Someone is offering helmets to pedestrians crossing Grand in an act of criticism of the city's inaction on traffic safety.
Flyers have been posted at various intersections on Grand with a slightly-adjusted St. Louis City logo. The flyers read in part:
"As of October 2022, we hereby suggest that all pedestrians crossing any St. Louis street should wear helmets while crossing such street until further notice."
It goes on to say that motorists killed 42 pedestrians in the city last year, and injured 395. The flyer says that until the traffic safety issue is resolved, pedestrians can enjoy a complimentary helmet while crossing the street. Multiple helmets hang next to the flyer.
Underneath is a map of the U.S. showing traffic deaths in medium-sized U.S. cities, with St. Louis showing 5.8 deaths per 100,000 residents. It's the highest of all the cities listed, including San Antonio, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Jacksonville.
It's not known exactly who posted the flyers and hung the helmets, but residents around South Grand have been calling for increased safety on streets for months, following deaths of bikers and pedestrians.
According to the South Grand Community Improvement District, in three weeks this summer five pedestrians were hit by cars, and three of them died. By early September, 13 people in the city had been killed by motorists.
Anonymous activists have also been putting up "ghost bikes," white-painted bikes used as memorials, near intersections where bikers were killed by cars to raise awareness of the issue.
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