Bike Master Plan
By John Sharp
With the conclusion February 20 of open houses to gather public input including one on February 12 at Avila University, revisions of the Bike KC Master Plan are scheduled to go before the Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the Park Board later this month and then to the City Plan Commission and City Council for final approval expected in March or April.
The original plan was adopted in 2002, but work on the latest revisions began after a 2016 report by the city auditor said that the plan lacked key elements.
A survey showed 79 percent of respondents felt biking in Kansas City was not safe, convenient or practical. The revisions to the plan are aimed at making biking in the city more appealing to “interested but concerned” potential riders and focus on high priority improvements that hopefully can be implemented in the next five years including separated bike lanes and “end of trip” support such as bike parking, repair stations and changing facilities.
KCMO achieved Bronze Level status as a Bicycle Friendly Community in 2011 from the League of American Bicyclists.
For more information about the proposed plan revisions, persons may go to KCMO.gov/kcbikeplan or email joseph.blankenship@kcmo.org.
