#99 Downtown Circulator now the #99 Downtown Trolley

Last week the #99 Downtown Circulator bus was replaced by the #99 Downtown Trolley.

The trolley is still a bus — one of Metro’s 30ft buses (compared to the standard 40ft).  Some had expected a real trolley instead of a dressed up bus.  To me a real trolley rides on rails, not inflated rubber tires.  I detest those vehicles built to look like an old wood trolley.  No, they equipment used is a standard bus (30ft vs the normal 40ft) with a colorful wrap.

Watch the full press conference (10  min):

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1uZuKA95Vg

At the end of the press conference we all boarded three of the newly wrapped trolley buses to ride the full route.

What stayed the same:

• Same 30ft buses used before, requiring steps or use of lift.
• Washington, Broadway, 4th still served.
• Serves the Convention Center MetroLink station and the Civic Center bus & MetroLink station on 14th.
• You must pull the cord to signal you want to exit the bus.

What changed:

• Different route goes west of Tucker on Washington to City Museum
• Follows Market St rather than heading down Broadway by Busch Stadium, now serves Citygarden.
• Better hours and more frequent service.
• Special signs to mark stops
• Friendly route maps posted where the trolley stops.
• The fee structure changed dramatically.  You can still use your Metro monthly pass or a transfer from another line but now $2 will buy an all day pass on the trolley.  Kids, seniors and disabled is $1. Thus a family visiting St. Louis can ride the trolley to and from their hotel to many venues all day long for very little cash.

What is great about the changes:

• The new vehicles are highly visible.
• Service from 5:30am-Midnight Monday-Saturday.
• 20 minute maximum wait.
• People who don’t normally ride buses are riding this line.

What still needs to change:

• Drivers need to announce the upcoming attractions along the route.
• Route maps need to be posted inside the buses so visitors can review as they ride.
• Sunday service?

I’ve ridden the 99 once since the press conference and the only riders were tourists — a family and a couple.  We finally have the downtown line that the old circulator should have been.

– Steve Patterson

Remembering the fallen of past wars

It took war to gain our independence as a country.  Since 1776 we have been in many wars and had many casualties. In the early 20th century grand civic spaces became fashionable in cities.  Engineer Harland Bartholomew headed up St. Louis’ planning efforts from 1916-1950.

His name is on the cornerstone of Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, which was laid on November 11, 1936. The memorial was built to remember those who gave their lives during World War I (1914-1919).  From the Soldiers’ Memorial website:

Under the leadership of Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann, and with some funds coming from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (Project No. 5098), the construction of the building, development of the memorial plaza, and improvements to the parks began on October 21, 1935 and the memorial and museum officially opened on Memorial Day, May 30, 1938.

So many years after the fact.

To the south is the memorial for those who died in WWII.

The Court of Honors was dedicated in 1948 — not long after the end of the war.  This new memorial was a sunken open garden rather than a formal & elevated building.  I find it fascinating that in a dozen years the idea of a memorial changed so much.  Or perhaps many still remembered the construction of the building across the street and they viewed the new garden as a compliment.

Later additions were made in the center to honor those from the Korean (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1955-1975) wars.  Of course our involvement in wars didn’t end in 1975. Have we continued wars but not memorials? What about Desert Storm (8/1990 – 2/1991 ), Enduring Freedom (2001-2002) and the Iraq War (2003-present)?  Who knows, perhaps something has been added to this area regarding Desert Storm?

It just feels like, as a society, we’ve become so detached from war and the resulting deaths.  Last week marked 17 years since my oldest brother’s retirement from the U.S. Navy after serving 24 years.  Yes, I was only two when he enlisted. On Independence Day four years ago I ran a commentary from my brother, here is an excerpt:

We often take our freedoms for granted. The overused expression “Freedom is not free,” is certainly applicable today. Neither of my daughters, neither of my brothers and only one of my sons-in-law ever served in the military and I believe that they missed out on some priceless life lessons. While it is held that people who do not vote do not have credibility to criticize our politicians, I believe that serving in the military or some type of public service is another fundamental role of being an American. We all seem to enjoy our freedoms and demand that our worldwide interests be protected. The difficulty arises when we relegate these tasks to those who most Americans, especially the privileged, view as incapable of doing anything else with their lives.

