Clearing the air one pedalstroke at a time.

We make the papers

2008-09-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

Ink, one of the alternative papers about town, published a bicycling issue this past week. They talked to me, but since I fall about 10 years past their target demographic, they found better subjects.

A great piece in the issue is this one on Using the Bike Racks on the bus, particularly in light of the BBC story where the reporter found the driver unable to explain the mechanism.

When all is said and done...

2008-09-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

...more will be said than done. Particularly, in our fair city. Light rail, anyone?

The "worst city for bicycling" might be a little harsh, but nevertheless we have to start somewhere. If you've ridden in Kansas City, you know this report from the BBC to be quite accurate.

Every time we ride, and I rode home from taking my car to the shop in this drizzle this morning, we show someone that it can be done.

Critical Mass and Parking Lots

2008-03-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

A post on the KC Critical Mass Listserve brought up this point:

"Reclaiming the streets?
One of your objectives (as a group-posted on several websites) is to
re-claim the streets. To reclaim something implies previous ownership
or possesion. Cyclists never owned the streets. If not for the horse
and buggy, followed by the automoblie there would be not streets.
Streets were not built for bikes. If they had been they would have
been more narrow and more bike friendly. I am all for bike lanes but
keep in mind that with out the autos, you would have no streets to
bike on."

Interesting and well thought out, but streets predate the horse and buggy, as well as the automobile, perhaps coinciding with the wheel. People own the streets. Streets were not invented to accomodate the automobile but for a place for commerce, public life, and other forms of interaction, etc.
Wikipedia

Horatio Earle is known as the "Father of Good Roads." Quoting from Earle's 1929 autobiography: "I often hear now-a-days, the automobile instigated good roads; that the automobile is the parent of good roads. Well, the truth is, the bicycle is the father of the good roads movement in this country." "The League fought for the privilege of building bicycle paths along the side of public highways." "The League fought for equal privileges with horse-drawn vehicles. All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets."

"Horatio Earle is known as the "Father of Good Roads." Quoting from Earle's 1929 autobiography: "I often hear now-a-days, the automobile instigated good roads; that the automobile is the parent of good roads. Well, the truth is, the bicycle is the father of the good roads movement in this country." "The League fought for the privilege of building bicycle paths along the side of public highways." "The League fought for equal privileges with horse-drawn vehicles. All these battles were won and the bicyclist was accorded equal rights with other users of highways and streets."

Good Roads Movement
League of American Wheelman
Pedaling History

League of American Bicyclists

I would not claim to own the streets, nor would I want to, but I would observe, and I am not alone in this, that cheap energy has led to a gross misallocation of resources and a decline in civic life in America.

On another note, the Kansas City Star reported yesterday that "The city has reached an agreement — almost — with backers of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on fulfilling its pledge to provide $47 million for a parking garage." This lot will include 1000 spaces. $47,000 per space. At the same time, the annual support for the ATA, the bus service used by many thousands of people is $48 million.

In no other area, do we provide so much public storage for private assets as in parking. It would be unthinkable to leave any other piece of property unattended in someone else's space.

Cranksgiving

2007-11-26T18:23:00.000-08:00

The newspaper reported over 200 riders. If so, there's still some out riding. Anyway, it was great to see people from all the cycling communities in this town out to help people. Thanks to Forester for the pictures and all his help.

Earlier that day, ©hrisGo, one of the other cycling shutterbugs about town was taking a few photos himself and got some of the same beautiful people

Cranksgiving

2007-11-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

I was preparing an entry saying that we shouldn't have to have a tragedy to unite the Bicycler community of Kansas City. Then I was checking my email and saw Sarah's mention of the death in Independence.

Anyway, we (The Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation) are putting on Cranksgiving this year.
Bicycists will fill the streets and the food pantry.

The Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation took on this event,
in its second year. The event is called Cranksgiving and basically, it
is an alleycat race/scavenger hunt on the streets of Kansas City where
cyclists are given a manifest with 5 to 7 locations and go to purchase
food for donation to the Kansas City Community Kitchen (
http://www.episcopalcommunity.org/KansasCityCommunityKitchen/tabid/570/Default.aspx
). All items must be carried on their bicycles. There is no entry fee
for the event and the only requirement is to bring in non-perishable
foods, traditional Thanksgiving items.

Last year, over 100 riders rode in this event with a week's notice.
This year, we are aiming for 300.
Kansas City has developed a thriving urban cyclist scene, demonstrated
by Chris Thomas'
photoset on Flickr
http://flickr.com/photos/professorchrisgo/sets/72157602224779688/.

