Missouri Bicycling, Walking, Running, and Trails News

UMKC student in crosswalk struck and killed by car

The KCStar has reported that a UMKC student was struck by a car while crossing at a crosswalk on 53rd and Troost in Kansas City.

UMKC has set up a fund to aid the student, Pei Chen, a 20-year-old freshman piano major from China.

Chen, who had been treated at St. Luke's Hospital since being critically injured in the February 3rd collision, died today, February 14th. According to the Kansas City Star story, police are investigating the situation to see what charges, if any, should be brought against the driver who killed Chen.

Troost is a four-lane road, and traffic in the first lane southbound lane had stopped--as required by Missouri law--to allow the woman to cross. She checked northbound traffic , and when it looked clear, was proceeding. A southbound vehicle tried to pass the stopped vehicles in the first lane by moving into the second lane. This vehicle struck the pedestrian, causing very serious injuries.

The Star's Feb. 5th update reported that the student was still in critical condition, with very serious injuries, and mentioned that the crosswalk has prominent flashing yellow lights. KMBC's web site has a few additional details and a photo of the van.

By law, vehicles must yield to pedestrians crossing on marked and unmarked crosswalks. Furthermore, if cars in one lane are stopped for a pedestrian, cars in the other lane must stop, too. Kansas City police indicated that the driver will probably receive a citation for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

The KMBC's web site adds this:
Students say they know the street is busy. Many dart across heavy traffic every day.

"I guess the safest way is just to run into the middle when there is a spot open here, and then run across again when you see a spot open on the other side," said Anita Vijayakumar, a medical student at the university.

Another student said he is aware of the need for caution when crossing Troost.

"Traffic's usually pretty heavy, but usually somebody stops. I usually wait for a little while and then it's clear," said Jordan Keiser, who also attends Rockhurst.

Missouri State law says this:
the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way . . . to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk.

Crosswalks may be "marked" or "unmarked". Every intersection is considered to have an "unmarked" crosswalk.

Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.

Every driver . . . shall exercise the highest degree of care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway

All U.S. cities, including Kansas City, have similar or identical laws.
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Things must be getting bad out there . . .

With gas prices going up (some are suggesting they'll rise above $2/gallon this spring), at least one KC-area mass media outlet reports that someone, somewhere got so desperate that they actually considered buying and riding a bicycle instead of driving.

We'll know it's really bad when they stop talking and start riding . . .
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Your right to travel by bicycle

This week's Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske has an interesting history of cases involving the cyclist's right to travel.

One of the strongest affirmations of the bicyclist's right to travel came from the Kansas Supreme Court in 1890. This opinion threw out a law passed by a city in Kansas, banning bicycle riding in the city:

Each citizen has the absolute right to choose for himself the mode of conveyance he desires, whether it be by wagon or carriage, by horse, motor or electric car, or by bicycle. The right of the people to the use of the public streets of a city is so well established and so universally recognized in this country that it has become a part of the alphabet of fundamental rights.
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St. Louis-area cyclist assaulted by student in school bus

A bicyclist was assaulted yesterday by a St. Louis public schools student who leaned from a school bus window and struck the cyclist with a broom handle. The assault was accompanied by a roar of laughter from students in the bus.

St. Louis police have issued a complaint number for assault in the third degree. The police indicated that officers assigned to the St. Louis public schools will work to identify the students involved.

The attack is reminiscent of a series of recent attacks in northern Colorado, in which teenagers drove by cyclists and struck them with a baseball bat. The teenagers involved in that incident have been apprehended and charged with a variety of crimes, included felony assault.
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Kansas City Walkability Plan--Important Meeting Tues., Feb 18th

I received the following message from KCMO's Lynnis Jameson today:
Walkability Friends:

Remember that a public hearing before the City Plan Commission on the adoption of the Kansas City Walkability Plan will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 9:30 a..m. on the 26th Floor of City Hall, 414 E. 12th Street (southeast corner of 11th and Oak). The hearing will start promptly at 9:30 a.m.

You all have expressed interest and support for Walkability in Kansas City. Now is the time to express your opinions formally as the adoption process begins. I know that the time and place may be very inconvenient for those of you who live and work far from downtown, but public input at the two public hearings in the adoption process is crucial if the plan is to be adopted. If the City Plan Commission recommends approval of the Walkability Plan, the second public hearing will be held some time in March before the Planning Zoning and Economic Development Committee of City Council. That will be an afternoon hearing.

I would most appreciate an e-mail from you letting me know whether to expect you at the City Plan Commission hearing. Let me know also whether you have further questions or concerns.

Lynnis Jameson, Senior Planner
City Planning and Development Dept.

You can see and download a copy of the draft Kansas City Walkability Plan here.
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Public meeting scheduled for KC-area I-35 interchange, Thurs 13 Feb

The City of Olathe has scheduled a public information meeting regarding the I-35 and Lone Elm Interchange Project for Thursday, February 13 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Olathe City Hall, 100 East Santa Fe.

