Photo courtesy of Andrew Young’s St. Louis and its Streetcars

Were you able to guess when this week’s Flashback Friday photo was taken?

This photo was taken in 1942 on South Grand Avenue looking north. The building on the left is, of course, Saint Louis University Hospital, a.k.a. Firmin Desloge Hospital, dedicated in 1933. The smokestack in the background is the Pevely Dairy smokestack. Sadly, the grand chimney fell victim to the headache ball last year.

According to Andrew Young’s “St. Louis and its Streetcars,” the photo shows PCC streetcar 1620 heading south on Grand Avenue near the St. Louis University Hospital in the spring of 1942.

Have a great weekend!

]]> http://www.nextstopstl.org/9666/flashback-friday-a-view-of-one-of-metros-busiest-routes-as-it-looked-50-years-ago/feed/ 0 http://www.nextstopstl.org/9666/flashback-friday-a-view-of-one-of-metros-busiest-routes-as-it-looked-50-years-ago/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nextstopstl/~3/IOoSCSVs8k0/ http://www.nextstopstl.org/9690/metrolink-work-schedule-may-28-through-june-2/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 20:27:01 +0000 Patti http://www.nextstopstl.org/?p=9690 Work is scheduled on the MetroLink system Tuesday, May 28, through Sunday, June 2. Passengers may experience short delays in the work zones or may be transferred to a Shuttle Train. The affected areas of the MetroLink system are:

• College Station

• Shiloh-Scott Station

To perform track work between College Station and Shiloh-Scott Station, regular MetroLink service will end at College Station for the Red Line Tuesday through Thursday nights (May 28-30) and Sunday night (June 2) beginning at 8 p.m. until the end of service. Customers who normally use the Shiloh-Scott Station are encouraged to use College Station after 8 p.m. on affected dates to avoid delays. This schedule is expected to continue Monday through Thursday nights and Sunday nights through September.

• Eastbound Red Line passengers wishing to travel to Shiloh-Scott Station will board a Shuttle Train at College Station to continue to Shiloh-Scott Station. Shiloh-Scott passengers may encounter delays of 20 to 25 minutes.
• Westbound Red Line passengers at Shiloh-Scott Station will board a Shuttle Train there and ride to College Station, where they can board a regular in-service westbound train. Shiloh-Scott passengers may encounter delays of 20 to 25 minutes.
• Blue Line service will not be affected.

Updates on MetroLink operations can be found on our website in the Rider Alert section.

A Job Fair to identify interested candidates will be held on Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the MetroBus Central Facility located at 3300 Spruce Street, near Compton and Market Streets in St. Louis. Applicants must bring a current resume and be prepared to complete onsite applications and to participate in personal interviews. Metro Transit’s top priority is passenger safety.

WHAT:      Metro Transit Job Fair for Part-Time Metro Bus Operators

WHERE:   MetroBus Central Facility, 3300 Spruce Street (near Compton and Market Streets), in St. Louis, MO

WHEN:     Saturday, June 1, 2013 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Candidates for part-time MetroBus operators must meet these specific qualifications:

• Be at least 21 years of age
• Have a valid high school diploma or GED
• Have a valid Missouri or Illinois driver’s license
• Have at least one year of experience in customer service
• Have at least three years of driving experience
• Have a safe driving record
• Be able to pass a background check and U.S. Department of Transportation physical examination and drug screen.
• Have a Commercial Driver License (CDL) or be able to obtain a Class B CDL permit

Metro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and operates a Drug Free Workplace.

While the image of the bridge is familiar to most residents of the region, some of the elegant structural details of the bridge now have become the subjects of special 3D artwork that passengers and visitors to the Arch-Laclede’s Landing MetroLink Station can admire on large colorful panels of sculptured aluminum mounted on columns down the center of the station platform.

Metro employees, local media, and Metro customers on Thursday joined John Nations, Metro President and CEO; David Allen, Director, Metro Arts in Transit Program; and artist Beliz Brother of Seattle for a special dedication.

The artwork titled ‘Build’ by the internationally-recognized artist, is part of Metro’s Arts in Transit Program commitment to upgrading MetroLink stations in the original part of the light-rail alignment.

After visiting the bridge twice, studying the work of designer-builder James Eads, and viewing his original drawings from the 1860s, Brother produced abstract representations of some of the structural elements designed by Eads.

“Because of where this artwork is located and because I am always using different materials and methods of fabrication, the artwork for Arch-Laclede’s Landing Station is not like anything I have done before,” Brother said.

