Transportation for Everyone

Leaders from McDonald County Focus on Livable Streets

By Sarah Canavese

When I sat down to talk with leaders from communities working with Missouri Livable Streets communities, I suspected I would hear a lot about the healthy living benefits to passing these policies. But when I sat down to talk to Paige Behm from McDonald County, I was in for a surprise.
Behm is the health administrator for McDonald County Health Department and when we talked about why she thought there was a need for sidewalks and livable streets, she was quick with her answer.

“Poverty is a big issue here. We really don’t have public transportation… so, it makes it difficult for people who don’t have transportation,” said Behm. “What they are having to do is rely on other people to get to and from where they need to go. But if they need [a ride] or [are] relying on [others] to get to work, that is a real issue. If you don’t get to work on time, you loose your job, and that just keeps you in poverty.”

Behm’s comment was eye-opening. McDonald County sits at the far southwestern corner of the state. According to County Health Rankings 2014 data, out of the 115 counties in Missouri (including St. Louis City), McDonald ranks 97th in health outcomes. Its residents experience high rates of obesity and other chronic disease, and many are uninsured.

Likewise, nearly 26 percent of those living in McDonald County identify as having poor or fair health (CHR 2014) and according to the American Community Survey,* McDonald County has a 19.3 percent disabilities rate, Behm made it clear that allowing for others, not just motorists to use the road is very important. She talked about a man in a wheelchair she regularly sees who motivates her.

“Really, it is the man in the wheelchair who can’t cross the street safely. That is what motivates me,” she said. “It is because I see him… from time to time and he is trying to get across traffic in a wheelchair because that’s his only transportation.”

Continues Behm, “As far as [Livable Streets] benefits, there are economic benefits because people want to move to healthy communities. There are benefits for business [because] along with healthy communities comes economic growth.”

But these benefits, Behm acknowledged, can be hard to envision when communities fear that the changes could generate higher costs. “[That] is the hardest challenge,” she said, “getting people to realize that it doesn’t always cost money. They think taxes are going to go up, and that is one of the challenges is educating them [on] what the policies are. It doesn’t mean an increase in taxes.”

As part of her work in McDonald County, Behm plans to continue supporting local efforts, including the work of local betterment clubs. These betterment clubs work to help generate conversation on active design or Livable Street topics within the community and are already planning events to raise money for walking trails. “The thing about McDonald County,” she explains, “[is] that once one city does something, [people] see [and say], ‘Wow, another city has done it. We should do that.’ I think it will take one city to take that first step and the others will follow.”

To learn more about how you can get involved visit Missouri Livable Streets.

*According to the ACS there are six different disability types: hearing difficulty, vision difficulty, cognitive difficulty, ambulatory difficulty, self-care difficulty and independent living difficulty. To read each categories definition you can find them here.

Can a sidewalk grow from a garden? Ashland shows us how

By Sarah Canavese

Tourism up ahead!

A discussion with Chillicothe’s city administrator about Livable Streets

By Sarah Canavese

 

Courtesy: City of Chillicothe

Imagine walking down the sidewalks of a charming downtown area in Missouri. Around you are the brightly colored awnings of a locally owned businesses, and just up ahead, there’s a group of teenagers going into the ice cream shop. It’s summer, and hot, and now that you think of it, all this walking is making you hungry, too. You should go into the ice cream shop as well, but on your way there, you see a shoe store. It’s August, time for back to school, and your kids could use a new pair.

Can you imagine this scene unfolding? Ike Holland, Chillicothe city administrator can and he is working on creating the perfect place for tourism to bloom. One key to achieving his goal of vibrant tourism is through the Missouri Livable Streets project.

Holland spent eight years working in Colorado, giving him first-hand experience with how a town that thrives on tourism should look. “When I came to Missouri and I saw this Livable Streets program, I was glad because people don’t see the quality of life benefits or the economic benefits, unless they have experienced it. So it was a very easy sell, [it] wasn’t much of a sell for me,” Holland explains.

For Chillicothe, though, before Holland can share the benefits of creating livable streets, he has to generate the interest among residents and stakeholders.

“I know it works,” Holland said of building tourism through livable streets. “You have to take it in stride and understand that we are doing this in stages. I am confident and when it’s complete, each stage gains momentum because people start to understand what is going on. In Colorado, you are so dependent on tourism and we used to say, ‘We will get others to pay for our projects.’ So the tourists, they pay for the highways, the hot springs, the ski resorts. [Communities] don’t realize the people who live there don’t pay for it, it’s the tourism [that does].”