[Please see our news report on the results of this meeting, 15 Feb 2003.]

The public is invited to attend the open house style meeting anytime between 6 and 8:30 p.m. A brief introductory presentation will be offered at 6:15 p.m.; otherwise it is an informal open house. The session will introduce the project team and provide background information about the project. The proposed interchange at I-35 and Lone Elm Road will provide better access to the 159th and Lone Elm Road area in southern Olathe. Currently access to I-35 is provided through local roads that connect at 151st or 175th Streets.

"This area of Olathe is growing very quickly and with the high traffic volumes, an additional access point will provide safer, more convenient travel," said Dave Nolte, project manager with the City of Olathe. "We have anticipated the need for this access point through our planning processes and are now ready to design an interchange that will serve the community." The need for an interchange at this location was determined through a number of regional and local transportation plans including the Comprehensive Arterial Road Network Plan (CARNP) for Johnson County, the City of Olathe's Capital Improvement Program, Land Use Plans and Street Network Study, and the Mid-America Regional Council's (MARC) 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

The interchange proposed for I-35 and Lone Elm Road is a folded, or half diamond interchange which will provide complete access to both northbound and southbound I-35. The City of Olathe has hired HNTB Corporation to design the proposed interchange. The design phase of the project will take approximately two and half years. Construction could occur in 2006-2007 depending upon availability of funding.

The project team welcomes questions and comments from residents, businesses and the traveling public. Three additional public meetings will be held to provide updated information as the project progresses. For more information please contact Dave Nolte at (913) 971-8570, (dnolte@olatheks.org) or check the City website's page about the interchange.

Dale Crawford, a cyclist from Olathe, adds that Lone Elm has been a cycle-friendly road, very often used by cyclists. The interchange work has the potential to add a lot of heavy truck traffic to the road, making it much more difficult for cyclists to use. He suggests these ideas for making the interchange project more bicycle-friendly; feel free to mention these, or similar ideas, when you write to Olathe with your feedback about the project:
a.) Bike lanes on Lone Elm from Dennis Ave. Bike Lanes south, through the overpass on I-35 at 159th, and continuing to 175th are needed. This will allow the safe, continued use of Lone Elm Road by road bicyclists riding and maintain current routes as designated in the Johnson/Wyandotte County Bicycle Transportation Plan. I'm recommending bike lanes due to the existence of two major parks along this corridor and the likelihood of increased on-road bicycle traffic generated by these parks.

b.) Provide for the extension of the proposed Cedar Lake/Cedar Creek Trail through the interchange as a separate 10'-wide bike/pedestrian facility to provide recreation cyclists, children cyclists and pedestrians accommodation. This will allow the linkage of two of Olathe's major parks, Cedar Lake and the new Lone Elm Park at 167th Street. Lone Elm Park, which will be a significant traffic generator due to the proposed 13 softball fields (5 in Phase 1, under construction) and 8 soccer fields (under construction). Designing the new roadway system to accommodation all types of users will help alleviate conflict and congestion. The trail can be designed with underpasses under access ramps and separation from driving lanes similar to Adams Dairy Road & I-70 in Blue Springs.

c.) Provide full pedestrian accommodation on both sides of Lone Elm Road and 159th Street. Take measures to minimize pedestrian/vehicular hazards by provide upgrade pedestrian accommodation throughout the interchange area through median refugees, signage, signalization with adequate pedestrian crossing timing, etc.
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Moving speed bumps . . .

Steven Buchtel of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation gives a hearty endorsement of the idea of "neighborhood pace cars"--citizens who have signed a contract to drive safely, obey the speed limit, yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and pass pedestrians and cyclists safely. The citizens display a "Neighborhood Pace Car" placard in their rear window, most often accompanied by a humorous bumper sticker saying something like, "Honk If I'm Driving Too Fast!"

Neighborhood Pace Cars have been making a big difference in cities around the U.S. and Australia. The Pace Cars are a simple, inexpensive idea that can start as a neighborhood-based grass-roots movement, and that has the potential to change the culture of an entire city, one neighborhood at a time.

Neigborhood Pace Cars are the brainchild of David Engwicht; you can read more about them [MSWord document] on David's web site.
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KC area Bicycle and Pedestrian Commuter Competition coming in May

During the third week of May 2003, MARC (the Mid-America Regional Council, Kansas City area) will promote its Explore KC bicycle and pedestrian campaign by teaming up with Kansas City Corporate Challenge (KCCC) to organize a region-wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Commuter Competition (BPCC).

The goal of the Explore KC public education campaign is to increase the number of citizens that bike or walk to work, to school and for exercise. Partnering with KCCC is expected to bolster participation in the BPCC while exposing a new audience to bicycle, pedestrian, environmental and health messages.

