Trailnet

Trailnet provides bicycling and livability programs and events to diverse groups of people. Hallmark programs include Safe Routes to School, Earn 2 Bikes, TravelGreen, Classics Rides, and Cultural Tours. -Trailnet’s outreach and engagement activities reach individuals from all demographics, backgrounds, and socioeconomic categories, confirming that active transportation is for anyone and everyone. -We help make non-motorized commuting a feasible choice for anyone. -All of our programs focus on educating and encouraging people of all ages to travel throughout their community on bike and on foot. Active, vibrant communities are healthier and safer. -Trailnet’s Classics Rides (previously Bicycle Fun Club) is one of the most active bike event programs in the nation and serves up to 10,000 recreational bicyclists annually. -Our TravelGreen program engages and educates those ready to make the switch to active transportation by using their bikes for more than recreation. We build and nurture commuter networks that move people closer to their goals – whether it’s to become healthier, save money, protect the environment, or just to have fun. -All Trailnet programs respond to the shocking statistics that 2/3 of all American adults are either obese or overweight. This holds significant economic value since this “weigh-in” increases the cost of health care for everyone, impacts attendance at work and school due to related illness, and increases fuel usage because vehicles are carrying more weight. Trailnet assists municipalities in designing streets, sidewalks, and trails that allow and encourage people to walk and bike safely through their community. -Trailnet’s community planning team works closely with community leaders, residents, and stakeholders to create safer, healthier, and more active communities. -Between 2001 and 2011, more than 688,000 pedestrians in the U.S. were injured – a number equivalent to a pedestrian being struck by a motorized vehicle every 7 minutes. In Missouri, bicycle related injuries represent more than 10% of all roadway injuries. These numbers present an imperative need for communities to address the safety of all their citizens. -To date we have partnered with 26 municipalities, creating plans that attract and retain residents, stimulate economic development, and improve community health. Trailnet’s Healthy, Active and Vibrant Communities (HAVC) initiative was created in partnership with the Missouri Foundation for Health. It provides opportunities and access to healthy, active living for residents of urban, rural, and suburban communities. -Trailnet’s HAVC initiative focuses at the policy level to produce the farthest-reaching and longest-term solutions to obesity, especially in low-income communities. It includes proven strategies of policy change affecting the built environment and building social networks around healthy lifestyles. -The HAVC initiative has received national recognition as an “emerging intervention” that holds promise for replication. It’s been developed in 11 diverse communities in St. Louis and across the state. -Trailnet staff participates in federal, state, and local policy advocacy, working with partners to draft and file policy, educate policymakers, and promote health- and safety-related initiatives to the public. -Trailnet participated in the passage of two recent St. Louis City ordinances: the Form Based Code ordinance that creates more walkable, bikeable communities, and the Safe Streets ordinance that protects people who walk and bike from endangerment and assault.