The ride will be followed by an awards ceremony. The awards ceremony
will be in the Sculpture Garden behind Grinders. Entertainment will
include 3 bands, Brainbow, David Hasselhoff on Acid, and the Jim
Button Band.

Awards will be given to top male finisher and top female finishe.
Another award will be given to the most generous, the one who brings
in the most food by bike will receive the Mott-Ly Cup. The Mott-Ly Cup
is named in memory of Mott-Ly, the deceased proprietor of the Mo-Mo
Gallery, and soul of the Crossroads District. It will be a travelling
trophy that will be engraved with the winner each year. Prize Sponsors
include Surly, New Belgium Brewery, Whole Foods Market, Re-Load Bags
and Swobo.
We start at 2 PM at the Discovery Center 4750 Troost Avenue Kansas
City, MO where everyone will receive a manifest and instructions on
what to buy. You'll ride to the 5-7 grocery stores, bring back your
items and receipts and meet at Grinders Pizza in the Crossroads
district for the check-in, after party and awards.

Again a bicyclist killed

2007-11-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

It makes the news again. A 17 year old kid, so pointless.

From the Pitch's Best of files

2007-10-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

This was initially published 5 years ago.
Best New Law (2002)
Bike KC
In August, an intrepid crew of wheeler-dealers finally convinced the
Kansas City, Missouri, City Council -- among them bike antagonist Ed
Ford, who could clearly use a little exercise -- to pass Bike KC. From
now on, new or rebuilt streets in Kansas City are supposed to be
bike-friendly. In the next year, the city will paint bike lanes onto
dozens of streets and put up signs marking bike routes. City Hall has
also promised to get rid of bike hazards such as storm grates.
Eventually, ubiquitous bike racks and public showers might even signal
that Kansas City has turned the corner and joined other bike-loving
big cities. Despite federal grants that'll help give the city a push,
our own observations of City Hall lead us to believe the bike
initiative may be in for an uphill ride -- but Bike KC supporters are
in for the long haul. We give them a tip of the helmet.

It's surprising to think that this was 5 years ago. Then another Jeff posted this.

I emailed this link out earlier this week and drew some responses. The city is moving with the hiring of a Bike/Ped Coordinator this year. She's been on the job now 3 months. The problem I have is the lack of expediency that was demonstrated by the city. If it hadn't been for some advocates pushing the city and a threatened loss of Federal funding. little would have happened.

So the lesson is this. City Hall and Politicians will do the minimum to pacify activists. To trust their good intentions is not enough. The Bike KC initiative should have been further along.

Who rides this town anyway?

2007-10-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Great work from our good friend, Chris Thomas (alias ChrisGo!)

Comments and thoughts

2007-09-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

We haven't been blogging in awhile but from somewhere comes this:

Hi. I apologize this comment has nothing to do with the topic but I'm searching for an answer... I recently moved to Kansas City – the Brookside area – and I have discovered the bike trails with great enthusiasm! I am VERY surprised by the lack of bike racks in this area (in the short time I have been here, I have attempted to fraternize multiple businesses along the entire length of the Trolley Trail bike/walk trail only to be deterred by lack of ability to lock my bike upon entering the business) – there must be an explanation of which I am missing. Please explain, or point me to resources which will inform me as to why this basic resource is so lacking.

Thank you.

I don't get it either. The explanation is that we live in the least progressive city in the least progressive country in the civilized world. Bike racks don't cost much. There is a BikeKC Plan in place. Hardly anyone could argue that the Trolley Trail has been anything but a boon to the city and the area. Yet we keep moving forward with glacial speed. When I moved here back in the 70's, the city's slogan was "one of the few liveable cities left". Of course, since that time, the city has sprawled further and further out. Maybe our new slogan could be, "Lots of roads, we got lots of roads."

Yet, glacially, I see a few signs of progress. Critical Mass gets bigger every month. We have a thriving alleycat community. We debate helmet wearing and brakes among us now. This is a fun city to ride.

New Route for Sunday

2007-08-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Custard Cruise

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

This is the Custard Cruise route for Sunday. Meet at the Brookside parking lot across the street from Foo's Frozen Custard at 2PM.

Vigil for 2 Cyclists on Saturday Morning

2007-08-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Greater Kansas City Bike Federation will lead a ride out to the collision site at 8AM Saturday Morning August 11 from the Parking Lot behind Roasterie/Bella Napoli in Brookside.
The route for the vigil for Saturday Morning is here: http://www.routeslip.com/routes/57346
We'll try to be ready to leave at 8:00 AM. We'll be carrying a couple Ghost Bikes out in Trailers.

