St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis mayor OKs more than $40 million to reshape streets, slow down speeders

Austin Huguelet, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS — Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on Wednesday signed a bill putting more than $40 million toward reshaping streets to slow down speeders and cut down on the kinds of deadly collisions that have grabbed headlines in recent months.

The bill looks to add medians, traffic circles and bumped-out curbs, among other things, on roads throughout the city. Together with ongoing work repaving roads and fixing sidewalks, it marks a milestone for the mayor’s efforts to stem the tide of reckless driving and death that has at times contributed to a sense of lawlessness here.

“To those who say that they feel scared on our roads: I hear you,” Jones told reporters at a press conference.

Jones introduced the traffic calming plan in the fall after a deadly summer for pedestrians and cyclists, including two hit by cars around the popular South Grand Boulevard business district, and two more near the Ted Drewes frozen custard stand on Chippewa Street. A total of 78 people were ultimately killed by traffic violence in the city last year, making it the second-deadliest year on record.

And recent weeks have only emphasized a need for action: A 17-year-old volleyball player in town for a tournament had to have her legs amputated after she was hit by a speeding car downtown Feb. 18, and five people were killed in two crashes last weekend.

Proponents of the legislation envision using $14.5 million to install measures like medians, traffic circles and curb extensions — which expand sidewalks at intersections to make crosswalks shorter, streets narrower, and slow traffic — on major arteries, including Kingshighway, Jefferson Avenue, and Grand Boulevard. Another $12 million will go toward making changes recommended in professional traffic studies on other streets, which could include troublesome parts of Hampton Avenue, Lindell Boulevard and Washington Avenue downtown.

Jones said similar changes to Natural Bridge Avenue in north St. Louis have reduced speeds and sent crash statistics trending downward.

Another $3.5 million is earmarked for dealing with the top 10 crash locations in the city, including the intersection of South Grand and Forest Park Avenue, where four died early Sunday.

The bill also puts money toward writing a transportation master plan for the city, which the administration hopes will attract additional federal money for road improvements.

The changes will take time. Designing the improvements will take the rest of the year, and construction isn’t expected to start until 2024.

In the meantime, Jones said the city is looking at bringing back red-light cameras to augment traffic law enforcement. The cameras haven’t been used in St. Louis or much of the state since 2015, when the Missouri Supreme Court restricted their use, saying the cameras have to take photos of drivers, not just vehicles, as the city’s did. But Jones said city staffers and lawyers are working on finding a solution.

“We need to do more to hold reckless drivers accountable,” she said.

Aldermanic President Megan Green said in an interview that the Board of Aldermen could also take up legislation on the cameras aimed at protecting drivers’ privacy and require violators to take driver education classes rather than pay fines.

“The goal has to be to create better, safer streets, not to make money,” Green said.

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