“The scale is sometimes changed to be larger or smaller than the real objects, but the shapes are directly from the original drawings of the 1800s. The colors were chosen because they appear in some of the drawings and construction comments on the drawings. If people who are traveling on a MetroLink train or waiting on a platform know this, I hope that they can recognize in the artwork some of the details from the drawings that exist in the actual bridge,” Brother said.

The eight panels, each 4.5 feet tall by 2.5 feet wide, are mounted in pairs on four center columns along the length of the station platform. The panels and frames were fabricated from aluminum and the designs were cut into them with water jets. The finish is baked-on, powder-coat enamel in shades of red and blue. The artwork was assembled and installed by Brother’s colleagues from her studio in Seattle, Jeremy Sharp and Dennis Mendoza.

David Allen, Director, Metro Arts in Transit Program; artist Beliz Brother; David A. Dietzel, Chairman of Metro’s Board of Commissioners; John Nations, Metro President and CEO

“As you look along the MetroLink platform, you can see the work of artist Beliz Brother of Seattle, commissioned by Metro’s Arts in Transit Program as one of the artistic efforts to beautify our MetroLink stations,” said Nations. “You see her colorful panels that link us to this transportation intersection. Inspired by the structural elegance of the Eads Bridge and the colors and spirit of our riverfront, Beliz has brought us artwork that seems to move along the length of this platform the way the river and the barges and the vehicles and the trains move by the spot where we are standing.”“It was a pleasure working with such an accomplished public artist as Beliz Brother, whose work here honors a proud, St. Louis historic structure and its designer, James Eads,” said David Allen, Director of the Metro Arts in Transit Program. “Her artwork is always sensitive to the nature of its site and surroundings and, in this case, is both beautiful and handsome in the way that our bridge is.”

Brother has produced many pieces for public locations, including the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Seattle City Hall, Seattle Seahawks Football Stadium, Phoenix Civic Center, Swedish Medical Center, and the Akasaka Gakudo Center in Tokyo. In 2010, her artwork, bloom, was recognized by the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network as one of the best public artworks in the nation and is permanently installed at Everett Community College in Everett. Wash. Among her honors are a Western States Arts Foundation Distinguished Work in Sculpture Award, the Northwest Institute of Architecture & Urban Studies Rome Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Visual Arts Grant, and the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs Northwest Major Works Award.

The artwork was financed with $50,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) through the Federal Transit Administration. It is the third of seven projects financed by ARRA to be created and installed at stations in the MetroLink system. Metro Arts in Transit also plans other public art projects over the next two years.

Click here to view slideshow.

But Tony Patrico of St. Louis radio station KPNT 105.7 FM The Point has a more direct profit motive in mind for you. To get a jump on Dump the Pump, he’ll be riding MetroLink Friday afternoon (May 24) and giving away $50 Visa gift cards and other prizes, courtesy of Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT), to passengers who spot him. He’s calling his celebration “Where’s Tony Transit?”

Click here for more details!

Patrico endorses the Dump the Pump message of riding public transit to reduce your expenses for gas and parking, as well as to help get in better physical shape by walking or biking to transit stations or bus stops. But to sweeten the pot, Tony will be distributing the gifts cards while riding MetroLink trains between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. this Friday and again on June 14 and June 20. Be sure to listen for his messages about the giveaways on The Point at 105.7 FM.

“Try taking Metro,” Patrico said, “because it pays to ride transit.”

Metro also will be joining Patrico, CMT, American Public Transportation Association (APTA), transit agencies, environmental groups, and others across the country to celebrate the 8^th Annual National Dump the Pump Day on June 20. Metro Ambassadors will be at select MetroLink stations and bus stops across the region to distribute giveaways while reminding everyone that public transportation is the way to go.

Sponsored nationally by APTA, the event encourages commuters to take public transportation and save money instead of driving their cars. Gas prices are continuing to climb and one of the quickest ways to save money is to take Metro Transit.

Click here to find out just how much money you can save by switching to public transportation. Put your information  into tour fuel-saving calculator!

With 37 stations along the 46-mile MetroLink system and nearly 400 MetroBus vehicles serving more than 7,400 stops, as well as 121 Call-A-Ride vans transporting customers with disabilities, Metro Transit is getting citizens of the Bi-State region where they need to go.

The stairway that leads down the embankment from North Hanley Road to the Metro Transit parking lot will be closed in the near future to be rebuilt in compliance with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This will include a switchback ramp that will require the closing and reconstruction of the entire flight of stairs.

Detours for motorists and pedestrians will be clearly marked during construction.

