taking blood pressure pills now…

– Steve