Part of the hesitance communities may experience when considering policies encouraging livable streets often is due to these concerns about cost. “For the street planning that was done 20 or 30 years ago,” said Holland, “the norm was to do away with the sidewalks and reduce cost as much as possible. Crosswalks were minimized to save money. Now we are having to go back and basically redo a lot of these main roads. It’s a shame that sidewalks went out of style.”

Continues Holland, “The funding for streets is provided by the sales tax here in the community and it hasn’t increased over the years, but the cost of materials and labor has. So every year, I get less for my dollar but still have to maintain the streets. It’s a tough choice for communities to make, but the community is behind the projects. We built a new hospital and we are going to include sidewalks as part of the project. We are also implementing some really nice streetlights to go along the sidewalks.”

It should come as no surprise then that any hesitance around passing a policy doesn’t stop Holland from feeling the excitement this project has brought on. “In the bigger scheme of things, yes it [may] cost money. But the bang for the buck is big.”

Holland emphasizes that making the changes now will benefit the community in the long-term. “In about ten to 15 years, 25 percent of the population is going to be over 65 [years old]. One of the things people over 65 like to do is walk. If you have a small or large town that encourages walking, and you can do it in a safe way, you will do it. That’s step one. The second step is tourism. All those things combined are reasons why we are looking at making Chillicothe a very livable community.”

To learn more visit Missouri Livable Streets.

Training for the Future

Courtesy: MoBroadBandNow.com

By Sarah Canavese

“Regional Training." To some, regional training might sound like a way to get out of the office and learn a new technique for their job. To others the terms conjure up meetings, where attendance is required and attendees watch hours of PowerPoint slides.

To David Cheek, transportation planner at Mark Twain RegionalCouncil of Governments, regional training means the eight counties he works with get to experience for the first time training offered by PedNet through Missouri Livable Streets. “I was just excited and pleased to be able to reach out to the area that we serve and being able to offer the training such as it was, to come of our more rural police departments,” he said. “That was gratifying.”

Based in Perry, Mo., Mark Twain Regional Council of Government (MTRCOG) is one of seven communities and/or organizations Missouri Livable Streets is assisting in active design training and education. The Council is governed by an executive board, which has two representatives from each county that it represents.  Their primary purpose is to set policies for the operation of the Council and the development of the region.

All eight counties the MTRCOG serves, Audrain, Marion, Monroe, Macon, Ralls, Randolph, Pike and Shelby were invited to participate in the first training session and will be involved going forward.

One of the novel and critical training programs offered by Missouri Livable Streets in collaboration with PedNet is law enforcement training. While educating the public and motorists about Livable Streets or active design elements and laws is critical, another key element is training police and law enforcement professional on these elements and laws, too.

“When you live in a rural community with only one police officer, I mean, they still have a lot of stuff to do, and probably getting training on how to deal with bicyclists is not at the top of their list,” Cheek said. However, Cheek agreed that as enforcers of local laws and policies, officers are natural stakeholders in the process.

MTRCOG’s training for law enforcement professionals was held in June for a small team of officers from the area. Officers learned the rules and regulations bicyclists need to follow, and other laws that pertain to bicycling. Cheek explained that most of the officers were from rural towns, and the training was an opportunity to share information about laws and regulations with which they might be less familiar.

Cheek shared, “I think that is where the best value came from for the officers; they probably hadn’t had this type of training, and it was definitely beneficial that it was POST certified.”
 

(POST stands for Peace Officer Standards and Training and all sworn officers must maintain these peace officer licenses. According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, all licensed peace officers and reserve officers must complete at least 48 hours continuing education to maintain their peace officer license.)

Interested in bringing a Missouri Livable Streets training to your community or group of law enforcement professionals? Learn how at: http://livablestreets.missouri.edu/attend/.

Bowling Green Plans for the Future

By Sarah Canavese

Source: Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce

Recently I had a chance to sit down and talk with seven different communities that are partnering with Missouri Livable Streets. In talking with them, I learned why they needed livable streets, what benefits their community hoped to gain, and what other communities could learn from their journeys. In my first post, I share what I learned from Bowling Green, a small community in Pike County in northeastern Missouri. Please be sure to check the Missouri Livable Streets blog for future posts from the other communities, too.

Bowling Green

After I sat down with Dan Lang, the one thing that I took away from the interview was how his past experience as an urban planner has helped him realize how much Livable Streets would complement his community.

