Phone Apps Will Help You Schedule A Taxicab This Holiday Season

Two weeks ago we went to a lovely holiday party on Flora Place, my boyfriend could’ve driven us but he wanted to drink. We opted to take a cab to/from the party.  You can’t walk out to the street and catch a cab in St. Louis, but you now have more options than picking up the phone to call. If you have a smartphone, there are apps you can download to make the process easy.

Here are some options, listed alphabetically:

• St.Louis Taxi (County Cab/Yellow Cab)
• STLtaxi (Laclede Cab)
• Taxi Magic (national app, very nice but has a $1.50 fee each trip)

There may be more app options but these will get you there. Platforms supported vary by app, but all 3 support iOS and Android. The nice thing about Taxi Magic is you can save your credit card information so you don’t have to fiddle with your card upon arrival. Tomorrow night we’ll try the two local cab apps to/from another party.

If you drink, please do so responsibly.

— Steve Patterson

Readers Like Bike Lanes, Overlook Design Flaws

An overwhelming majority of readers like bike lanes, at least according to the unscientific poll last week:

Q: Which of the following best fits your view of bike lanes:

1. Bike lanes are important, should be incorporated into street designs 75 [48.7%]
2. Bike lanes are a great idea that needs to be taken to the next level 44 [28.57%]
3. Bike lanes help keep cyclists out of my way when driving 16 [10.39%]
4. Bikes are traffic, shouldn’t be segregated to the side 10 [6.49%]
5. Bike lanes aren’t needed, give novice riders a false sense of security 3 [1.95%]
6. Bicyclists should use sidewalks, not have their own lane 3 [1.95%]
7. Doesn’t matter to me 2 [1.3%]
8. Unsure/no answer 1 [0.65%]

This is despite some serious flaws in how they’re often implemented, especially in St. Louis.

The bike lane often becomes part of the automobile right turn lane, novice cyclists move over the right instead of holding their position. A cyclist going straight ahead shouldn’t be to the right of a car turning right — that’s a formula for conflict. Other cities do a much better job.

Bike lanes are great at keeping the cyclist to the right of vehicles, but leave the novice cyclist at a loss as to how to make a left turn. To turn left a skilled cyclist on the roads will make their way from the right lane, to left lane, to the left turn lane — just as you would if driving a car.  However, with bike lanes present, motorists get upset with cyclists who don’t stay in their bike lane.  How do you get from point to point without left turns?

If we’re going to have bike lanes I think they need to be designed far better, not just be a way to deal with excess roadway width.

— Steve Patterson

Page Avenue Extension (Route 364) Opened Ten Years Ago Today

For years it was just a controversial highway proposal, but a decade ago phase one of the Page Ave. Extension (aka I- Route 364) opened, connecting the Westport area of St. Louis County to St. Charles County.  Years before the opening I participated in efforts to derail the project, including attempting to pursuede St. Louis County voters to reject a land swap allowing the road project to cut through Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park. Originally planned in 1969, construction began in 1997.

Before construction could begin a land swap had to take place to permit the selected route through the south edge of the park:

Opponents say the extension not only will destroy the park but also will add a fourth bridge to hasten the exodus of the middle class from St. Louis and aging St. Louis County suburbs to the greener pastures of St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties.

“If it goes through, it’s the turning point for the downslide of St. Louis County,” said state Rep. Joan Bray, D-University City, who helped a group called Taxpayers Against Page Freeway gather more than 40,000 signatures to put the referendum before voters.

Bray said the money slated for the project would be better spent to upgrade existing roads and to expand MetroLink. (source)

Voters, unfortunately, 60% approved the measure in November 1998. Highway advocates spent $800,000 vs $160,00 from the opposition (source).

Many factors are at play in the population decline of St. Louis County and increase in St. Charles County but I have no doubt I-Route 364 played a role.  Ground was broken on the third and final phase on May 22, 2013.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: Public Transit Takes Too Long, Doesn’t Go Where They Go

For years I had many reasons for not using public transit. In hindsight some were valid, but most weren’t. Last week’s poll asked why readers don’t use public transit, the results are interesting:

Q: Top 3 reasons why you don’t ride public transit as your primary mode?

1. takes too long 93 [22.85%]
2. Doesn’t go where I go 72 [17.69%]
3. I have a car 69 [16.95%]
4. I ride public transit! 50 [12.29%]
5. Confusing routes/schedules 21 [5.16%]
6. Other: 21 [5.16%]
7. It’s unsafe 20 [4.91%]
8. Having to walk to/from 19 [4.67%]
9. I’m white 17 [4.18%]
10. Other riders 11 [2.7%]
11. I’m not poor 7 [1.72%]
12. I have young children 7 [1.72%]

The top answer “takes too long” has a few variables: start and destination locations, and expectations. If you already have a car it’s hard to justify using transit except in special circumstances – like going to the airport or a Cardinals game. Depending upon locations, route, distance, etc public transit can be as fast as driving. Factoring in parking, I can get from my downtown loft to the Chase Park Plaza in about the same amount of time. For other destinations driving a car wins handily in terms of time.

Ok, it takes me 45 minutes to get to Target on Hampton, I make the time productive. At first it seemed like forever, especially when I still had a car. Over the last 20+  months  I’ve gotten used to the time — I’ve readjusted my expectations.

Here are the 21 “other” answers provided by readers:

1. too expensive
2. Bring a rail line S-SW and more access with mean more riders.
3. I really enjoy riding a bike, too!
4. I don’t live in the city.
5. other
6. Stop is in difficultLocation to get to – Grand Blvd. stop, terrible location!
7. I bicycle
8. Infrequent schedules
9. Walking is cheaper.
10. doesn’t run often enough
11. More Expensive than Driving
12. transit IS my primary mode.
13. Vehicles/Trains feel dirty
14. Poor frequency, operating hours
15. Must transport tools & equipment to work sites
16. I have a bike
17. Trains/buses run too infrequently
18. More expensive than driving due to opportunity cost of a longer commute.
19. Lack of Frequency (especially at night)
20. Having a car saves me time during the day going from one meeting to the next.
21. I ride a bicycle and supplement with metrolink when needed.

I should’ve included biking as a reason for not using transit — a very good reason! If you’re already paying for a car, it becomes very hard to justify letting it sit to use transit. In a region where car ownership isn’t outrageously expensive, as say, NYC, then transit use is it becomes transportation for the poor and/or environmentalists.

Until the equation changes (high fuel cost, for example) public transit use won’t increases. If we see fuel costing north of $4/gallon then you’ll hear about more people trying transit.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Thoughts on Bike Lanes

Few aspects of the public right-of-way are as controversial as bike lanes. This may surprise you: bicyclists are deeply divided on them. One side argues bike lanes make riders feel for comfortable biking near traffic. The other side argues trained cyclists don’t need bike lanes. Both are correct.

For the poll this week I’ve listed diverse statements about bike lanes, I’d like you to pick which most closely matches your views. You may agree with more than one so pick the one that’s a better match or that you feel more strongly about. The poll is in the right sidebar.

Results and more on the subject on Wednesday December 18th.

— Steve Patterson