Here's the Star story

2nd Bicyclist Dies From Collision With Pickup
Grandfather, 14-Year-Old Granddaughter Killed

UPDATED: 4:41 pm CDT August 7, 2007
GRANDVIEW, Mo. -- A collision between a pickup and two bicyclists has claimed a second life.
On Tuesday, police said Sierra Gaunt, 14, died as a result frominjuries suffered in Monday night's collision. She is on life support pending organ donor arrangements, police said.

Gaunt's grandfather, 59-year-old Larry C. Gaunt, of Lee's Summit, Mo., died at the scene when the two bicyclists were hit by a pickup truck on Raytown Road near Harry Truman Drive.
Relatives said Larry Gaunt had ridden in the last 15 years of the MS 150 Bike Ride, and this year was going to be his granddaughter's first ride.

The two had just visited a local bicycle shop before the collision.

"He was very competitive. He rode hard -- he liked to be out front," said Chris Smedley with The Bicycle Shack. "A very strong riderfor his age -- he could keep up with anyone. He could ride with the top groups in any club ride."
Smedley said Larry Gaunt had brought his granddaughter into the shop a few weeks ago to buy bicycle gear.
"Said he was getting her into the MS 150. He bought her a helmet and gloves," Smedley said.

Bicyclists often use the section of Raytown Road where the two were hit, Smedley said.

"The road usually has debris on it, so bikes will take the inside lane because the car tires keep it clear," Smedley said.
It's not clear why the pickup driver didn't see the two bicyclists.
The collision remains under investigation.
Police said the driver, a 48-year-old Grandview man, was cooperating with officers. No charges have been filed.

Kansas City's sidewalk problem

2006-12-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

It's easy to see why Kansas City has a sidewalk problem when you read the following Kansas City Star article.

What if we built roads the same way?

The sidewalks you see throughout Kansas City were installed by developers as they built homes and shopping areas, said Dennis Gagnon, a spokesman for the Public Works Department.

Gagnon said the department has a sidewalk group that maintains and repairs existing sidewalks, but, in most instances, the cost is eventually covered by the property owner through special tax assessments.

“Since the area you have mentioned was developed without sidewalks, having sidewalks installed and paid for by the city is not a likely event,” Gagnon said.

The only city program that might pay for the sidewalks is the Public Improvements Advisory Committee.

KC Star on the Trails Again

2006-12-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

Rick Alm, who covers gaming and tourism for the Star Business section writes today about the economic impact of bicycle trails and the upcoming Tour of Missouri.

Be the first to Bike new Olathe Overpass

2006-12-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

When: 10:30 AM, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006

Where: 127th and Mur-Len (east side of the overpass) in Olathe, KS

The horse-drawn Mahaffie Stagecoach will be the first "Official" vehicle over the long-awaited 127th Street/I-35 Overpass in Olathe. Lets make bicycles the second to cross. (Well, we may have to wait for dignitaries and invited guests.)

While there is no documentation to prove it, I'd bet bicycles were travelling down the Santa Fe Trail and Kansas City Road before automobiles. After all bicycles, in one form or another, existed long before our gas guzzling roadway partners. Let's show our presence by respectfully showing the leaders of Olathe, Johnson County and Kansas, bicycles are a viable component of our transportation system. Does anyone ride a hgih-wheel? That would be even better!

The more the merrier.for a peaceful, respectful demonstration of bicyclist's presence and rights to the road and to show support for the Draft Olathe Bicycle Transportation Plan (www.olatheks.org - Click "More News")

This much anticipated addition to Olathe's roadway system is touted as saving the average Olathe resident 10-minutes a day from either direct use of the overpass or reduced traffic on other interstate crossings. For bicyclists the saving is even greater. The overpass will save bicyclists 5.25 to 5.5 miles (not counting the overloaded 119th st. and Santa Fe interchanges). In town, this averages 20-30 minutes of travel time for bicyclists.

See Olathe press release below.

Dale Crawford, JCBC Advocacy Chair

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The offical City of Olathe Press Release issued Today, Dec. 18:

Grand Opening of New 127th St. Overpass Planned for Thursday, December 21
Weather permitting, the City of Olathe will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 127th Street overpass over I-35 at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, December 21. The ceremony will be held at 127th and Mur-Len.