Prior to his present position as city administrator of Bowling Green, Lang worked as an urban planner, and back then, Bowling Green was one of his client communities. As part of his job, he did a comprehensive plan for Bowling Green and quickly saw the need for Livable Streets.

“There were a number of aspects related to livable communities or livable streets philosophy that came out of that planning exercise,” Lang said. “Bowling Green is a small, somewhat rural community. I have noticed since I have been here that there is a continuing and renewed interest in walking.”

Fast-forward a few years and when Lang became city administrator, he started to put those ideas, observations and plans into action. After joining the Missouri Livable Streets mailing list and hearing about the opportunity to partner with the project team in 2014, Lang quickly put forward the application for Bowling Green. The town was selected as one of seven communities to receive technical assistance and other information for considering or implementing Livable Streets policies.

Lang sees the assistance well timed to what is happening in his community. “I see a lot of people participating in walking: we have a very well used walking path in our city park… there’s a lot of interest here of people getting out and walking the community and bicycling to some extent.”

Among the challenges that Lang faces, he shared, “It’s difficult to get enough people in the community to know about it, to support an effort, and to move forward with the project. I think education is the key. And I think, too, in most communities, the impact of the cost associated with doing things within your community, whether that’s with streets, or construction of bicycle paths, there is always a funding side to that and can be an issue.”

Acknowledging the challenges, Lang’s commitment is still steady. “I want them to know that it is an achievable policy. If there is a way for us to incorporate [Livable Streets] into our design criteria, or for other communities to do the same thing, then it warrants taking a closer look.”

To learn more about Missouri Livable Streets and how to become involved with your own community, visit http://livablestreets.missouri.edu.

5 Ways to Stay More Active on a Street Near You

By Berkeley Lovelace, Jr., guest blogger

 Photofrom AgnosticPreachersKid, Wikimedia Commons

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), staying active is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It can control your weight, reduce risk of diseases and cancers, improve mental health, and increase chances of living longer. 

Staying active in your community, however, will not only improve your health but the overall well-being of your local community, too.

But being physically active doesn’t have to mean an expensive gym membership. Think about what activities you like to do and then consider where you can start. 

Here are five ways to stave more active on a street near you: 

 
1. Go to a State Park

Did you know Missouri is home to over 80 state parks? Each year, Missouri’s parks attract more than 18 million visitors annually, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. 

In fact, Missouri has the nation’s longest rails-to-trails project, Katy Trail State Park, which extends almost 240 miles from Machens to Clinton, Missouri. The “park” is largely flat and most of the trail follows the northern bank of the Missouri River. Bicyclists, walkers and joggers are treated to views from open fields to Missouri River bluffs. Local communities along the trail offer a variety of shops and sights as well.

So if you’re a hiker, jogger, cyclist, horseback rider, or even a lover of sightseeing, head over to the Katy Trail, there’s enough access, beauty and diversity to keep anyone interested.

For More Information:

• MO State Parks: Katy Trail

2. Take a Walk in Your Neighborhood

When’s the last time you took a close look at your own neighborhood?

Walking is an exercise that can burn a lot of calories and doing it on daily basis can increase one’s fitness. You can also reduce your chances of a host of diseases--heart attacks, diabetes, and stress-related health issues. The CDC reports that walking is the most popular aerobic physical activity. 

Adults who walk for transportation, fun, or exercise went up 6 percent in 5 years. And if that isn’t enough to get you to lace up your shoes, you can even save gas money and the environment by walking the streets of your neighborhood to get to your grocery store or local park.

Physical activity and heading outdoors can be even more fun if you have someone with whom to share it. Take a friend, family member, or significant other for daily walks around your neighborhood. Create a group for those in your community who would be interested in taking walks.

For More Information:

• Walking from Mayo Clinic

3. Clean Your House

Yes, I said it. Clean your house. 

Staying active can be as simple as dusting the furniture in your home. Without even trying, your household chores can involve a lot of physical activity. Tasks such as vacuuming or yard work require squatting, lunging, and using your muscles. And if you’re feeling adventurous, turn on some music to pick up the pace. You could get a nice cardio workout!

According to the CDC, adults who maintain a physically active lifestyle tend to live longer and decrease their chances of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and some cancers.

A clean house can also alleviate stress because a clutter-free home can reduce anxiety levels, according to the British Journal of Sports Medicine. By clearing your home of those dust mites, you can improve or avoid allergies entirely!

