DeSoto, KS, reconsiders bicycle ban, but no change for now

DeSoto, KS, has banned bicycling on a key section of 83rd Street for many years now. Various bicycle groups have tried to work with the city over the years to try to have the ban removed.

Recently the issue came up in the DeSoto City Council and it appeared there was support for removing the ban.

The DeSoto Explorer has the update--no change for now, but perhaps in a few months, after a current major construction project on 83rd Street is completed:
With the project’s completion, the city council will revisit the ban of bicycles on 83rd Street east of Kill Creek Road.

Although there seemed to enough support on the council to rescind the ban during discussion last month, the council voted 3-2 last Thursday to continue to leave it in place — at least for now.

Councilman Ron McDaniel, who joined Betty Cannon and Mike Drennon in voting against lifting the ban, said he would reassess his position once the improvements were finished.
In defense of the DeSoto city council, the planned road construction on 83rd Street will have it down to one lane in long sections--meaning it won't be much fun to drive or ride on the near future. City Council members are likely thinking about nothing more than waiting until the disruption of the construction is over before making the change.

(In a strange twist, the city of DeSoto, Missouri, adopted a Complete Streets policy recently. So the two DeSotos are something like evil twins--though the Kansas DeSoto will lose its evil status if this proposed change goes through.)

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