BPCC participants will report their miles biked or walked when they arrive at work each day. The winning company and individual will be those with the most miles biked and walked to work. MARC representatives will present awards at the KCCC awards banquet to the first through third place teams and individuals.

The BPCC will create a fun and competitive arena for citizens to explore alternative modes of transport. Commuters who wish to combine bicycling or walking with public transit will be encouraged to do so and provided information on bus routes that accommodate bikes.
Information about how to register will be available on the MARC BPCC web site soon. To learn more, contact Aaron Bartlett at 816/474-4240.
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Please participate in important cycling survey

This came from the Thunderhead Alliance, a national federation of bike advocacy groups, and is very important.

Please take a minute to complete the 2nd Annual Bicycling Magazine survey on voting, bicycling usage, and demographic information. Go to www.bicycling.com and on the right-hand side, in the middle of the column, you'll find the "Take our Political Survey and Sound Off" link.

This survey is really important. We're going to use the data collected as part of the National Bike Summit on March 5-7. The data collected in the survey quantifies bicyclists as voters, tax payers, and users of roadways who want federal funding to continue for bike lanes, bike trails, and better education for both bicyclists and motorists. Last year, nearly 1800 people took the survey. This year, we want to hit DC with responses from 5000 cyclists across America.

Our message to Congress, delivered in person through hundreds of meetings at the National Bike Summit with every member of Congress, and backed up with the survey data in hand, is that cyclists are a huge constituency of voters who spend our incomes to use bicycles for transportation, recreation, and sport. We want continued federal funding for bicycle facilities (more than $2 billion since 1991), routine accommodation (safe bike access on any roads or bridges built), and Safe Routes to School programs (so our children grow up riding bicycles). As voters, taxpayers, and small business owners, we demand no less.

Please take a minute to complete the survey so we'll have powerful data for the National Bike Summit. I'd also like to thank our friends at Bicycling magzine for hosting this important survey.

And if you haven't endorsed the America Bikes agenda (www.americabikes.org.) please do this as well. These are two easy ways for you to speak out about your passion for bicycling. Thanks!

Gary Sjoquist
Quality Bicycle Products
Bikes Belong
America Bikes
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Study confirms link between exercise and changes in brain

A recent study shows how regular exercise can have positive effects on brain function. From a press release by Illinois scientists involved in the research:
Three key areas of the brain adversely affected by aging show the greatest benefit when a person stays physically fit. The proof, scientists say, is visible in the brain scans of 55 volunteers over age 55.

A new study in the February issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences . . . is the first to show -- using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging -- anatomical differences in gray and white matter between physically fit and less fit aging humans. Gray matter consists of thin layers of tissue of cell bodies such as neurons and support cells that are critically involved in learning and memory. White matter is the myelin sheath containing the nerve fibers that transmit signals throughout the brain. As people age, especially after age 30, these tissues shrink in a pattern closely matched by declines in cognitive performance, Kramer said. . . .

Women on estrogen replacement therapy benefited [from exercise] more than women not on it.

Other main conclusions from the meta-analysis:
* Exercise programs involving both aerobic exercise and strength training produced better results on cognitive abilities than either one alone.
* Older adults benefit more than younger adults do, possibly, Kramer said, because older adults have more to gain as age-related declines become more prevalent.
* More than 30 minutes of exercise per session produce the greatest benefit, a finding consistent with many existing guidelines for adults.

"These intriguing data suggest there may be one more possible benefitfrom regular exercise," said Molly V. Wagster, program director for the Neuropsychology of Aging, Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program of the NIA, which supported the work.

See the entire press release here . . .
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John O. Andersen on "Organic Exercise"

Cyclist John O. Andersen suggests "organic exercise"--using human power to accomplish everyday activities--as an optimal way to re-connect with yourself and your community:

It's about the exercise you get while working, or traveling under your own steam to get somewhere. It's not exercise as an end unto itself, but as a means to something else.

It could be walking to the store, and bringing your groceries home in a cart. It could mean cycling to your friend's house. It might include walking to school. It could mean mowing your lawn with a push mower instead of a gas mower. It could involve doing a home project with hand tools instead of power tools.

It's all about getting your exercise just doing the things you would do anyway.
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Bicycle guides in downtown St. Louis

Today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch had an article about bicycle-mounted guides who help make downtown St. Louis a friendlier place:
With a warm hat and layers of clothing beneath his gold-and-black uniform, James Wentz spends much of his time nowadays pedaling his bicycle around downtown St. Louis. He says it's the best job he's had, single-digit temperatures notwithstanding. . . .

Wentz, 31, is part of the Downtown St. Louis Partnership's newest band of smiling, helpful guides that began roaming the streets and sidewalks of downtown at the end of last year.
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