Alderman backs Department of Transportation bill to speed traffic-calming requests, amid North St. Louis objections

The Board of Aldermen debated and perfected board bill 75, a measure the alderman from the 9th said would professionalize how the city handles traffic calming by allowing residents, neighborhood associations and SLMPD captains to initiate requests and by routing those requests through a Department of Transportation.

"This new process will really democratize the entire thing in that it will allow residents to make the request," the alderman from the 9th said on the floor, describing a dashboard and reporting system that will show whether a request is funded, denied or pending.

Opponents, led by the alderwoman from the 12th, argued the bill risked stripping local control from wards with ongoing neighborhood plans and warned that centralizing decisions could disadvantage North St. Louis neighborhoods. The alderwoman said past processes charged residents or aldermen fees and that implementation errors had left some ward capital and sidewalk accounts unresolved.

In response, the sponsor and other supporters said the bill does not change funding mechanisms and preserves aldermanic authority over final funding decisions while adding departmental review and technical expertise. A floor amendment (amendment 1) from the alderwoman from the 7th requires the department to publish a date-stamped record for each request, its status (initial review, approved, denied or held) with reasons for holds/denials, and estimated construction dates; it also requires an annual report to the public infrastructure committee.

Roll-call on the amendment was recorded on the floor (the clerk reported 11 yes and 2 present). The board then voted to perfect board bill 75 as amended and referred the amended bill to the legislation and rules committee for engrossment (the chair announced the motion to perfect was sustained by voice/recorded vote).