City’s proposed Paseo Gateway intersection design is two steps forward, one step back for pedestrians

A new design for the dangerous intersection of Independence Avenue and The Paseo would actually insert a suburban-style intersection in an urban neighborhood, and you can provide your input at a public meeting on Tuesday, April 24th.

Blue: current crossing. Red: Proposed crossing. Click to zoom

KC Parks is redesigning this intersection and the new design they are unveiling on Tuesday unfortunately is a case of two steps forward, one step back for pedestrians.

Public Meeting
Tuesday, April 24th at 5:00 pm
KCU Alumni Center, 1750 Independence Avenue

Despite some important improvements, several challenges with the proposed design include:

• Crossing distance for pedestrians are increased, making it harder for the elderly and disabled to cross the street
• Turning radii are widened, promoting faster turning traffic across the crosswalks
• Lack of pedestrian refuge island on the north side
• Ignores the Independence Avenue Pedestrian Safety Study, which calls for a road diet and bike lanes on Independence Avenue
• Poor communication and engagement with local neighborhood associations and stakeholders, including vulnerable communities, refugees, and immigrants

In light of these concerns BikeWalkKC sent this memo to the KC Parks Department, Missouri Department of Transportation, and the project’s engineering consultant.