Should state officials double as lobbyists? Cyclists say no

The relationship between cyclists and the Missouri Department of Transportation is marked with plenty of pot holes and dead ends. If you ask MoDOT, cyclists don’t demand or use the roads enough to warrant the dollars they demand. If you ask bike advocates, they might complain that the state agency might as well be called the “Department of Single-Occupant Automobile Transportation” for all the attention they pay to alternative forms of transit.

The most notable divide over the past several years has been the passage of a Complete Streets bill in the Missouri Legislature. Such a measure would require MoDOT to dedicate a reasonable amount of funds in any road project to cycling and pedestrian accommodations, like crosswalks and “Share the Road” signs. Lawmakers have been warm to the idea. That is, until MoDOT officials dumped a whole bunch of cold water on the proposal, sinking Complete Streets during both the 2008 and 2009 legislative sessions.

Which raises an interesting question: Should state officials, working on the taxpayers’ dime, be acting like lobbyists? The Missouri Bike Federation posted an online poll last week about the issue. But cyclists aren’t the only ones who think MoDOT is treading a fine line.