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Jan
1
An urban agenda for Missouri
January 1, 2008 |
The Star’s Prime Buzz blog recently noted that Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders was in St. Louis to meet with counterparts there about common issues for Missouri’s two principal metro areas. Even though more than half of Missourians live in the two metro areas, too often the General Assembly is ruled by a minority of rural legislators. This is often because legislators from the two cities waste time fighting each other instead of working together on common issues like education, crime, development, transportation, etc.
Perhaps the two delegations could start with a small issue like HOV/carpool lanes. Tomorrow Hwy 40 in St. Louis closes for two years of reconstruction, and the city is freaked out about what will happen without one of its most important highways. It would be like closing I-70 in Jackson County or I-35 in Johnson County. KMOV-TV recently reported that MoDOT is encouraging people to carpool, but can’t designate special lanes because carpool lanes are illegal in Missouri. (technically, the lanes are legal, but state law does not allow police to write tickets to motorists who violate the lanes).
Kansas City also has a big interest in HOV lanes for areas like the Paseo Bridge corridor, I-70, US 71, or I-435. A temporary bus-only lane was used on Burlington Road in 2005 during the closure of the Paseo Bridge, and it was very successful. KC already several bus lanes in the Downtown Loop and along the MAX Bus Rapid Transit line on Main Street, but the city can’t do anything to enforce the bus or carpool restriction. The lack of a HOV law was one of the reasons MoDOT refuses to put HOV lanes on the new Paseo Bridge.
So how about some leaders in the KC and St. Louis delegations to Jeff City get together and show some leadership on this issue? Reaching out to the fast-growing cities of Springfield and Columbia would encompass up to 60% of the state’s population and easily out-vote the BFE delegation. Times have changed and Missouri is now more urban than rural. It’s time we started acting like it.
Comments
4 Comments so far
I can’t understand why any of the rural delegates would oppose HOV lanes. It’s not like they have to put them in. Doesn’t make any sense at all.
Well when you see the quality of MO legislators are by observing the actions of the 3 recent ones that couldn’t run again, couldn’t find another job, and had to run for KCMO Council, you’d understand why this won’t happen.
Rural legislators haven’t opposed HOV lanes because no one has ever introduced legislation to allow for these lanes. HOV would probably pass, but the cities haven’t pushed for them.
we need carpool lanes, i see so many people driving slow in the fast lanes and causing traffic problems. ive been to other cities where they have carpool lanes and they are used frequently. wake up missouri get with the 21rst century!