ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – After passing with nearly 90% of the vote, St. Louis‘ Prop T looks to make the city’s streets safer and more accessible for everyone. The measure will create a Department of Transportation in place of the city’s Streets Department with a focus on long-term road safety and planning.
But for many, like city resident Rosemary Ibeku, the timeline for full implementation—expected by 2029—raises questions.
“I don’t think there’s much respect for pedestrians in the city,” Ibeku said, waiting for her bus at Kingshighway and Lindell, one of the city’s most crash-prone intersections. “Even when you follow the rules and you’re not jaywalking, I’ve almost been hit by a car.”
While the intersection of Kingshighway and Lindell is set to see safety improvements with construction starting at the end of the year, Prop T aims to address concerns elsewhere in the city by creating a department that will go beyond the current streets department’s focus on maintenance to actual road safety planning and new traffic solutions for the future. Ward nine Alderman Michael Browning, who helped champion the measure, describes Prop T as a fundamental shift in how the city approaches road safety.
“We’re moving from just filling potholes and fixing broken signals to real planning for safety—for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers—everyone using our streets,” Browning explained.
He emphasized that, unlike quick fixes such as speed humps, which St. Louis frequently uses, the new department would have the ability to look at all road users and implement long-term solutions, such as protected bike lanes, improved signal timing, and traffic-calming infrastructure.
Prop T won’t be built overnight, though. St. Louis has operated its streets department under the same charter language since 1914, a fact Browning says was one of the biggest hurdles.
“You don‘t change 110 years of doing something the same way overnight,” he said regarding Prop T’s change to the city’s charter. “This isn’t going to be an overnight change, but we’re on the road to safer streets for everyone.”
Browning says city aldermen have historically been tasked with making traffic-calming decisions in neighborhoods in their wards.
“We are not traffic engineers. We need the experts doing this work,” Browning said.
However, establishing the department and putting these plans into action will take time as the city hires experts and staff to carry out and oversee the initiatives.
For voters like Ibeku, though, the wait for safer streets feels too long.
“I think the time is now,” she said. “I don’t see why there’s any reason why it should take so long.”
For now, Browning says the board will continue to work to pass traffic-calming ordinances like BB104 and BB127.
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