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Safe Streets audits identify sidewalk gaps; Webster Groves launches survey to inform federal funding application
Summary
Walking audits highlighted missing sidewalks and lighting in multiple Webster Groves neighborhoods. The commission’s Safe Streets subcommittee launched a resident survey to gauge sidewalk interest ahead of applying for a federal Safe Streets for All grant; staff explained petition and technical criteria for constructing sidewalks.
The Webster Groves Safe Streets subcommittee reported the results of recent walking audits and opened a neighborhood-sidewalk survey to inform a possible federal grant application, commissioners said on April 20.
Staff and volunteers completed audits in multiple neighborhoods — including areas south of I-44, near Ivory Crockett Park and along Bacon Avenue — and found repeated concerns about missing sidewalks and inadequate street lighting. The Safe Streets team launched an online survey and placed yard signs with QR codes to measure resident interest before deciding whether to include sidewalk projects in a future federal grant application.
"We saw repeated concerns in specific neighborhoods about lacking sidewalks and street lighting," one staff presenter said, summarizing audit feedback. The survey asks residents whether they want a sidewalk after they are informed that if the city constructs one, ongoing maintenance typically falls to the homeowner.
Staff explained the local petition policy and technical constraints: a resident-requested sidewalk petition requires 90% support from households on the same side of a block, and the public-right-of-way must be wide enough (staff said a typical six-foot minimum from pavement edge is needed to accommodate sidewalk construction). Utilities, curb configuration and variable right-of-way widths can disqualify a street even with petition support.
The commission also connected the survey work to the Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All program. Staff said the city must complete a comprehensive safety-action plan before applying for the larger-construction funding in a future round; the survey will help decide whether to include sidewalk projects in the application.
Commissioners discussed resident concerns and trade-offs: some households decline sidewalks because of maintenance costs, while others say a sidewalk is necessary on busier streets or routes to school. Staff provided preliminary survey results shared at the meeting: roughly 45% of respondents said they want a sidewalk, about 30% said no, and the remainder reported they already have a sidewalk.
No binding policy decisions or construction approvals were made at the meeting; staff said the survey results will be used to prioritize projects if the city moves forward with a federal grant application.
