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Announcement :: Elections & Legislation |
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Ask KDOT to support bike/ped accommodation in Kansas City |
Current rating: 3 |
by Vladamir Aaron
Email: vladamiraaron(A)gmail.com (unverified!)
Address: KCMO |
10 Feb 2006
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Please help bury KDOT with email in support of Kansas City's first ever "Complete Streets" policy (for major river bridges).
Community leaders support the policy but KDOT is basically working to undermine it. They will listen if we speak up, but if we don't our cause is lost. In less than two minutes you can let your voice be heard.
http://mobikefed.org/KDOT
Note: For this issue, it doesn't really matter whether you live in Kansas or Missouri. This policy, and KDOT's actions, are having a negative effect on both states. |
Background
Bridges across the Missouri and Kansas Rivers in the Kansas City area remain a major impediment to safe bicycle and pedestrian access in the region. Where a city like St. Louis has numerous Missouri and Mississippi River bridges that are accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians in various ways, the Kansas City area has not one single Missouri River crossing that is bicycle and pedestrian accessible.
What you can do
Click here to use MoBikeFed's 2-minute action form.
http://mobikefed.org/KDOT
Catalyzed by the upcoming construction of a new Paseo Bridge near downtown Kansas City, Missouri, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups, including the Kansas City Bicycle Club, the Johnson County Bicycle Club, the Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation, the Missouri Bicycle Federation and others, successfully lobbied for consideration of bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on this new bridge.
In taking up this issue, the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) decided that a region-wide policy for bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on major river bridges is needed. The KC River Crossings Task Force, with representatives of many area communities, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups, political leaders, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).
Community leaders are unanimous in their support for the thrust of this policy, which requires bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on new bridges, except where the cost is prohibitive, the bridge is in a remote location, or bicyclists and pedestrians are prohibited from using a roadway (like an interstate freeway).
KDOT, however, has reservations. They are not sure the public supports bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. They are not sure the bicycle and pedestrian facilities will receive enough use to justify their cost.
They need to hear from many citizens, persuading them in a positive way, that bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on Kansas bridges is needed and will be used.
What you can do
Click here to use MoBikeFed's 2-minute action form.
http://mobikefed.org/KDOT
Or, do it the old fashioned way:
Email these two KDOT representatives and ask them to support the new policy on bicycle and pedestrian access across river bridges in the Kansas City area:
Jerry Younger
District Engineer
KDOT District One
Jerome (at) ksdot.org
Debra L. Miller
Secretary of Transportation
dmiller (at) ksdot.org
More commentary From Brent Hugh http://brenthugh.com/:
KDOT & MoDOT resist community calls for bicycle/pedestrian access on new bridges
Three weeks ago we reported that the Kansas City area River Crossing Task Force was going well.
Now we must report the opposite, and we need your help to turn the situation around.
In two minutes you can voice your opinion here.
The draft proposal, which MoBikeFed, KCBikeFed, Kansas City Bicycle Club, and Johnson County Bicycle club representatives fully support, calls for routine accommodation of bicyclists and pedestrians on new bridges.
KDOT and MoDOT want to stick with our current system which basically says, if we want to and if we have the money and if you beg, grovel and plead specially every single time, then we might provide bicycle & pedestrian access if we can work it out.
Frankly, in the 21st Century that just isn't good enough.
Kansas City has no, none, zero, not one adequate, safe river crossing for bicyclists & pedestrians.
Not one KDOT bridge in the KC area provides for safe bicycle/pedestrian access.
St. Louis has no less than five and they are planning to make more.
Kansas City is losing ground here. Our policies are quaint and backword. This is not the way a city that dreams of being in the major leagues provides for its citizens.
There is only one way to turn this situation around, and that is for hundreds of us to stand up and demand that they provide for our needs and our safety.
You can do it in less than 2 minutes here. PLEASE do it, today, right now.
http://mobikefed.org/KDOT
This decision will be made within the next 10 days and after that your chance to speak up will be gone.
http://mobikefed.org/KDOT |
This work is in the public domain |
