Kansas City Bicycle Log |
|
|
Posts, email, and ideas related to bicycling and bicycle advocacy. I post these mostly for my own convenience in being able to keep them archived and searchable, but if you get some use of them, more power to you! Among other interesting items here is a fairly complete record of my involvement with the grassroots effort in support of the BikeKC initiative in the Summer of 2002. You can find everything from press releases to letters to the city council to exhortations to other bicyclists to write letters to the editor. See what worked well and what caused us problems in the effort to pass BikeKC. From my point of view, this was almost a picture-perfect grass-roots movement. The result was that BikeKC was passed on August 15th, 2002. Now we have to work to make sure the plan becomes reality! Most of that is in the 8/25/2002-8/31/2002 archive.
|
Thursday, October 17, 2002
Why On-Street Bicycle Transportation Projects are Beneficial
I would like to offer my comments on bicycle transportation projects in the CMAQ Bicycle/Pedestrian applications at http://www.marc.org/transportation/cmaq/overview.htm. I strongly support on-street bicycle transportation projects such as KCMO's Bicycle Transportation Plan (BP11). I feel that projects like this are a much more effective way to spend scarce transportation funding than are most proposed CMAQ bike/ped projects. Such bicycle transportation projects should be receiving the lion's share of MARC's attention and funding when it comes to bicycle-related matters. Here is why: 1. LEVERAGE. On-street bicycle facilities leverage pre-existing bicycle-friendly neighborhood streets. I have estimated that each mile of designated bicycle route in Kansas City intersects with an average 20 miles of quiet neighborhood streets that are already bicycle-friendly. Thus, the 100 miles of signed bike routes create good bicycle access and interconnection to approximately 2000 miles of adjoining streets. BP11 costs approx. $900,000; dividing by 2000 miles this is only $450 per mile. 2. ANTI-LEVERAGE. By contrast, the 135th Street "sidepath" Project (BP8) will cost $225,000 for 4100 feet; that is $290,000 per mile for a dangerous bicycle facility that is sub-standard for both bicyclists and pedestrians. 3. AASHTO COMPLIANCE. The short "sidepath" on 63rd Street that is part of BP11 is exactly the sort of exceptional sidepath endorsed by AASHTO--a short, interconnecting link with no cross-streets or driveways, designed to help cyclists cross a difficult obstacle (the Blue River). 4. REACH. This is a true transportation plan designed to help and encourage cyclists safely travel all over the city to any destination reachable by motor vehicle. 5. MULTIPLE BENEFITS. True bicycle transportation initiatives benefit all road users, not just bicyclists: * bicycles are practical transportation over the distances involved in KC * bicycle average speed is equal to or faster than mass transit * bicycling is already more often used in the U.S. the mass transit * more bicycle use equals less traffic congestion * more bicycle use helps solve parking problems * smoothing roads for bicyclists makes better roads for all road users * shoulders/bike lanes give motorists a wider clear zone and give pedestrians more separation from automobiles In short, when money is spent on true bicycle transportation, we get a lot of bang for our buck and create benefits for all road users. --Dr. Brent Hugh Raytown, Missouri |