Citizens for Modern Transit Makes Its Debut on Patch

Wow, what an exciting month it has been at Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT),  and it is not over yet! CMT is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to lead advocacy efforts for an integrated, affordable, and convenient public transportation system with light rail expansion as the critical component that will drive economic growth to improve quality of life in the St. Louis region.

CMT has sponsored a month of activities in May - Make Your Move on Metro - to promote the benefits of transit to St. Louis, and we have definitely made some moves on Metro for programs and activities. We have talked about the benefits of building around light rail infrastructure with keynote speaker Katherine Perez.  She brought insight into the current environment in St. Louis and also an outside perspective on the accomplishments we have made in the last 10 years in the region. It was great to have an outside look at what things are going right, and what things St. Louis may need to change to stay on the right track. We are definitely not there yet, but we could be on our way if we plan for ‘right sized’ development for the region now according to Katherine.

Next, what a sweet commute we provided for many St. Louis commuters on May 10 with our Wake Up to a  Sweeter Commute event!  Thousands of St. Louis area bus, MetroLink, bike and walk commuters received a little pick-up on their commute with granola bars and information on the Guaranteed Ride Home during the morning commute.  Anyone who registers for the Guaranteed Ride Home now through today will be entered into a drawing for cash prizes. Talk about an even sweeter commute! (www.cmt-stl.org)

On May 17, we hosted the first ever Great Race in St. Louis in partnership with Trailnet and WeCar by Enterprise. What an exciting, fun way to talk about the great alternatives for the work commute in St. Louis!  Unfortunately TEAM TRANSIT crossed the finish line 54 seconds behind TEAM CARSHARE (yes, we did have to run to and from both stations – so we got our physical activity for the day in as well!)  but we have already asked for a rematch for next year.

Last week we hosted the Walkabout at the Rock Road Station in partnership with Beyond Housing to look at the possiblities at and around the station. What do you think would fit best in that community? What would increase transit usage? These were just a few of the questions we asked community leaders, stakeholders, and residents. If interested, we have another Walkabout at the Wellston station planned for June 28 with national walkability expert Dan Burden as our walk leader.

Finally, this is our inaugural blog on the Patch thanks to fellow TEAM TRANSIT teammate Nathan Birt of Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch!

For more information on all of the activities in May or on Citizens for Modern Transit, check out the latest CMT newsletter.  CMT June 2012 newsletter or www.cmt-stl.org.  You can also find CMT on Facebook and Twitter.

Special thanks goes to the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership and the St. Clair County Transit District  for their support of all of CMT’s Make your Move on Metro in May activities. 

Remember if you are not a member of CMT, consider joining us today! We look forward to our future postings on transit in the St. Louis region on the Patch!