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Bikes, Buses and Feet - How to Make Alternatives to the Car Work for Kansas City
April 30, 2008
From the end of the 19th century till the mid-20th century, Kansas City had a vast system of rail lines that carried commuters from the suburbs and back, and around the urban center. These streetcars and trolleys mixed with pedestrian traffic and the few cars that made their way onto the streets. After World War II, biased government incentives afforded some families the opportunity to pick up and move to the suburbs. And then came the Interstate Highway System.
The network of commuter rails was abandoned, pulled up and paved over. As we embraced the car, our cities and bellies sprawled, our dependence on foreign oil grew, our environment suffered, and we looked the other way for decades.
Now we?re in a crunch. The price of gasoline is straining even the most immodest budget, we?re more corpulent than ever and the summertime ozone alerts are ubiquitous. Deb Ridgway has a solution: As you are able, leave the car at home, or leave it closer to home, at least. Lace up your shoes, and walk. Hop on a bike or board a bus. Your waistline and wallet will thank you. And the air you breathe might be just a tad more salubrious for it.
Deb Ridgway is the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the City of Kansas City, Mo. She has been a bike commuter for 12 years. ?It truly has changed my life and my perspective and the way I live,? Ridgway said.
Ridgway came to the Public Works Department last year from Bridging the Gap, a Westport-based group that seeks to comprehensively connect environment, economy and community, and make the Kansas City region sustainable. Moving beyond things such as recycling and rain gardens, Ridgway aims to use her position to impact the region through alternative transit.
According to Ridgway, the typical Kansas Citian commutes to work 20 miles each way, and the typical household makes 10 trips per day that are less than five miles each. Nationally, around 50 percent of trips are shorter than two miles.
Go By Bike Challenge
Trek Bicycle Stores recently chose two cyclists each from Omaha, Kansas City and St. Louis to participate in its Go By Bike Challenge. Kristen D. Klint and Brian Shields are the local winners. Go By Bike is part of Trek?s One World, Two Wheels campaign, a ?commitment to helping the world become a more bicycle friendly place.?
The goal of the Go By Bike Challenge is to promote the use of bicycles for trips of two miles or less. Each winner will receive a Trek FX bike and lots of bike gear. They are asked to blog about their commutes and errands during May, which is Bike Month. Ridgway was involved in the selection process and was impressed that every applicant mentioned environmental impact as one reason to bike.
Biking in the City
The second full week in National Bike Month, May 10-16, is Kansas City Bike Week. During that week, area cyclists, pedestrians, bus-riders and carpoolers can participate in the Car-Free Challenge by registering at kcbike.info/bikeweek/challenge.php, and logging their week?s gasoline-saving activities. The options for the challenge were changed from bike-focused choices in order to encourage other forms of alternate transit. Emissions savings will be tracked, and the Missouri Bicycle Federation will award prizes accordingly. Organizers hope for 1,000 registrants this year.
Deb Ridgway says the 2005 Kansas City Bike Week had only one event. In 2006, that number increased to 17 events. Twenty-four events were featured in 2007. And this year there will be more than 60 events associated with the week. In addition to the longer observances, several local cities have their own Bike Days.
City Plans
The Kansas City Bikeways plan is a 1980 guidance document from the City of Kansas City that was never implemented. It was approved after focus groups met and administrative staffers compiled materials, then was filed away on a shelf.
However, Kansas City does have a Bicycle Transportation Initiative, with 30 miles of signed bike routes so far in the 600-mile on-street system. One hundred bike racks have been installed, and sewer grates that swallow narrow bicycle tires are being replaced.
In fact, Mayor Mark Funkhouser announced that he wants Kansas City to achieve Platinum City status, the highest level, by 2020 based on criteria from the League of American Bicyclists ? a lofty goal, indeed.
Ridgway says that bike commuters should be able to leave from home on their bikes and get to work, school or any other destination. Right now, that?s not a realistic option for most locals. But if the hundreds of miles of trails are integrated with existing on-street bike routes, and commuters take advantage of bike racks on area buses, the possibility of biking to many destinations within the city looks far more doable. Although the trails system is a recreation resource, those paths can serve a commuter purpose, as well.
In addition to overseeing city projects relating to bicycle and pedestrian safety, Ridgway takes part in the Share the Road Safety Task Force. The task force meets monthly to discuss bicycle and pedestrian accidents and fatalities and how they can be prevented. Members address law enforcement issues, public health concerns, and governmental responses and responsibilities. The public is invited to join the task force at its meetings.
The Challenge of Walking
In March 2003, the Kansas City, Mo., City Council adopted a Walkability Plan, which covered items such as sidewalks, crosswalks and traffic signals. The city has been criticized for not adhering to this plan in its waves of recent redevelopment. One of Ridgway?s responsibilities is to see that impediments to walking are removed.
In addition to physical barriers such as lack of sidewalks or nonexistent ramps, there are other obstacles that might hinder a potential walker: inclement weather, unexpected construction or sidewalk closures, or the inability of some people to cross certain wide or sloping streets. Poor planning also leads to challenges, e.g., the non-functioning bollards that were supposed to rise and retract along Grand Boulevard in front of the Sprint Center to block the street for special events. And of course, personal safety concerns keep some from hoofing it around town.