After cutting the ribbon, the Mahaffie stagecoach will be the first official "vehicle" to travel on 127th Street over I-35. The 127th Street overpass will help reduce east/west traffic congestion on Santa Fe and 119th Street. Studies indicate the new 127th Street overpass will reduce east/west travel times by 10 minutes for all drivers in Olathe.

KC Star

2006-12-13T18:16:00.000-08:00

Riding for exhilaration, exercise, FUN
Waldo watering hole is gathering spot for weekly bicycle rides throughout the year.
By LOUISE POLLOCK GRUENEBAUM
Special to The Star

"I dedicated the name of our club to all my friends who can’t have a boat. I used to play squash and fantasized about naming a club the Brush Creek Yacht Club."
Doug Stone, Chairman of the Prairie Village Yacht Club bicycling group

Lit by the radiance of autumn’s morning light, Lycra-clad bicyclists zoom across the horizon. Decorating the day in their day-glow colors, they resemble butterflies in motion.

These amateur athletes crave the rush of cold air and the sounds of the city as they pedal throughout the Kansas City area. And their numbers are growing as others join in their healthful and exhilarating way to exercise, while making friends along the way.

Ben Wilson says he wears cold-weather gear during the fall and winter while doing night rides.

“I love biking so I pedal whichever way the wind is blowing. We nickname guys like me “Show and Go’s. On Tuesday evenings I ride with 50 to 80 bicyclists on one-hour rides from the 75th Street Brewery in Waldo.”

Wilson jokes that his colleagues browbeat anyone not wearing a helmet. Lights located on the front and back of the bicycle are required. The fun continues with drinks and dinner at the restaurant. Because of the sport’s popularity, up to 200 people congregate weekly on Thursday nights at the Blue Moose restaurant in Prairie Village. Another hot spot on Wednesday evening is Chelly’s Café, a Mexican restaurant just west of 85th Street and Wornall Avenue.

“We meet afterwards in the Blue Moose lounge to eat, drink and socialize,” Wilson says. “I love biking so my weekends are spent riding with friends from the Prairie Village Yacht Club. It’s a social club with no dues or regulations.”

Another popular meeting place is the parking lot on 63rd Street and Brookside Boulevard in Brookside.

What does yachting have to do with biking? Just ask avid bicycler and club chairman Doug Stone.

“I dedicated the name of our club to all my friends who can’t have a boat,” he explains. “I used to play squash and fantasized about naming a club the Brush Creek Yacht Club. While I was filling out forms in preparation for long-distance tour to Colorado, the name ‘yacht’ just came to me as a fictitious title. So I named the club and the rest is history.”

An injury turned Stone to bicycling.

“In 1991 I had my torn cartilage in my knee repaired. Since then I became a serious rider, changing my focus to this low impact sport. I did the MS 150 ride and remember meeting other guys my age who ride on Sundays. They asked me to join their group.”

According to Stone, this group morphed into a 300-member, bi-state Yacht Club that doesn’t discriminate against anyone’s age or speed. These riders pedal from Kearney to Lee’s Summit. During the winter Kansas Citians can see swarms of brightly colored riders crisscrossing the city if the temperature remains above 5 degrees and roads remain ice free.

Stone says his jerseys are bright yellow with yachting flags and a wheel insignia.

“We ride 19 miles in the winter and 17 miles in the summer from Brookside” he says. “I’ve always been into exercise because it makes me feel well and I can concentrate at work.”

Year-round another hot spot is the Prairie Village Hen House. Riders congregate at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings for a long-distance ride.

Laurie Chipman has been riding since she was 6 years old. As a board member of the Missouri Bike Federation, she’s serious about bike safety. She believes bike paths in the Kansas City area could be improved and expanded. Currently Chipman is working with the Mid-America Regional Council in creating a bike map emphasizing routes and trails throughout the area.

“On the main streets there are traffic issues,” Chipman says. “We are working on a safe bike lane across the river on the Paseo Bridge. The Kansas City metro area is 15 years behind most cities on providing safe lanes for pedalers.”

Chipman has four bikes including a city cruiser, a touring bike and a mountain bike with fat tires (easier to ride than a 20-speed racing bike).

“It’s not always about speed,” she says. “The group at Brookside on weekends generally is an older crowd and rides slower. I ride my bike with raised handlebars in midtown to Westport and Brookside.”

Laurie adds that it makes sense to use bicycles for transportation. She and her husband got rid of one car to save on gas.

