St. Louis bicyclists forced to veer between vehicles as traffic violence continues
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Bicyclists across St. Louis City say pedaling the pavement through city streets, even with a designated bike lane, is unsafe.
A Trailnet study reveals traffic violence killed 646 people on St. Louis City and County roads in 2023.
Adam Briggs is an avid cyclist and says it is dangerous for them to ride through city streets. Briggs says drivers are parking in the bike lane or driving in it, leaving them with the dangerous option of mazing around motorists.
“You have to kind of maneuver sometimes you’re in between cars and that can sometimes get a little dicey,” said Briggs. “We have designated bike lanes that they would like us to stay in. I would say nearly 100 percent of the time, when there’s a big sporting event, cars are coming down when they’re just parking in the bike lane. Annoyance, and it happens all the time when it shouldn’t happen.”
Briggs started recording his run-ins on his cell phone to show what he endures while riding his bike. It shows complete disregard for the bike lane. Briggs showed First Alert 4 video of an Ameren contractor even parked in the bike lane.
“The whole block was empty, you could park wherever you want to park, but for some reason, let’s just park in the bike lane,” said Briggs.
Urban cyclist and founder of Black People Bike, Harlan Hodge, says it’s dangerous too.
“I don’t feel safe riding by myself on a lot of these streets,” said Hodge. “We’ve got a challenge, right? There are so many people who are being killed and having accidents.”
Briggs its that without proper signage, he’d be confused as a driver, too. He’d like the city to do more.
“Signage would actually go a long way, and it’s not that hard to do,” said Briggs. “Great place to ride, but just some of these really simple things that need to be done, I would like to see done.”
St. Louis Deputy Director of Communications Rasmus S. Jorgensen says the city is working to become more bike-friendly. He says the city is considering installing protective markings and barriers along the Chestnut bike lane.
“The city is currently working on hiring a bicycle and pedestrian coordinator to help ensure that planning, design, maintenance, and operation of the city’s transportation network includes the proper accommodations for s of all modes of travel and people of all abilities.”
Cyclists it what the city is planning to do is a step in the right direction, they just wonder how long it’ll take.
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