Join Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) as we host a month of events throughout May to promote St. Louis’ transit system and its benefits to the region. CMT’s Make Your Move on Metro in May, supported by the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership, will include sweetening the commute for area commuters on May 10 at 7 MetroLink stations and transfer centers, a happy hour event targeting young professionals on May 9, promoting the alternatives available in St. Louis for the work commute with the Great Race on May 30, numerous walks with the Ten Toe and Metro and collaborations with local media to promote transit to the general public including the introduction of the “Metro Money Man” to St. Louis.
Make your Move on Metro in May provides CMT a great opportunity to talk about all the benefits of transit for the region. The activities not only promote the benefits of the ride from point A to point B – which are significant, but also all the benefits that occur outside the train window as a part of the ‘ride’ including increased economic development opportunities, increased independence/accessibility for St. Louis’ older adults, environmental benefits including improved air quality, and improved overall healthy of transit riders.
Public transit is not just a ride for someone else. While some St. Louisans utilize transit (thousands to be exact on a daily basis with the numbers increasing each month), all of St. Louis need the public transit infrastructure the region has in place. According to the American Public Transit Association, every dollar invested in public transit has a four dollar return for this region. St. Louis needs that! Since its opening in 1993, there has been more than $16 billion in development tracked within a half mile of the MetroLink system.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, Americans need to exercise at a minimum of twenty minutes each day, and with Missouri’s obesity levels topping 30 percent, residents need opportunities to get healthy. Public transit users get that exercise at one or both ends of their trips. St. Louis needs that! In addition, mixed use neighborhoods with transit stops within walking distance make it even a bigger incentive to walk or use transit (Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership). In addition, this ‘active’ living helps to reduce the risk of chronic disease as St. Louisans age including diabetes, heart disease and more.
It really does pay to ride transit from the economic development opportunities to the health benefits to the environmental benefits to the personal fiscal rewards. According to the American Public Transit Association, individuals who choose transit over owning a car can save more than $8,000 a year. St. Louisans need that! Whether for work or play, CMT hopes you will Make your Move on Metro this May and check out all the rewards of riding transit!
Tapping into Transit on May 9
The next stop on the Tapping into Transit series will be a Car Free Happy Hour on Thursday, May 9 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Dubliner, located at 1025 Washington Ave, St Louis, MO 63101. CMT invites young professionals interested in transit to stop by, discuss transit related issues and concerns, and meet others committed to expanding public transportation options in the area.
Tapping into Transit is a series of events designed to engage young, urban professionals in transit-related discussions, developments, and solutions. The goal is to connect community leaders, businesses, interested parties and the region’s residents with information that will help make St. Louis more interconnected with alternative public transit solutions.
Wake Up to a Sweeter Commute on May 10
Wake Up to a Sweeter Commute is set for Friday, May 10 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Morning transit, bicycle and walk commuters can stop by for a complimentary granola bar, a thank you for riding, and information on the Guaranteed Ride Home program. Wake Up to a Sweeter Commute events are scheduled for the following stations and bus transfer centers:
- Rock Road MetroLink Station, 7019 St. Charles Rock Road, 63133
- Belleville MetroLink Station, 2622 Carlyle Ave., Belleville, IL 62221
- Fairview Heights MetroLink Station, 9200 St. Clair Ave., Fairview Heights, IL 62208
- Shrewsbury MetroLink Station, 7201 Lansdowne Ave., 63119
- Civic Center Transfer Center, 14th and Spruce streets, Downtown St. Louis, 63102
- Central West End Station, 410 S Euclid Ave, 63110
- North Hanley MetroLink Station, 4398 Hanley Rd, Berkeley, MO 63134
Commuters should look for CMT members identified by their TEAM TRANSIT T-shirts designed in partnership with STL-STYLE. Thanks to Big Shark Bicycle for sponsoring this event.
The Guaranteed Ride Home Program is an incentive for commuters to travel to work by transit or bicycling rather than driving alone. It allows employees to take transit/bicycle while providing them a “safety net,” an assurance that they can get home and not be left at work if a situation arises. This program provides immediate transportation, either a cab ride or rental car, in case of an emergency, sickness or unscheduled overtime. CMT has recently partnered with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to expand the program to include the rental car option as another alternative for getting home in case of an emergency.
To register for the program or to simply learn more, area residents are encouraged to stop by one of the previously mentioned “Wake Up to a Sweeter Commute” event locations or visit www.cmt stl.org/ride_home_commuters.html.
Great Race II on May 30
Designed to play off the CBS television hit, “The Amazing Race,” the Great Race II will place Team TRANSIT, Team BIKE, Team CARSHARE and Team CARPOOL in a head-to-head competition to see which transportation mode can travel from downtown St. Louis to Clayton the fastest.
The race is set for Thursday, May 30. It will get underway at approximately 4:30 p.m. at Post Office Plaza located at 815 Locust Street in Downtown St. Louis, MO, and finish at the Fortel’s Pizza Den located at 7359 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105 with a Finish Line celebration. Local media celebreties including Heidi Glaus from News Channel 5; Don Corrigan, editor-in-chief of the Webster-Kirkwood Times, South County Times and West End Word newspapers; Lindsey Tolar with The Patch; Kevin the Intern from the Phillips & Company Morning Show on Y98-FM; Kevin Steincross, anchor for FOX 2 News; Todd Morgan, morning show co-host and midday air personality for K-Hits 96; and others will be participating on the teams. Look for updates on the Great Race on their respective media outlets.
In addition, a Facebook page for Citizens for Modern Transit’s Great Race II is online at www.Facebook.com/GreatRaceII with up-to-date information on the event.
Thanks to the sponsors for this event including the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Metro, Great Rivers Greenway, RideFinders, STL Style, St. Clair County Transit District and the Fortel’s Pizza Den in University City/Clayton.
Ten Toe Express walks in May
The Spring Ten Toe Express is underway in St. Louis with walks to the North Riverfront, City Garden, Tower Grove – Center, St. Louis Zoo, Soulard Market, PBS Nine, Pulitzer Foundation Museum, Scott Airforce Base, Sunset Park, L’Ecole Culinaire, the Hill and more in May. For more information on these walks or how to register, visit www.tentoes.cmt-stl.org or call 314.231.7272.
A special Ten Toe Walk is set for June 4 to historic Belleville from the Belleville MetroLink station. Guest walk leaders from the Belleville Historical Society will lead the walk. RSVP to info@cmt-stl.org or call 314.231.7272.
- Upcoming events:
Panel Discussion on Trolleys, Streetcars and Bus Rapid Transit – Thursday, June 6 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Location TBA - Urban Land Institute report to the Community on the CMT CORTEX Technical Assistance Panel, 8:30 a.m. Registration, 9 a.m. Presentation, CORTEX
- MetroLink 20th Anniversary Celebration, July 31 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the 360 Rooftop Bar, More details coming soon.
- CMT Annual Meeting – September 13, 2013
Come out and join us!