Chipman says members from the bike clubs of Johnson County and Kansas City collaborate in hosting a mega-sized bike ride in other counties. She says they are more formal and accommodate up to 500 people.

Bike advocate Maggi Hacker loves to ride because she feels like a kid again. Being over 50, she feels all her problems disappear when she rides year-round.

“I ride hard and as fast as I can most of the time. I also try to avoid injury,” Hacker says. “It’s challenging riding bikes in a town where there are so many aggressive drivers. It requires concentration, focus and nerves of steel at times.”

Hacker rides in a group to be more conspicuous and for the companionship.

“I like the people I ride with and I think bicycling is growing in this region,” she says.
Want to know more?

For more information on bicycling, check out these Web sites:

•mobikefed.org

•jcbikeclub.org (click on ride calendar)

•kcbc.org

•pvyc.org

•bikeleague.org

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy played on bicycle parts

2006-12-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

I was recently approached by award winning advertising agency, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to do a composition for their client, Specialized. Specialized is a bike manufacturer and they needed some Christmas music, but with a twist: They wanted me to create the music from only bike sounds. They didn’t even know if it was possible, so they left the song choice up to me to see what I could come up with. Since Jingle Bells is a little overdone this time of year, I thought Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” would be a great alternative. At first I didn’t think it could be done, but as I recorded sounds from my road bike and mountain bike it started to take shape. Here’s the instrumentation and score:

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Glockenspiel & Clarinet melody = spokes.
Cello & Violin pizzicatos = plucked derailleur cables.
Triangle = disc brake hit.
Percussion = shifting, coasting, finger over turning spokes, chain pulls, braking, clipping into pedals, back-spinning, air out of tires.

This has to be heard to be believed . . . listen here or watch the video here (Specialized Bicycle Components web site).

BikeKC Routes mapped

2006-12-09T22:27:00.000-08:00

Eric has posted a map of the BikeKC route network.

Greenhouse gas reduction goal-setting continues for Kansas City, MO

2006-12-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

Meetings Dec. 14 and 21 will help prioritize City and individual actions

The City of Kansas City, Mo., Climate Protection Plan steering committee's four work groups soon will meet for the first time to begin their development of recommendations for greenhouse gas reduction measures.

A joint meeting of the four work groups will be held Dec. 14 from 4-6 p.m. at Bartle Hall in Room 2214. The steering committee will meet Dec. 21 from 3-5 p.m. at City Hall in the 10th floor committee room. Both meetings are open to the public.

The following are the four work groups: energy; transportation; carbon offsets and waste management; and policy and outreach. Each work group consists of 12-15 members who represent a broad range of stakeholders. At the Dec. 14 meeting, the groups will receive a briefing on the City's climate protection planning process and will prioritize greenhouse gas reduction strategies/actions to be considered at future work group meetings in January, February and March.

At the Dec. 21 meeting, the 11-member Climate Protection Plan steering committee will be briefed on the development of a baseline inventory of the City's greenhouse gas emissions and will begin a discussion on setting greenhouse gas reduction goals.

After receiving recommendations from the work groups next year, the steering committee will decide which climate protection actions to submit to the mayor and City Council. The actions will include measures to be implemented by the City and greenhouse gas reduction measures for implementation by organizations and individuals throughout the community. The intent is to complete a phase I Climate Protection Plan in April 2007 for consideration by Mayor Kay Barnes and the City Council.

For more information about the City's Climate Protection Plan, call Dennis Murphey, chief environmental officer, (816) 513-3459.

Out in the Streets

2006-12-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

I needed a run tonight. I had to be at work early this morning and had to drive although it turned out to be a nice day, relative to what we've had lately.So I got home around 5:30 and changed clothes quickly and hit the roads, or the sidewalks to be exact.

Heading north on Troost Avenue where people were boarding ATA buses, walking home and buying groceries, it occurred to me as I saw a couple of men wrapping the handles of grocery bags on the handlebars of their bicycles that these are the people for whom we're fighting for bike lanes on the Paseo Bridge. Not for recreational cyclists, although recreational cycling is certainly a worthy endeavor. Fitness is a worthy goal. Staying active is important. But there are people for whom riding a bicycle is their only personal transportation. 25% of the population doesn't have a driver's license in this city. The percentage is higher east of Troost and the percentage of the population that does own a car is lower on this side. Car ownership is not necessarily a given anymore, not that it has ever been so. The people I saw riding wore no spandex, no special equipment, no helmets, for that matter. It just happened that riding a bike was their only option.