Work is scheduled on the MetroLink system Monday, May 20, through Sunday, May 26. Passengers may experience short delays in the work zones or use of a Shuttle Train. The affected areas of the MetroLink system are:

• Forsyth Station
• Clayton Station
• College Station
• Shiloh-Scott Station

MetroLink will operate on a single track at the Forsyth and Clayton MetroLink Stations to conduct in-depth inspections on Monday (May 20) beginning at 11:30 p.m. until the end of service. Blue Line service may experience delays of up to 5 minutes. Red Line service will not be affected.

To perform track work between College Station and Shiloh-Scott Station, regular MetroLink service will end at College Station for the Red Line Monday through Thursday nights (May 20-23) and Sunday night (May 26) beginning at 8 p.m. until the end of service. Customers who normally use Shiloh-Scott Station are encouraged to use College Station after 8 p.m. on affected dates to avoid delays. This schedule is expected to continue Monday through Thursday nights and Sunday nights through September.

• Eastbound Red Line passengers wishing to travel to Shiloh-Scott Station will board a Shuttle Train at College Station to continue to Shiloh-Scott Station. Shiloh-Scott passengers may encounter delays of 20 to 25 minutes.
• Westbound Red Line passengers at Shiloh-Scott Station will board a Shuttle Train there and ride to College Station, where they can board a regular in-service westbound train. Shiloh-Scott passengers may encounter delays of 20 to 25 minutes.
• Blue Line service will not be affected.

Updates on MetroLink operations can be found at www.metrostlouis.org in the Rider Alert section.

Photo courtesy of Museum of Transportation

Happy Friday!

Were you able to guess when this week’s Flashback Friday photo was taken?

This photo from the Museum of Transportation was taken in 1956 at the Pruitt-Igoe Complex. Pruitt–Igoe was a large urban housing project of 33 buildings on the Near North Side of St. Louis first occupied in 1954 and demolished between 1972 and 1975.

According to Andrew Young’s “St. Louis and its Streetcars,” the photo shows surplus bus 4042 apparently being used as a facility to administer Polio vaccines.

Have a great weekend!

]]> http://www.nextstopstl.org/9608/flashback-friday-polio-vaccines-given-on-bus/feed/ 0 http://www.nextstopstl.org/9608/flashback-friday-polio-vaccines-given-on-bus/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nextstopstl/~3/VpMKyY2HqEE/ http://www.nextstopstl.org/9585/bike-to-work-day-inspiration-from-a-daily-bicyclists-and-transit-rider/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 20:30:44 +0000 Matt http://www.nextstopstl.org/?p=9585

Droney at the 2011 Vino Fondo, a ‘timed ride’ through the hills of Missouri wine country.

We celebrate National Bike to Work Day — tomorrow, May 17 — with a look at bike and transit super commuter Robert Droney. Droney, 45, is an attorney who works three blocks from the Busch Stadium MetroLink Station. From his home in Ballwin, he often commutes by bicycle — 26 miles each way. Sometimes he rides every day. Sometimes twice a day.

My back started ‘phantom aching’ just interviewing this man.

The beauty of Droney’s bike-oriented lifestyle, though, is that whenever he wants an alternative, Metro Transit is always nearby. In his case, the 58X Twin Oaks Express on MetroBus is his primary option to and from work. On other days when he may not have as much time to ride 26 miles, he’ll hop on the MetroLink Blue Line to the Richmond Heights Station and bike home from there — some 17 miles.

Technicians at work at Urban Shark and the Downtown Bicycle Station.

“As far as consistency goes, it has only been in times of significant weather events that I have ever had any problem with the bus being late,” said Droney, who is a member of the two-year-old Downtown Bicycle Station and uses it to shower and park his bike each day. “I’m absolutely amazed at Metro’s adherence to their time schedules.”

Though Droney’s bike commute is on the extreme end of the spectrum — he is, after all, a former triathlete and competitive cyclist — he insists that adopting bike and transit commuting isn’t as difficult as some might think.

A cyclist departs the Downtown Bicycle Station.

“It’s a way to use your commute time for exercise,” said Droney, who started cycling as a child and never gave it up. “It takes me one hour and 45 minutes to bike home from downtown. If I drive, it’s 35 minutes, best-case scenario. If I have to take a separate trip to the gym to work out and shower, I may not be home until after 8 (if I drive).”By cycling, Droney is home at 6:45 p.m. – or earlier if he mixes in transit – and his exercising is done (and then some.)

“The biggest thing is planning,” said Droney, a military veteran and graduate of UC Irvine and Washington University School of Law. “I have extra clothes at work and my employer is accommodating as well.”

