Steve Patterson
Recent Posts
Crossing Hampton At Elizabeth
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Four times per year I visit my doctor on South Hampton, 45-minutes each way via public transit to/from downtown. As a regular transit user and pedestrian I actually enjoy the time. What I don’t enjoy is crossing Hampton upon arrival. The last five years I’ve taken MetroBus to my doctor ...
A Look at the New Kiener Plaza
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Overall I think they’ve done an outstanding job, but the previous space was so awful it was hard to not do better. Accessibly is excellent, as is the amount of seating.
Turnstiles Are For Fare Collection, Not Public Safety
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Many, including regional elected officials, letters to the editor, and others, are pushing the idea of turnstiles as a way to increase public safety on our MetroLink light rail system. This is incredibly ill-informed because turnstiles, physical and virtual, are meant to combat fare-evasion.
New Arch-to-Riverfront Ramps Are a Great Improvement
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This weekend I visited the Arch grounds twice. Both days I did all four of the new ramps connecting the upper Arch grounds to Lenore K Sullivan Blvd on the riverfront. These four ramps, plus the connection next to the Eads Bridge, make getting to/from the riverfront a pleasure.
Senior Apartments Slated to Be Built Near Swansea MetroLink Parking Lot
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Back in September 2016, on the 20th, I received a press release from our transit agency Metro — aka Bi-State Development: SWANSEA, IL, SEPT. 20, 2016… Southwestern Illinois Development Authority (SWIDA), in partnership with Bywater Development Group and Bi-State Development (BSD), is pleased to announce a new, $10.5 million development that ...
Taxpayers Need to Pay to Rebuild Dead Highway Site, Not Stadium
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Decades ago Missouri and St. Louis used taxpayer money to buy and raze a huge area West of Union Station for a planned highway that’s long dead. This vacant hole has been a huge negative, preventing smaller private investment all around from spreading to improve the tax base and employment. It took taxpayer money to raze the neighborhood that once existed here -- it will take taxpayer money to undo the damage.
Downtown Needs a Form-Based Code, Not An Old Height Restriction
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The building at 620 Market, like most, has had numerous uses since it was first built.
The High Cost of Buying a Car If You’re Poor
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For months now I’ve been wanting to post about auto financing. Last month John Oliver did a segment on it (below) that got me motivated: Is there another subprime loan crisis brewing? John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” found disturbing similarities between the easy loans dished out for used cars ...
We Drove Through Miles of Sprawl to Reach the Country
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The weather was so beautiful Saturday September 3rd we decided to go out to lunch — in Washington, Missouri. Since my husband hadn’t tried Sugarfire Smoke House, we decided to go to the riverfront location. Granted, we could’ve gone to the one downtown just 11 blocks away from our loft, ...
An Example Of How the St. Louis Region Fails Pedestrians, Transit Users
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Part of the implied contract when taking a bus to a destination is when you’re dropped off at your stop, you’ll be able to get to the corresponding stop in the opposite direction for the return trip. Seems simple enough, right? But in many parts of the St. Louis region ...
Our Sprawl Means Lots Of Grass To Cut, Room For Urban Food Production
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During the recent Board of Aldermen session where the budget was passed, a lot of time was spent discussing the cost of grass cutting. The discussion mostly focused on city/LRA-owned lots. We’re fortunate enough to have many parks throughout the city, but we also have many useless patches of grass ...
A Small Local Boulevard Through Forest Park Grew To Become A Major Interstate
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Last week I posted about Forest Park’s 140th anniversary. Earlier this month my husband and I visited the Science Center, looking out from the walkway over Interstate 64 I was reminded that land was originally part of the park. In 1958 Kingshighway hadn’t been straightened, but a small road cut through ...