As an openly gay man I wouldn’t have had the same experience as my straight brother. Because I did not serve I do feel indebted to him and all the other who have served or are serving currently. While I’m not a fan of war, I do favor remembering those who come back — both alive and dead.  I hope that as this area of the Gateway Mall evolves we can make it more than just a big place for festivals.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: thoughts on Judge Dierker’s ruling on the NorthSide TIF

You’ve probably heard the news by now:

“A St. Louis judge threw out a city ordinance Friday that authorized $390 million in tax increment financing — the largest in the city’s history — for Paul McKee Jr.’s $8.1 billion NorthSide redevelopment.”

Full story: Judge nixes $390M in financing for McKee’s NorthSide – St. Louis Business Journal

A trip to Belleville Illinois

On Monday I was on our MetroLink light rail system heading eastbound into downtown St. Louis to return home.  I had bought a 2-hour pass to give me the freedom to stop along the way to explore, as a I done the week before when I stopped at Grand. But then it hit me, I should visit Belleville, IL.

I’d been to Belleville only a few times in the last 20 years, always as a motorist. I’d only gone into the downtown once and that was probably 15 years ago.  It was a nice day and I knew from others that the light rail station was close to their downtown.  When I arrived it was unclear which way I should head so I boarded the “Main Street” bus after confirming with the driver it would get me to their Public Square. Fares paid on the Metro system are good in St. Clair County where Belleville is located. Metro East cities like Granite City, Collinsville and Edwardsville are served by Madison Country Transit and require additional fees.

The sidewalks along Main Street and around the large traffic circle in the center of the Public Square have been redone recently. Folks from other municipalities in our region should visit Belleville to see first hand.  Even better, visit in a wheelchair to see how the ramps and crosswalks work compared to most — which don’t work well.

Aligning ramps opposite each other seems obvious but to often engineers miss this.  The width of the ramp is nice too because it prevents a conflict when meeting others that need the ramp (wheelchair, stroller, etc).

In the City of St. Louis, for example, ramps are often placed at the apex of the corner.  In the above picture that would be the area between the two black bollards.   The problem with that is pedestrian traffic in both directions are squeezed into the apex.  Often when I cross a street I must go outside the crosswalk area to line up with the ramp and then ask people who are waiting to go the other direction to move aside. I’ve found the able-bodied like to use the ramps rather than stepping down from a curb.

Belleville’s solution solves those issues. Not every intersection had the above full corner ramp — others had a ramp for each crosswalk. Navigating the sidewalks of Beleville was much easier as a result.

I didn’t see any spectacular individual buildings but that was fine with me, the sum of the ordinary buildings along Main Street was greater than the parts.  The scale was pleasing and I saw many pedestrians — I was there at lunchtime.  I stopped in a Quizno’s and there was a neighbor of mine from two floors down.  Small world.

Like every Main Street Belleville has some bad buildings from the second half of the last century as well as a gap or two. Hopefully the corner spot shown above will get new construction soon.

One of the best things they did was bring out the curb at some corners to block the end of the on-street parking.  This reduces the length of crosswalks and slows down motorists.

In other cases this extra sidewalk was put to good use as a place for outdoor seating for the adjacent restaurant.

From my short bus ride to downtown I knew Charles Street would take me directly to the station. On the bus ride I was looking to see if I thought it would be accessible for me — it was indeed.

The above ramp is a type that St. Louis should have in many places. I was able to stay in line with the crosswalk and just continue on my path.  In St. Louis the ramp would have been directed at a 45° angle to the curb/crosswalk, requiring me to leave the crosswalk to get onto the ramp.  St. Louis does ramps that way because those can serve two directions at once.  But in the above case there is no where to cross the street in the other direction — there is only one way anyone would approach this ramp.  Belleville made sure the ramp faced that one direction, St. Louis has had a habit of doing the same treatment for ramps regardless of different conditions.

