News

Since Columbia, Missouri, became one of four communities nationwide to implement a $22 million experimental nonmotorized pilot project, area residents have been asking when the projects will be complete.

As with all major construction projects--especially those involving federal funding--progress from concept to design to construction always takes far longer than the public anticipates.

Several of the major construction projects planned as part of the GetAbout Columbia project will be completed within the next year.

This article from the Columbia Missourian gives a rundown of the upcoming projects and their projected completion dates:

[S]everal projects are under construction and are planned to be finished by the end of the year. Construction on many other projects is scheduled to begin by that time.

MoBikeFed is hosting a Town Hall Meeting on bicycle & pedestrian issues with Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser.

Town Hall Meeting
with Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser, hosted by the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation

Wed, August 4, 2010, 6:30 pm

Plaza Library
Large Meeting Room, Main Level
4801 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64112

Register here

More details:

Approval would allow city to contine building trails for transportation and recreation.

On August 3rd the voters of Independence will be asked to renew a 1/8-cent parks and recreation sales tax that includes funding for trail construction and maintenance. 

In recent years the sales tax been used to build new trails like the Rock Creek Trail in the west and trails along Little Blue Parkway, 39th Street, and Arrowhead Drive in the east. A renewed sales tax would allow the city to continue extending these trails and build new ones, including better connections to the MetroGreen regional trail network and the future Katy Trail extension into Kansas City.

Sales tax information.

Independence Examiner story.

The city's parks master plan (19mb PDF) details the type of projects that are planned for the future.

MoBikeFed urges all Independence voters to study this issue, make an informed decision, and vote on August 3rd.

St Charles County is proposing to ban bicyclists from several state highways that run through the western part of the county.

If the county is successful in banning bicyclists, it will not only be terrible for St Charles County, but will set a very bad precedent that other cities & counties may try to follow across the U.S.

What can you do?

The ban on bicycling on 83rd Street in De Soto, Kansas, was put in place by the city council several years ago.

About one year ago, the city council reconsidered the ban and decided to wait until a current construction project was complete before removing the ban.

Despite the promises to remove the ban when the construction was complete, last December, when the construction project was complete, the city reconsidered and decided to retain the ban.

Now the issue has come up again on the DeSoto City Council agenda for July 15th, 2010.

A committee recommendation was to lower the speed limit on 83rd Street so that it meets current engineering recommendations and simultaneously remove the bicycle ban.  The recommendation was to enforce single file riding only for bicyclists.

The City Council decided to reject these recommendations and leave both the bicycle ban on 83rd Street and the current speed limit in place.  The vote against changing the speed limit was 3-2.

The discussion about 83rd Street starts at 18:36 and goes through 40:00 in the video of the De Soto City Council Meeting.

The following update on the proposed bike ban in St. Charles County comes from Patty Vinyard, MoBikeFed board member and Executive Director of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation. Read more about the issue or act now to stop the ban.

On 7/12/10, the St. Charles County Council had a 1^st reading of Councilman Joe Brazil’s Bill 3620, banning bicycles on several state highways in the southwestern part of St. Charles County. By session’s end, Mr. Brazil tabled the bill, suggesting he’d hold working sessions to explore the issue.

During public comments, 14 speakers (7 pro ban & 7 against) spoke before a crowded chambers. One couple, the first to comment, claimed their daughter had a serious accident while attempting to avoid hitting a cyclist after coming over a blind hill and displayed graphic images of her injuries. They implied the cyclist was at fault in this accident. Other bill supporters’ comments were far less dramatic. 

Real estate agent Laura Sterchi is offering free bike tours of local neighborhoods, including properties for sale or rent and neighborhood features like shops, restaurants, parks, etc..  This is a great way to explore your city and get to know your potential new neighborhood!

Her next tour is Saturday, July 17th in Columbus Park and River Market – two great neighborhoods just north and east of the Downtown Loop.  Columbus Park has an historic mix of single family homes, apartments, condos, and restaurants reflecting its heritage as home to both Italian and Vietnamese immigrants.  And of course the River Market has hundreds of lofts surrounding the City Market and with access to the Missouri River.

Learn more on Laura’s blog, sign up for a tour on Meetup.com, and join Biking KC Neighborhoods on Facebook.

(Cross-posted at KCBike.Info)

The Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center forwarded the following announcement:

In preparation for the national launch of Walk Friendly Communities (WFC), the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) is seeking up to 5 communities to pilot test the latest online draft of the WFC assessment tool.

Walk Friendly Communities is a national recognition program developed by PBIC to encourage towns and cities across the U.S. to establish or recommit to a high priority for supporting safer walking environments. The WFC program will recognize communities that are working to improve a wide range of conditions related to walking, including safety, mobility, access, and comfort. The program will officially be launched in the fall of 2010.

In order to ready the WFC program for a national release, and to ensure that the program can be a comprehensive tool for all communities, PBIC is seeking communities for pilot testing. Initial pilot tests were held in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, Orlando, Florida, and Davidson, North Carolina, to revise the assessment tool and provide a foundation for the program. The second round of pilot testing will test the usability of the online application and submission mechanisms. Pilot testing will involve the assessment of your community through completion and submission of the latest version of the WFC assessment tool. Communities who participate in pilot testing will be recognized for their efforts and will automatically be evaluated in the first round of WFC awards.