2 min readIf you’re a runner in St. Louis, “hitting the road” may take on a different meaning during your next run. Last week, the St. Louis County Council approved a bill prohibiting pedestrians from entering the street if a sidewalk is present.
The bill passed 4 to 3 with Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, a Democrat from unincorporated north St. Louis County, splitting the difference, but runners, walkers, people with disabilities, and some community groups expressed concern that the bill would be discriminatory.
“This bill isn’t perfect,” Webb told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “But it’s to be preventative, to keep another fatality from happening.”
The bill, proposed by Republican Councilman Ernie Trakas, bars standing, sitting, walking, or otherwise moving along roadways in St. Louis County wherever sidewalks are also available. Those who break the rule may be fined, or worse, if in a municipality with stricter regulations.
But not everyone is pleased about the new regulation. “I run on the asphalt because it’s 10 times softer than the sidewalk pavement,” Amit Pathak, a resident of St. Louis County, told the paper.
Trakas says the bill is a public safety measure that doesn’t mean to target any group, but others on the council don’t agree. Councilwoman Lisa Clancy said the bill would impact the unhoused population in particular.
“This is touted as being neutral, but all of us know [this] is really is about panhandling,” she told KMOV. “I can’t support a policy that will criminalize my fellow stroller pushers who need to avoid an uneven sidewalk.”
Next, the bill will head to St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s desk for his signature.
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler and was most recently the senior editorial director at TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
