Providing plentiful bike parking is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways for cities to be more bike-friendly. People are more likely to bike to a store or other destination if they know there is a conveniently located bike rack for them to use.
The current process in KCMO for adding a bike rack in front of a store is vey complicated and cumbersome. The City has responded to growing concerns from business owners with the promise a streamlined policy. While this may sound like a small step, it is actually a critical part of improving the viability of biking in KCMO. Now business owners who would like to provide secure, short-term bicycle parking may add racks onto the public sidewalk with a much simpler permit. It goes a long way toward removing barriers.
The highlights of the new policy are pretty significant:
- Arts Commission approval of the rack design is no longer required
- Eliminates the annual “encroachment fee” of $50 or more
- Requirement to seek approval of all public utilities will be simplified
- A clear and concise guide will make choosing rack design and placement much easier and approval smoother
A huge debt of gratitude is owed to the Public Works Department and many other city staff. If you have a second, shoot a Tweet or Facebook mention to @BikeKC and @KCMO thanking them for moving this forward while encouraging them to make it official!
Stay tuned for official adoption of the new policy and how you can take advantage of it.