Press release
For immediate release
Contact:
Brent Hugh
5916 Arlington
Raytown MO 64133
(816) 356-1740
(representative of grassroots movement supporting BikeKC;
as I like to put it, a non-spokesman for a non-organization)
"Pedalling Towards Progress": BikeKC Hits Kansas City Streets
Kansas City, Missouri, is the namesake of the 25th largest metropolitan area in the United States. It also happens to be among the last of the large American cities to pass a bicycle transportation plan. Last week, after ten years of planning and a year-long political struggle, BikeKC finally passed the Kansas City council by a vote of 11 to 1.
The vote was the culmination of ten years of planning and at least a year of political struggle to get the plan passed.
Kansas City, MO, is better known as motorist's wonderland and industrial wasteland than progressive city. Light rail proposals have been defeated by large margins several times in recent years.
BikeKC is the first alternative transportation proposal to be approved in Kansas City since, in the 1980s, the bus, and before that, the trolleys.
BikeKC is a proposal to create a network of on-street routes around Kansas City, MO, with bicycle-related improvements, reserve a little more right-of-way in future developments for pedestrian and biking improvements, educate motorists and riders about bicycling, encourage bicycle-related infrastructure such as bike racks and showers at work, and upgrade the city's street design standards to consider the needs of bicyclists. The idea is to better integrate bicycles into the mix of Kansas City's transportation choices.
Held in Committee
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In September of 2001, BikeKC was brought before the Kansas City Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee.
A large group of cyclists attended the first meeting. The hearings were continued for several committee meetings; as discussion on the plan progressed, at least two of the four committee members, including Chairman Ed Ford, developed strong opposition to BikeKC based on cost and safety concerns.
After several meetings, BikeKC was put on hold indefinitely.
Out of Committee
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In June, bicycle advocates spoke at a council business session, and Mayor Barnes and other council members asked Mr. Ford to send BikeKC to the full council, with a favorable recommendation or without.
A column by KC Star columnist Mike Hendricks alerted cyclists to this development, and a major grassroots campaign began, including many email messages, flyers, and media attention. On August 7th, over 60 cyclists rode to City Hall for the crucial committee hearing.
Bicycle proponents at the hearing talked about liveability issues, economic issues, how Kansas City compares to other cities (one speaker called Kansas City "the most bicycle-unfriendly city in the U.S."), safety issues, the need for alternative transportation, funding issues, integration between bicycling and public transportation, off-road paths vs. on-street facilities, and how BikeKC benefits motorists.
Public testimony was well-received by committee members and the final result was a "Do Pass" recommendation for BikeKC, by a vote of two to one.
Councilman Ford concluded the committee meeting by thanking BikeKC supporters for running a congenial and effective campaign. He asked those who had ridden to the meeting to stand (about 90% of those in attendance), and then asked those who supported the proposal, but hadn't come by bicycle, to stand with them. He joked that the only person left sitting was a reporter who was "trying to maintain his neutrality".
Before the City Council
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BikeKC came before the full City Council eight days later, on August 15th, 2002.
Before the main council meeting, a few opponents and proponents spoke at the council's business session. We presented City Council members with yellow jerseys reading, "Kansas City Rolls Forward--BikeKC 2002", but told them that to keep the jersey's, they had to pass BikeKC.
That afternoon there was another ride to City Hall, this time for the full City Council meeting and the final vote on BikeKC.
Mr. Ford, as chair of the committee that dealt with BikeKC, introduced the proposal. Ford reviewed his objections of cost and safety, but (as he had at the committee meeting) spent at least half of his speech praising bicycle advocates for running a polite and courteous campaign. There is no doubt that bicycle advocate's continual admonitions to be "polite and persuasive" when contacting city council members paid off.
Councilwoman Nace and several other council members spoke eloquently in favor of BikeKC. Ms. Nace called this a historic moment in the history of Kansas City. She mentioned the several failed attempts to pass light rail proposals and pointed out that BikeKC is the first alternative transportation plan that has been adopted by Kansas City since the bus, and before that, the trolley.
She said, "We may not be travelling at the speed of light, but we are pedalling towards progress."
Throughout the meeting, Ms. Nace wore her yellow jersey. Councilwoman Williams-Neal, another strong supporter of BikeKC, displayed her shirt like a banner on the front of her desk.
The final vote was 11 for, 1 against. In a hilarious and perhaps Freudian slip, Mr. Ford first voted for BikeKC and then had to interrupt the proceeding to correct his vote.
BikeKC supporters knew they had a majority on the City Council. But the strength of the support and the lopsidedness of the vote was surprising.
Many thanks to all those who have supported BikeKC in any way. It has taken a major effort by many individuals over a *long* period to get BikeKC on the books.
What We Can Expect From BikeKC
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I have called August 15th, 2002, the day BikeKC was passed by the KCMO City Council, the most important day for Kansas City cyclists since the invention of the bicycle. Finally, the bicycle is officially recognized as a legitimate transportation option in Kansas City, and design plans that take bicyclists' (and pedestrian's) needs into consideration have been entered into the city's Major Street Plan.
BikeKC is the lynchpin, not just of KCMO's, but of the entire metropolitan area's bicycle transportation plan. Now that BikeKC has been approved, we can expect to see Liberty, Independence, Raytown, Grandview, Lee's Summit, Kansas City, Kansas, and other neighboring cities complete bicycle routes that will interconnect with Kansas City's system.
Within about a year we will see the first phase of BikeKC's on-street routes hit the streets. This will include signed routes, striped bike lanes in some locations, placement of bike-safe grates, and other details. The first phase covers the area around downtown and the plaza south to 63rd street. The other phases may take as long as 20 or 30 years to complete.
From now on, any new or re-constructed streets should be built with bicyclists' needs in mind. Bicyclists (and pedestrians) should not be shy about asking that their needs be met in such construction, because federal law mandates it, regional transportation policy supports it, and now city policy encourages it.
BikeKC is a transportation plan (and complements the area's metrogreen program of recreational trails). A few off-street bike trails are part of the plan, including a 40+ mile route (including trails and on-street segments) from the River Market area, east along the Missouri River and southwest along the Blue River Valley to the Kansas State line.
Programs will be put into motion to educate bicyclists and motorists about bicycle transportation, to encourage businesses to provide things like bike racks for customers and showers for bike commuters, and in general to provide all the basics we take for granted when we drive our motor vehicles and have never yet considered for bicyclists.
Other cities have implemented ambitious plans like BikeKC and then never implemented them completely. So please stay tuned and keep the pressure on city government over the next 10-30 years as they work to execute plan they have finally approved.
For more information about BikeKC, visit http://www.bikekc.org
posted by Brent Hugh at
Sunday, August 25, 2002 |
permanently archived here