Although it is true that walking and bicycling should be encouraged as alternative forms of conveyance, pedestrians and cyclists are still obligated to follow traffic laws. For the safety and smooth transit of all, walkers must obey traffic signals and signs, and not cross against them. Pedestrians do not have any special right to violate traffic ordinances. For their part, bicyclists are meant to heed the same traffic rules that apply to drivers of cars: stopping, signaling and yielding.?Educating the public about sharing the road is one more challenge we face now and in the future.
Mass Transit
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority runs the bus system in Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte Counties in Missouri and Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas. It is the successor to the Kansas City Public Service Company (KCPSC), inheriting many of its routes and rights-of-way. KCPSC was one of the companies that operated streetcars in the region before interstate highways were built. Johnson County Transit (The JO) operates bus routes primarily in Johnson County, Kan., with connecting routes to adjacent counties in both Kansas and Missouri.
Maybe one day we?ll get our rail lines back. MARC and the City of Kansas City have been holding commuter rail forums all over town, and discussing the prospect of regional light rail. Indeed a light-rail proposal is set to be on the November ballot to replace the voter-approved measure voided by the Kansas City, Mo., City Council. In the meantime, try jumping on the Metro or the Jo, take that bike out of mothballs or set out on foot to see the city on your way around town. It?s healthy for you, your wallet and Mother Nature.
info on the web
Tour of Missouri | Sept. 8 (Stage 1 ? St. Joseph to Kansas City) | www.tourofmissouri.com
Tour of Kansas City | Aug. 8-10 | www.tourofkc.com
Kansas City Bicycle Club | www.kcbc.org
KCBike.Info | www.kcbike.info
LocalCycling.com | www.localcycling.com
Let?s Go KC | letsgokc.com
Missouri Bicycle Federation | mobikefed.org
Johnson County Bicycle Club | jcbikeclub.org
Lawrence Bicycle Club | www.lawrencebicycleclub.org
Kansas City Trails | www.kcmotrails.com
Kansas City Bicycle Transportation Initiative | www.kcmo.org/pubworks
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority | kcata.org
The JO | www.thejo.com
Share the Road Safety Task Force | marc.org/bikeped/sharetheroad.htm
Google Transit (which can give step-by-step directions, from home to final destination, for public transit riders) | www.google.com/transit
when & where
Bike Rides and Events
AIDS Bicycle Challenge, Oct. 4. www.aidswalkkansascity.org/ride.
The Share the Road Safety Task Force meets from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on the first Friday of every month at Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), 600 Broadway St., Kansas City, Mo.
Car-Free Weekends on Cliff Drive: From May 16 through Oct. 27, Cliff Drive ? the scenic roadway that winds through Kessler Park along the Missouri River bluff in Kansas City?s Northeast neighborhood ? will close to automobile traffic at 2 p.m. each Friday, remaining closed until the next Monday at 8 a.m.
A Bicycle Friendly Evening: Andy Clarke, executive director of the League of America Bicyclists will host a conversation about how we can create safe routes for cycling and encourage people to bike for transportation, fitness and fun. The free event will be from 7 to 9 p.m. May 21 at Old Shawnee Town Hall, 11600 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, Kan. RSVP to Eliza Waterman at ewaterman@marc.org or 816-474-4240.
Each week, the Monday Night Recovery Ride starts from the Tienda Casa Paloma, 8220 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kan. Participants meet at 6:30 p.m. for an hour-long ride through neighborhoods. Contact Mark Thomas at mark@localcycling.com.
Laurie Chipman leads Kansas City Bike Club?s Thursday night Brookside Ride from 6270 Brookside Plaza, Kansas City, Mo., (behind Bella Napoli) at 6:30 p.m. The ride offers participants the choice of 14- or 18-mile distances. Contact Laurie at chipdsn1@swbell.net.
On the last Friday of every month, riders meet at 6 p.m. at the Westport Sunfresh, 4001 Mill St., Kansas City, Mo., and take to the streets at 6:30 p.m. for Critical Mass.
Note: The use of safety equipment, including helmets and appropriate lighting, is always recommended and may be required by ride organizers.
Meet for a Ride With OutSpokin?KC
OutSpokin?KC was formed in 2002 to enable gay and lesbian cyclists from around the Kansas City region to meet each other for riding and social activities.?We ride every month of the year, although we are most active during spring, summer and fall.?Our membership is a diverse bunch who lead rides that vary from city streets to paved paths and single track mountain biking trails in the area ?Anyone can lead an OutSpokin?KC ride, and we have routes all over the metropolitan area as well as regional rides in other parts of the Midwest. Already this season we have several member-favorite rides scheduled, such as the fountain tour and the urban revival rides in the urban core, as well as several new rides coming up, including a local brewery tour and an intro to mountain biking ride at Smithville Lake.?There is also some interest in leading more regionally oriented rides in Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri and Kansas.?
To lead a ride, simply send an e-mail to OutSpokinKC@yahoogroups.com with all the basic information about the ride.?Include the meeting time and date, directions, a general description of the ride, etc.?Here?s an example of one recent bicycling e-mail:??We?ll meet Saturday, April 24 at 9 a.m. at the trailhead at 103rd & Roe to ride the Indian Creek Streamway for 10 miles at an easy pace. For more information, riders can send a general email to outspokinkc@yahoo.com.?
? Ken Johnson, of OutSpokin?KC?
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