In 2013, Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri took great steps to make Southwest Boulevard safer for cyclists when they painted bike lanes from the Crossroads District in KCMO all the way to Merriam Lane. These efforts have continued to evolve and improve over the last five years, and a new effort in Rosedale is building on the success that first “paint-to-pavement” project.
On Saturday, Oct. 13th, BikeWalkKC, in partnership with Rosedale Development Association, KCK Unified Government, and Better Block KC, will be demonstrating a vision for a safer Southwest Boulevard. We’re planning traffic-calming measures such as colorful crosswalks, parking-protected bike lanes, and bump-outs at Southwest Boulevard between Iowa and Cherokee Streets.
Parking-protected bike lanes add a physical barrier between cyclists and moving cars while maintaining street parking. (From Armour Blvd)
Colorful crosswalks signal pedestrian right-of-way to drivers. (From 35th and Askew)
Bump-outs slow down right-turning cars, creating safer intersections for pedestrians. (From 38th and Warwick)
Area businesses and organizations like Strasser Hardware, Three Bees Coffee, and Holy Name Catholic Church are participating as well, volunteering their time and talents to create a people-centered oasis on this busy street. Come see for yourself a re-imagined Southwest Boulevard built for neighbors, shoppers, and school children!
This is the first in a series of traffic-calming demonstrations BikeWalkKC is undertaking this fall. Future demos will take place in northeast KCMO at Van Brunt & St. John and 10th & Benton as part of BikeWalkKC’s Cultivating Healthy Communities project funded by the Aetna Foundation. These will be week-long exercises, with kick-off events on October 20th and 27th.
For more information about how you can plan your own neighborhood traffic-calming demo, check out our Traffic-Calming Lending Library and our Community Planning page!