For More Information:

• Web MD

4. Volunteer

Volunteering in your community has a spectrum of benefits, and staying active is one of them. According to research from National Service, volunteering provides improved physical and mental health, and greater satisfaction. People who volunteer also have a decreased chance of getting depression, because they feel more actively engaged in their community. 

Communities usually have available shifts for volunteers in their food banks, parks, animal shelters, and special events. The hours are flexible and often are able accommodate busy schedules.  

If you would like to volunteer, check out your local newspaper advertisements. There are a host of websites online dedicated to finding citizens volunteering opportunities in their local area, including the ones listed below. By volunteering, you can stay active and help your community at the same time.

For More Information:

• Volunteer Match

• MO State Parks Volunteer Program

5. Form a Club Sports Team

Community sports leagues provide great ways for players of all ages to have fun, keep their skills sharp, and get some exercise. Kids benefit from learning how to play a sport from coaches, and these future leaders of tomorrow get an important early education in staying active. 

These leagues just aren’t for kids either. Adult leagues are also popular in many communities and offer friendly games of kickball, Frisbee, golf and more. A well-run league can help strengthen neighborhood bonds, and help facilitate a sense of community. 

There are a number of “how to: create club sports teams” online or on your local city council webpage.

For More Information

• Go Columbia

Ashland, Mo. looks toward more Livable Streets

Recently the Missouri Livable Streets team visited Ashland, Mo., as local community members discussed ways to increase opportunities for healthy living.

Southern Boone Learning Garden Director Jennifer Grabner and Missouri Livable Streets partner Robert Johnson from PedNet were both featured in a radio story from KBIA. Discussing Ashland's shift toward expanding sidewalks and walkways, Grabner shared her awareness that more community members have been taking to the streets to walk and bicycle over the last few years. Ashland's police chief also noted that a Livable Streets approach is critical for ensuring public safety as more people  increase their physical activity and navigate local streets and pathways that may not be adequately connected. (Listen to the entire story)

We are excited to partner with Ashland and look forward to increasing safe ways to walk and bicycle  in the future!

The Golden Quarter Mile

By Sarah Canavese, guest blogger

Living longer is important to many seniors and their families. But staying active and maintaining the same quality of life is for many even more critical. Health professionals have often said that exercise is important to maintain quality of life as we age, but provided little guidance on how much is really needed. Now, new research shows that a quarter of a mile, or one loop around a standard track, is enough to help most seniors stay active and keep physical disabilities at bay.

Dr. Marco Pahor, director of the Institute on Aging at the University of Florida, Gainesville, led the study which found people in their 70s and 80s are more likely to retain their ability to get around on their own when they take part in a moderate-intensity exercise program.

Pahor’s Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) study looked at whether different types of exercise programs could help lower the risk of immobility among seniors. The researchers also wanted to know whether these exercise programs would lower the rates of disability and illness, as well as early death among seniors. (See the related video from UFHealth)

Between 2010 and 2011, the researchers followed 1,635 men and women from across the Unites States ages 70 to 89 that could walk roughly a quarter of a mile without any type of assistance.

Participants were split into two separate groups. The first group was randomly assigned to a structured exercise program, where they were given instructions to exercise by walking and taking part in strength, balance, and flexibility training. They participated in three to four home sessions and two visits to a medical center each week as well.

The second group was not instructed to exercise but instead was assigned to a health education group where they attended weekly meetings on healthy aging during the first 26 weeks of the study and monthly meetings thereafter.

Every six months, the two groups were tested on their ability to walk a quarter of a mile without assistance.

After being enrolled in the study for two and a half years, the active participants stayed active and were able to prevent physical disability or mobility loss. In fact, as reported by an article from the University of Florida, “moderate physical activity helped aging adults maintain their ability to walk at a rate of 18 percent higher than older adults who do not exercise”.

This study is important for many towns across Missouri. Overall, almost 15 percent of Show-Me State residents are 65 years old or older and that percentage is only expected to increase as more Baby Boomers age. To help Missouri’s seniors stay active, independent and healthy longer, Livable Streets or Complete Streets policies can be helpful tools in preparing for the future today.

As one participant, Mildred Johnston, 82, a retired office worker from Gainesville, Florida, who participated in the study said, “Exercising has changed my whole aspect on what aging means. It’s not about how much help you need from other people now. It’s more about what I can do for myself.”

