Kansas City resolution in favor of bike/ped crossing passes; BikeKC revitalized

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resolution proposed by Councilman John Fairfield, in support of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations on the proposed new Paseo Bridge leading from downtown Kansas City, Missouri, to North Kansas City, passed unanimously today.

The resolution is a very important indication of high level support of bicycle and pedestrian access across the Missouri River in the Kansas City region.

Currently no Missouri River bridge in the area provides safe bicycle and pedestrian access.

Incidentally, Fairfield is running for Kansas City mayor.

The impact of this vote is as significant for the Kansas City metro area as the vote four years ago for KCMO to support the BikeKC plan. The Paseo resolution moved forward much faster than BikeKC did because of Councilman Fairfield's strong and effective support from within the city council.

As a bonus, as part of this process the BikeKC plan itself was brought back to life after a near-death experience.

About half of the BikeKC funding (about $1.4 million total) has already been spent, on important but lower visibility projects like planning and replacing drain grates. The remainder--over $780,000--will be spent on higher visibility projects like "share the road" signs, bike route signs, and lane re-striping. A few of these BikeKC projects may be started within the next couple of weeks.