Bike Month may be over, but we are still celebrating May’s successes! From the Mayor’s Bike Month Proclamation to Tour de Bier to Boulevard Brewing’s 2-Wheeler Wednesdays, it was an incredible month.
With support from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (HCF), our Policy and Planning teams began a first-ever Complete Streets workshop series in Northeast Kansas City, providing seven weeks of best practice content and hands-on learning opportunities. In addition, HCF support enabled us to assemble city staff from the City of Kansas City, Missouri and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas to attend the People for Bikes Conference, where the team was inspired by the Indianapolis’ neighborhood-connecting Cultural Trail.
While the school semester was winding down, the Education team squeezed in a few extra events, including Bike to School Day, a Maintain Your Ride session just for Tour de Bier riders, and a Women’s Only Confident City Cycling series. The team also led the East High School Bike Club on a ride to City Hall to receive the KCMO Bike Month Proclamation from Mayor Sly James. Altogether, the Education team taught more than 2,500 kids bike safety and handling skills, and gave away over 200 donated bikes to youth and families in need this spring!
Bike Month events came in a flurry: we participated in Trek’s popular Ladies’ Night with other partners in Shawnee, joined more than a dozen partners in hosting a Bike to Work Day pop-up breakfast stop, and rode with the Mondays Aren’t So Bad cycling group to Chicken N Pickle for a Tour de Bier Warm-Up party. Not even thunderstorms could dampen our riders’ enthusiasm at the Tour de Bier — after a rain delay, more than 500 participants sipped local brew all over town and returned to Knuckleheads for a well-deserved lunch. Thanks to our riders, volunteers, sponsors, partners, and vendors for sticking it out rain or shine!
Speaking of partners: throughout May, Boulevard Tours and Recreation Center supported our Bike Month Membership Drive: we aimed to register 100 members, and we drew in 142! That is 142 more advocates for ADA ramps, bike lanes, trails, sidewalks, and Complete Streets. That is 142 more neighbors committed to active transportation and vibrant, connected communities across the Kansas City region. These members come from 21 communities across metro, speaking collectively for our streets as places for people to build a culture of active living.
We truly can’t do this work without community support, and we are so grateful for our friends, members, and partners. Thank you for showing up, walking and riding bikes, financially supporting our work, speaking out, and loving Kansas City with us!
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