No matter what kind of policy a town passes, for many seniors, those words couldn’t be more golden.

Learn more about Missouri Livable Streets.

Get Your Bike On This May!

Each May communities across the country mark National Bike Month, a celebration of cycling and its many benefits sponsored by League of American Bicyclists. From Florissant to Columbia, to Kansas City to Springfield, communities across Missouri are gearing up their two-wheelers for a month full of festivities including Bike to Work Week Bike to Work Week (May 12-16) and Bike to Work Day (May 16).

While bicycling in Missouri has increased dramatically since 2000, Missouri ranks 30^th as a Bicycle Friendly State and only 7 Missouri communities are recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as Bicycle Friendly, meaning they provide safe, encouraging environments for cycling.

This leaves a lot of room for improvement but don’t let that jam your bike chain. The good news is with a strong presence of bike/ped enthusiasts and growing momentum of Missouri’s Livable Streets efforts, more communities are on their way to becoming not just bicycle friendly, but friendly for all forms of transportation and their users. For example, Ashland,Mo., along with 6 other Missouri communities were recently announced as recipients of Livable Streets trainings and technical assistance.

Livable improvements like bicycle lanes, smooth pavement, and shared-use trails can make a big difference by reducing traffic demands and creating more connected healthier communities whether you travel by bicycle, foot, or wheelchair.

Want your community to get livable and be more bicycle friendly? Learn about the ways you can help at http://livablestreets.missouri.edu/.

Get tools and ideas for celebrating Bike Month from the League of American Cyclists here then head on over to Facebook to follow our cycling celebrations and tell us how you’re celebrating Bike Month.  

On The Road to Livable: Missouri Livable Streets partners with 7 new communities

Missouri Livable Streets is excited to announce partnerships with seven Missouri communities to train and support stakeholders in the planning, design, and advocacy for safer, more accessible transportation systems. The new partnerships include leaders and their organizations from:

·      Ashland

·      Bowling Green

·      Chillicothe

·      McDonald County

·      Perry

·      Potosi

·      Windsor

Each new partner is eligible to receive a tailored training package designed to raise awareness and build support for Livable Streets in its community. Trainings include technical assistance and educational outreach for community members, traffic and law enforcement professionals, as well as civic leaders. Each of the seven partners can opt for the assistance that best fits the needs of its community. The Missouri Livable Streets partnership team, including members of PedNet, University of Missouri School of Journalism and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, will provide the services.

“Local communities know what works well in their towns and these trainings are tailored to their needs and futures,” said Robert Johnson, PedNet director of consulting. “We are energized to be able to work with such a diverse and interested group.”

All around the country, communities are making the move to livable with transportation plans and designs that encourage and provide safe, accessible transportation for all users and modes of travel. In 2013 alone, more than 80 communities adopted Livable or Complete Streets policies, according to Smart Growth America.

Missouri is no exception. Since 2004, a list has grown of communities working to improve their safety, health and economic vitality through transportation policy considerations. To date, Missouri boasts 23 policies and ordinances, and as a result communities are seeing physical improvements to their community, more biking and walking, and great economic development.

Stay tuned to the MO LS blog and livablestreets.missouri.edu for updates on these and other Missouri communities on the road to getting livable.

Walk your way to health: Take part in National Walking Day

Today, April 2^nd,  is National Walking Day, a movement sponsored by the American Heart Association (AHA) aimed at getting people up and moving throughout the day. The reason couldn’t be more important since one out of every two men and one in every three women are at risk for heart disease, which is still the No. 1 killer in the United States. Walking is a no cost, convenient, and low impact form of exercise and just 30 minutes a day can help reduce the risk of heart disease and other health issues such obesity, stroke and type-2 diabetes. Walking is also a great way to spend time with family and friends and increase people’s involvement in their community.

But did you know that about one in four Missourians do not spend any time being physically active? Unfortunately, for many people, it is difficult to take advantage of walking’s benefits because they live in communities where they do not have safe, easy access to places to walk and be physically active. The benefits of designing and building communities where people of all ages and abilities can get around easily and safely extend beyond improving citizen’s health and well-being. These changes can also improve the physical and economic development of communities. In a recent study of 23 Missouri communities with Livable or Complete Streets policies, community leaders reported increases in bicycling, walking, and trail system use; physical improvements to their community; and greater economic development.

Celebrate your reasons to walk today, and every day, with these tips from the American Heart Association, and learn more about creating walkable communities at http://livablestreets.missouri.edu/