Approaching the station, a little less than a mile later, the pedestrian sidewalk continues.

Pedestrians don’t have to walk through a parking lot behind cars.  Crossing drive areas are minimized and marked.  Even those who drive to this station can use the central sidewalk to walk into the station rather than just in the parking area.

I bought enough bus & MetroLink passes in May & June that I went ahead and bought a monthly pass for July. So look for more posts from throughout the region as I explore via transit.

– Steve Patterson

1917: Race riot erupts in East St. Louis

Ninety-three years ago today was a horrible day in our region:

The city of East St. Louis was the scene of one of the bloodiest race riots in the 20th century. Racial tensions began to increase in February, 1917 when 470 African American workers were hired to replace white workers who had gone on strike against the Aluminum Ore Company.

The violence started on May 28th, 1917, shortly after a city council meeting was called. Angry white workers lodged formal complaints against black migrations to the Mayor of East St. Louis. After the meeting had ended, news of an attempted robbery of a white man by an armed black man began to circulate through the city. As a result of this news, white mobs formed and rampaged through downtown, beating all African Americans who were found. The mobs also stopped trolleys and streetcars, pulling black passengers out and beating them on the streets and sidewalks. Illinois Governor Frank O. Lowden eventually called in the National Guard to quell the violence, and the mobs slowly dispersed. The May 28th disturbances were only a prelude to the violence that erupted on July 2, 1917.

After the May 28th riots, little was done to prevent any further problems. No precautions were taken to ensure white job security or to grant union recognition. This further increased the already-high level of hostilities towards African Americans. No reforms were made in police force which did little to quell the violence in May. Governor Lowden ordered the National Guard out of the city on June 10th, leaving residents of East St. Louis in an uneasy state of high racial tension.

On July 2, 1917, the violence resumed. Men, women, and children were beaten and shot to death. Around six o’ clock that evening, white mobs began to set fire to the homes of black residents. Residents had to choose between burning alive in their homes, or run out of the burning houses, only to be met by gunfire. In other parts of the city, white mobs began to lynch African Americans against the backdrop of burning buildings. As darkness came and the National Guard returned, the violence began to wane, but did not come to a complete stop….

…A year after the riot, a Special Committee formed by the United States House of Representatives launched an investigation into police actions during the East St. Louis Riot.  Investigators found that the National Guard and also the East St. Louis police force had not acted adequately during the riots, revealing that the police often fled from the scenes of murder and arson.  Some even fled from stationhouses and refused to answer calls for help.  The investigation resulted in the indictment of several members of the East St. Louis police force. (Source: BlackPast.com)

In the decades since the riot, East St. Louis has gone from having a white population of nearly 100% (1920) to 50% (1960) to  5-10% (1980) to less than 5% (2000).  The 1920 population was 66,585 with a 1950 peak of 82,366.  In 2000 the population totaled only 31,542.

The devastation from the loss of population (and work) can be seen throughout most of East St. Louis.

When I moved to St. Louis from Oklahoma I was shocked when I heard their garbage collection had ended.  The Casino Queen has helped provide some revenue to the city for basic services. But efforts have been underway to improve conditions.

Parsons Place has been a positive addition to East St. Louis:

Parsons Place is a multi-family rental mixed income community in the City of East St. Louis’ Emerson Park neighborhood. This important project has been embraced by the regional efforts of St. Louis 2004 and represents a key initiative in the redevelopment of this distressed community. It is sited just blocks from the new 15th Street Emerson Park MetroLink Station and the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Boys and Girls Club. Phase I consists of 174 units of affordable rental apartments. Phase II was completed in summer 2005 and consists of 102 units. (Source: McCormack Barron Salazar)

Much work remains to be done to improve the city.  Like St. Louis, getting past the issue of race will be key.

– Steve Patterson