Removing Highways to Restructure the St. Louis Region

Rather than spend hundreds of millions on rebuilding highway 40 (I-64 to the rest of the map reading world) we should just tear it out completely. Don’t look so confused, I’m totally serious. This is not a belated April fools joke.

Our highways in the middle of urban areas are relics to the cheap gas economy that is quickly coming to an end. In addition to removing highway 40, we should remove all the highways within our I-270/I-255 Loop: I-55, I-70, I-44, and I-170

I’ve not gone crazy nor have I been smoking anything.

And before you scroll down to the comments section to explain all the conventional wisdom reasons why this won’t work I ask that you hear me out first. I know we cannot just remove the highways and leave the balance of our political entities, zoning and other systems in place and expect this to make a lick of sense. Therefore, I have some basic assumptions & qualifications that would need to accompany the removal of any or all highways in our main urbanized area of the region. The likelihood of this coming together in our lifetime is slim but as the economy changes we will need to change and adapt to remain competitive with other regions.

Keep in mind that 60 years ago men took maps and drew lines where we’d wipe out entire neighborhoods for highways and housing projects. In hindsight, huge mistakes were made that disrupted lives and cost millions. Today we are still dealing with the aftermath of these poor decisions. So I’m taking a map and looking at ways we can undo damage previously done without inflicting new damage.
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Geologist: World Wide Oil Peak Occurred on December 16, 2005

Via Green Car Congress:

Ken Deffeyes, Princeton geology professor emeritus, former Shell geologist and author of two books on peak oil, has calculated that the world passed the peak of oil production (production of half of available oil) on 16 December, 2005.

Two years ago, Deffeyes, who had worked early in his career with M. King Hubbert at Shell, had forecast crossing the peak threshold on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2005. Deffeyes revised his calculations based on 2005 data.

In 1956, Hubbert calculated—and then publicly predicted—that US oil production would peak in the early 1970s. Although Hubbert was widely criticized by some oil experts and economists, in 1971 US oil production did indeed peak and has since been in decline.

All the detail can be found here.

What does this mean for St. Louis? The age of cheap motoring is over. Done. Finished. In the next 20 years we will see energy prices skyrocket.

Now is the time to wean ourselves away from an auto-centric environment to one where the car has its place alongside walking, biking, scootering, and quality mass transit (read: streetcars). The cities that prepare for this inevitability today will be the ones that do well in twenty years.

– Steve

Ethanol & Hybrid Taxis for St. Louis?

My post from a few days ago on the London Taxi sparked some excellent debate about taxi service in the St. Louis area. Via GreenCarCongress comes a report about the greater availability of ethanol derived fuel (aka E85) in some popular Ford vehicles:

At the Chicago Auto Show, Ford Motor Company said that it will launch the beginnings of a “Midwest Ethanol Corridor”—expanding E85 ethanol fuel availability in Illinois and Missouri this year by about one-third via its ongoing partnership with VeraSun Energy. The company is planning actions to increase the availability of ethanol in neighboring states as well.

With the introduction of four new 2006 models that have the E85 option—including the Ford F-150 pickup, Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car—the company will produce up to 250,000 ethanol-capable vehicles in 2006. Ford has produced flexible fuel vehicles in the US for more than a decade, with more than 1.6 million on the road.

The Ford Crown Vic has to be the most popular vehicle for taxi service in the region. With the taxi commission regulations on the age of vehicles it would be nice for taxi companies to consider switching to flexible fuel versions as they replace their fleet.

The same article mentions the Ford Escape Hybrid for taxi use in New York, San Francisco and soon in Chicago. NYC is also using Toyota’s Prius hybrid for taxi service.

Maybe the time is right for a more progressive cab company with a fleet of hybrids, flex-fuel and London taxis? Let unique vehicles and availability at the conclusion of major events such as the symphony be their competitive edge.

– Steve

Parking Spaces / Community Places: Finding the Balance through Smart Growth Solutions

A regular reader sent me a link to a new EPA report called Parking Spaces / Community Places: Finding the Balance through Smart Growth Solutions. I’ve only scanned the 60+ page document but one section really stood out in light of the discussion around Hadley Township in Richmond Heights:

Consider the density of the development. Research shows that each time residential density doubles, auto ownership falls by 32 to 40 percent (Holtzclaw et al. 2002). Higher densities mean that destinations are closer together, and more places can be
reached on foot and by bicycle—reducing the need to own a car. Density is
also closely associated with other factors that influence car ownership, such
as the presence of good transit service, the community’s ability to support
stores located in neighborhoods, and even the walkability of neighborhood
streets.

Urban living is more affordable when a car is not a requirement to function in society. More affordability means people can live better lives on modest incomes.

Parking in the St. Louis region is really messed up. In the city we’ve got selective on-street parking and in the suburbs on-street parking is virtually non-existant. Too much of our region is devoted to cars — parked or moving.

– Steve

London Taxis In St. Louis?

I’ve seen a few in St. Louis, you may have too. The London Taxi doesn’t exactly blend in with the cars and SUVs on our streets. The distinctive look adds a European flair anywhere they go.

I want to see more in St. Louis, in particular around downtown.

I’ve only taken a taxi a few times and mostly in more urban cities such as NYC or Philly. I recall once taking a Town Car from Union Station to the Convention Center (I was with a group and we were short on time). But most of the taxis were a full size Ford Crown Victoria.

The Crown Vic is a big car with a big V-8 engine while the London Taxi is 32″ shorter! Yet, the London Taxi, being specifically designed for such purpose, has far more interior room for passengers (overall height is 14″ greater than the Ford).

The London Taxi are also a more efficient vehicle than the typical cab by utilizing a Ford-built turbo-diesel four cylinder engine. This enables the Taxi to get nearly 50% better city fuel economy than the Crown Vic!

But the real benefit is in passenger amenities. Besides generous space and head room the Taxi includes a wheelchair ramp, interior grab bars, a swing-out seat, an integrated child safety seat and communications technology for the hearing impaired. This is a real world taxi!


As we get more and more residents living in and around downtown St. Louis it would be great to walk out of say a Lafayette Square restaurant and hail a cab to drive you back to your loft. Having cabs available would allow more people to live in St. Louis without owning a car. But they must be convenient, no having to call for a cab and then wait. This is no different than the debate about which comes first, residents or grocery store. Obviously we must have residents first for the commercial enterprises to begin and survive.

Besides London Taxis I’d like to see more pedal powered cabs. This is a great way to get say from one end Washington Avenue to another. Or from your hotel to a dinner destination.

– Steve