Downtown Bicycle Station

Though Droney has impeccable iron-man credentials, he does have his limits.

“I don’t commute in winter anymore,” he said. “Back when I was more avid, I would ride when it got down to 25 degrees. Now, it’s not so much fun putting on all that extra clothing. I’ll get out for my health, but I mainly bike commute from May to October.”

His advice to less dedicated cyclists thinking about biking to work? Give it try. Blend in some public transit and you could be pleasantly surprised by the results – on several levels.

National Bike to Work Day

Trailnet and the Great Rivers Greenway are inviting area cyclists of all experience levels to join them for free bagels, coffee, and camaraderie from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. tomorrow at 10 locations in St. Louis City and County. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay will issue an official Bike to Work Day Proclamation at 7:30 a.m. at the Downtown Bicycle Station.

For a full listing of Bike to Work Day stations, and for more information on National Bike Month happenings, visit www.trailnet.org/events/bike-month.

Downtown Bicycle Station

1011 Locust St., 314-881-0322, www.downtownbicyclestation.org

(Three blocks from 8th and Pine MetroLink Station)

Cost: $150 per year or $20 per month

Benefits of membership:

- 20-hour a day access to secure indoor bike parking

- Locker rooms and showers with free soap and shampoo

- 5% off bicycles at adjacent Urban Shark shop

- 10% off repair and retail items at Urban Shark

- WeCar benefits

- Free membership in Citizens for Modern Transit’s Guaranteed Ride Home program

Designed by Michael Holdman, a student at Belleville West High School

You don’t need a Ph.D to know that staying in school is an important message to instill in our youth. Metro Transit is proud to support and promote the St. Clair County Juvenile Justice Truancy Sub-Committee in its campaign to keep students in school.

Earlier this year, middle/junior high and high school students in St. Clair County were asked to create and submit posters that promote staying in school and getting an education.

First Place High School Winner Michael Holdman and St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly

Winners were chosen based on the poster’s originality, message and creativity.

Yesterday afternoon, a special ceremony to recognize and present awards to the winners was held at the St. Clair County Municipal Courts Building in Belleville, Illinois. Attendees included the student winners, their families, St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly, Metro Transit’s Interim Director of Marketing and Communications Dianne Williams, Regional Office of Education Superintendent Susan Sarfaty, Assistant Principal of Belleville West High School Jan Patrick-Hayden, Truancy Committee Chairperson Tijuana Macon, and other committee members.

“Our hope is to continue to work with members of the community and kids likes these artists, to promote the cause and decrease truancy in an area where truancy is very, very high,” said St Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly. “This is beautiful artwork and we hope it gets the message across.”

St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly and first place middle school winner Vergal Williams.

The first place middle school winner was  Vergal Williams, an eighth-grader at Mason-Clark Middle School in East St. Louis. The middle school runner-up was Corlynda Graham, a seventh-grader at Mason-Clark. Mason-Clark eighth grader Cris Yates received an honorable mention.

Michael Holdman was chosen as the first place winner in the high school division. He is a senior at Belleville West High School. Dominic Thuis, a junior at Belleville West, received the second place award.

Metro Transit will display posters of the first place contest winners’ artwork on MetroBus vehicles and MetroLink trains after the new school year starts.

Designed by Vergal Williams, a student at Mason-Clark Middle School

“This cause is really important to Metro Transit because we too care about whether or not young people are staying in school,” pointed out Metro Transit’s Interim Director of Marketing and Communications Dianne Williams. “Frankly, the second most reported transit use is to get to school. We know that when you are going to school you are increasing your earning power, and you’re going to make lives better for your family and community. We want you to be able to do that and these artists have given us a great way to encourage people to stay in school.”

Congratulations to all the winners.

The public is invited to participate next week in regional planning efforts focusing on economic development around public transit.

A final meeting is scheduled as part of the regional Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) study led by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. Bi-State Development Agency/Metro is one of 11 agencies partnering in the project. The purpose of the federally-funded TOD study is to create more places to live, work, shop, and play near light rail stations.

The overall effort is geared toward creating a vision and a road map for stimulating transit-oriented development in the St. Louis region.

The public’s input at this final open-house style public meeting will help shape the final recommended plans for the Union Station and Civic Center MetroLink stations. A public meeting focused on the Rock Road MetroLink Station was held Tuesday, May 14.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Union Station and Civic Center Stations
City of St. Louis City Hall
Kennedy Room – 2nd Floor
1200 Market St
reet
St. Louis, MO 63103
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., with a presentation at 11:30 a.m.