KCStar supports regional trails system

2006-12-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

The KCStar recently ran an editorial supporting the region's trails plan, MetroGreen:

Trails supporters also are still working to overcome some opposition to trails plans.

In Johnson County, several mayors have opposed the possibility of voting in a few years on some kind of bistate funding for trails. The elected officials point out that the county has its own tax for building pathways.

However, a regional tax for trails could help the county build more miles of trails more quickly - and make more progress connecting them with trails in other area counties.

Trails remain extremely popular, especially with nearby residents. Supporters continue to press developers to include land for trails within housing subdivisions.

More trails should be constructed along streams as part of flood-control plans now under study in Kansas City. And the Katy Trail should be connected to the area’s pathway system.

Finding a fair way to finance a bigger and better MetroGreen system of trails should be a top priority for this region’s elected officials.

Settlement reached in death of bicyclist Jake Clough

2006-11-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

According to the KCStar:

Children's Mercy Hospital and the family of a Kansas boy who died last year when a hospital feeding tube became dislodged in his abdomen have reached a settlement in a wrongful death case.

Neither side would reveal the details of the settlement.

Jake Clough, 15, of Fairway, Kan., was hospitalized in February 2005 after colliding with a truck on his bicycle in neighboring Prairie Village.

He emerged from a coma in mid-March at the University of Kansas Medical Center and was transferred to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, where he died a week later.

Olathe Bicycle Transportation Plan stakeholder meeting Nov 29th, 2006

2006-11-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

Olathe Bicycle Transportation Plan
Stakeholder Meeting

The City of Olathe's Departments of Public Works and Parks & Recreation will host a stakeholder meeting to present the draft plan to and receive comments from the bicycling community and interested citizens on the draft Olathe Bicycle Transportation Plan. The preliminary plan integrates various types of bicycle facilities, including on-road and trail facilities, into one comprehensive plan addressing the needs of a wide variety of bicyclists in our community. The meeting will begin with a brief presentation from staff describing the Olathe's history in bicycle planning, how the plan evolved, staff's reasoning behind the proposed plan and the plan's proposed system of bicycle facilities. The presentation will be followed with a hands-on opportunity for attendees to provide input on the development of Olathe first bicycle transportation plan.

November 29, 2006
7:00-9:00 PM
Governor's Room
1st Floor
Olathe City Hall
100 E. Santa Fe (1 block east of Kansas and Santa Fe)
Olathe, KS

We hope as many members of the bicycling community, particularly those who bicycle in, through or around Olathe can.

For additional information, please contact:

Dale Crawford, Park Project Coordinator
(913) 971-6659
dcrawford@olatheks.org

2006-11-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

Safe Streets-Safe City presentation at the Kansas City Neighborhood Development and Housing Committee (click on "Safe Streets" to jump directly to that part of the video).

The family of Robert Osborn, who was killed November 20th, 2005, as he was bicycle commuting home from work, has been doing groundbreaking and important work in researching the problem of violent crime in Kansas City. You can find out more on the Safe Streets web site or donate in support of their work and in memory of Robert here.

What Congestion really looks like.

2006-11-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

Jim, at OIFS, passes this one along.

As someone commented, "Too bad Denver isn't doing a whole lot to make this a reality..." Nevertheless, just demonstrating it may do something.

Last week, the city voted for light rail after 6 attempts. The Pitch had a pretty good take on it. It shows that despite the largest number of highway miles per capita in the nation, we still would like to get out of our cars. I would predict that the return on the investment of a light rail system would be greater than that for the Sprint Center or the improvements at the Truman Sports Center. Meanwhile, I'll keep riding.

KCMO to start traffic signal camera program

2006-11-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

According to a KCStar article:

Red-light cameras rolled closer to reality Wednesday as a Kansas City Council committee gave city staff the go-ahead to seek vendor proposals.

The request for proposals should appear this week on www.kcmo.org, and will be mailed to major vendors, Assistant City Manager John Franklin said. The city will probably seek responses within three weeks and choose a vendor by the end of the year. . . .

Next year, Kansas City expects to join St. Louis, Sugar Creek and a handful of other Missouri cities that photograph vehicles running red lights. The City Council has said it hopes the program will reduce accidents, but council members have emphasized that they want to proceed methodically, periodically reviewing legal and technical issues and using the cameras only as part of a comprehensive public safety program.

If this could be the first step in a comprehensive drive to educate KC drivers and actually enforce traffic laws it could go a long ways to making KC's streets safer for everyone.

We'll see.