In addition to the Regional TOD Plan, a St. Louis City TOD study will get under way next week with two public meetings. Officials hope the public will provide thoughts on Transit-Oriented Development planning and economic growth options around four existing MetroLink stations: Delmar, Forest Park-DeBaliviere, Stadium, and Arch-Laclede’s Landing.

This study will be funded through the $4.7 million Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant awarded to East-West Gateway under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The planning team will present three development options and ask for the public’s direct feedback about how to make these alternatives work best for the surrounding communities.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Delmar and Forest Park-DeBaliviere Stations
Crossroads College Preparatory School
500 DeBaliviere Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63112
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 23, 2013
Stadium and Arch-Laclede’s Landing Stations
Confluence Preparatory Academy
310 N. 15^th Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

The St. Louis Section of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) selected the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum for the 2013 AIAA Civic Service Award. The award recognizes the museum’s efforts to preserve and promote historic air and space artifacts as well as instilling the spirit of flight in today’s youth.

This year alone, the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum has joined forces with the St. Louis Downtown Airport for two youth aviation days and is committed to teaching and promoting aviation history education. The museum has also held countless educational events throughout the year.

The award will be presented at the annual awards dinner on May 23.

The museum’s blog pointed out that President Mark Nankivil was quick to credit all who have worked at and with the Museum throughout its three decades. “Congratulations to our Museum team and to those of you who have supported us through the years.  This award represents the efforts of all of you,” Nankivil said.

For more information and museum visitor information click here.

The Greater St. Louis Air And Space Museum is located at St. Louis Downtown Airport. The Bi-State Development Agency/Metro purchased the airport at the urging of regional leaders in 1964 and reopened it in 1965. St. Louis Downtown Airport is one of the agency’s business enterprises and is operated with no local taxpayer support. The businesses located at the airport generate a regional impact of nearly $584 million a year. 

Work is scheduled on the MetroLink system Monday, May 13, through Sunday, May 19. Passengers may experience short delays in the work zones. The affected areas of the MetroLink system are:

• Forsyth Station
• Clayton Station
• College Station

MetroLink will operate on a single track at the Forsyth and Clayton stations to conduct in-depth inspections Monday through Friday nights (May 13-17) beginning at 11:30 p.m. until the end of service. Blue Line service may experience delays of up to 5 minutes. Red Line service will not be affected.

MetroLink will operate on a single track at College Station to conduct track maintenance Monday through Thursday nights (May 13-16) and Sunday night (May 19) beginning at 8 p.m. until the end of service. Red Line service may experience delays of up to 5 minutes. Blue Line service will not be affected.

Updates on MetroLink operations can be found at www.metrostlouis.org in the Rider Alert section.

Missouri History Museum

This photo provided by the  Missouri History Museum was taken on May 9, 1919, on Twelfth Street (now Tucker Boulevard). It shows a parade of the Army 138th Infantry marching down Twelfth Street past a court–of-honor in the reviewing stands.

According to an article written last year by Tim O’Neil in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the soldiers were  veterans of the infamous World War I battle in the Argonne Forest in France. “The 138th had paid dearly for the honor — of 3,500 men who signed up, 230 were killed in combat. Accidents and wounds increased the casualty rate to almost 50 percent. The survivors stepped off trains at the Wabash station near Forest Park and marched downtown in formation with rifles, packs and helmets.”

For more information about the 138th Infantry and its march in St. Louis in 1919, read the full Post-Dispatch article here. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/a-look-back-american-legion-s-founders-returning-veterans-crowd/article_1d89ae89-e95d-5434-8e83-1480d3125c0b.html

Citizens for Modern Transit will host the happy hour on Thursday, May 9, from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Dubliner, 1025 Washington Ave, St Louis, MO 63101.

Stop by, discuss transit related issues and concerns, and meet others committed to expanding public transportation options in the area.

To map your trip using Metro click here – http://www.metrostlouis.org/Default.aspx

Other dates to hold on your calendar and Like/Share/Join on Facebook:

• Wake Up to a Sweeter Commute – Friday, May 10, from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., several MetroLink locations available.
• The Great Race II – Finish Line Happy Hour Celebration – Wednesday, May 30, 5:00/5:15 p.m., Fortel’s Pizza Den.
• Tapping Into Transit Happy Hour and Presentation – Thursday, June 6, from 5 – 7 p.m., location TBA.RSVP for the May 9 Tapping Into Transit event by e-mailing Lenora Fisher at CMT – lfisher@cmt-stl.org.