It’s time to paint the town red (and gold)

Multimodal options for the Chiefs Kingdom Champions Parade on Wednesday

What a game! We were thrilled to see the Chiefs win the Superbowl, and we’re ready to celebrate at the parade at 11:30 on Wednesday. We’ll be providing FREE trips on all RideKC Bikes and Scooters: use the code SUPERBOWLWIN for a free ride credit (download and use the Drop Mobility app to locate bikes and scooters in real time). Note that we anticipate the parade will impact our service; please read up on the details here: http://ridekcbike.com/chiefsparade/.

Not planning to ride? Leave your car at home and let RideKC Bus and shuttle services get you to and from the parade! Fares on all RideKC Bus services will be FREE on Wednesday, with 10 routes available (most with significant detours). Click here for important details. The RideKC Streetcar will not run on parade day.

For the most updated information on transit, public safety, and other news related to the Chiefs Kingdom Champions Parade, you may sign up to receive notifications
from ALERTKC by texting “CHIEFSPARADE” to 888-777. Click here for the official parade website.

Let your voice be heard: upcoming advocacy opportunities

Want to have an impact on your community? Have an opinion about how to make walking, biking, and transit better in our city? Here are several opportunities to speak up:

Wednesday, February 5: North Oak Complete Streets (KCMO) open house between
4:00-7:00pm
Monday, February 10: Barney Allis Redevelopment (KCMO) public open house between 4:30-7:00pm
Wednesday, February 12: Burlington Corridor (North Kansas City) public meeting between 4:00-7:00pm
Saturday, February 29: KCMO Public Budget Hearing from 9:00-11:00am (two additional meetings will take place in March)

Public meetings are important places to gain insights into the design/budget process, provide your input, and interact with decision makers as well as your neighbors. Project staff and elected officials need to hear that safe, connected streets and neighborhoods matter to you. You have the power to transform our community!

Come out and play at City Barrel this Thursday, Feb. 6

Do’s and Don’ts of Bikes and Beer with the Pink Boots Society, 5:30-7:30pm

Are you beer or bike curious? Want to look like a beer pro when walking into your local brewery? Want to know the basics of riding bikes all over KC? Come to a
friendly environment for people who want to know more about bikes and beer! Brought to you by BikeWalkKC’s Women Bike KC Initiative and the Pink Boots Society – KC, which works to assist, inspire, and encourage women beer professionals through education.

Free to Women, LGBTQ+ and Non-Binary. Gents, you’re welcome to attend but City Barrel requests a $5 donation to the charity partners of the evening. This event will take place between 5:30-7:30pm this Thursday, February 6 at City Barrel Brewing Company, 1740 Holmes in KCMO’s Crossroads. We’ll have hands-on learning, a great raffle, delicious food and drink, and plenty of fun for all. See you there!

The effects of Earn-a-Bike: promising results published in national journal

BikeWalkKC’s Cultivating Healthy Communities project with Children’s Mercy Kansas City

In 2017, the Aetna Foundation selected BikeWalkKC as one of 25 nonprofit organizations in 14 states for its Healthy Communities Initiative. This initiative was designed to address critical factors that impact social determinants of health. BikeWalkKC teamed up with Children’s Mercy evaluators to conduct Earn-a-Bike programming, community engagement, and built environment interventions in the historic Northeast KCMO.

Results from the program exceeded our expectations, and the program evaluation was submitted and accepted for publication by The Journal of Transportation and Health. Click here to read the article.

The research shows that cycling rates increased by 68% post-program, and 100% of participants said they felt more confident riding a bike. In addition to being more active, Earn-a-Bike provides kids and their families the opportunity to feel proud of their accomplishments. Click here to learn more about the Cultivating Healthy Communities project.

Just a few seats remaining! Maintain Your Ride at the JoCo Library on Feb. 11

Get your hands dirty and learn to keep your bike in tip-top shape with this FREE class from Johnson County Library and BikeWalkKC! Our instructors will teach you how to keep your bike in good working order with a few basic tools and some practical know-how.

Where: Johnson County Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park

When: February 11, 2019; 6:00-7:45pm

This is a free event but you must pre-register to secure your spot.

Sign me up!

Help build bikes for kids in need

KU Alumni event on February 20, 6:00-8:00pm

Join the KU Alumni Association at
BikeWalkKC for a fun, hands-on evening fixing up youth bicycles and learning about basic bike maintenance. Help us repair donated youth bikes that will be awarded in BikeWalkKC’s Earn-a-Bike programs. This is a great chance to learn bike maintenance, network with KUAA members, and also give back to the community.

Location: BikeWalkKC, 1106 E. 30th Street, Suite G, KCMO, 64019

All levels of skill (from expert to “how many wheels should this have”) are welcome — there will be work for everyone! Drinks and light refreshments will be provided.

Yes: I want to volunteer!

Call for community partners: Move Your Way for a healthier KCK

Kansas City, Kansas has been selected as a pilot community to promote the US Department of Health’s Physical Activity Guidelines. The WYCO Health Department, the Department of Population Health through Univ. of Kansas Medical
Center, and BikeWalkKC (BWKC) are teaming up to coordinate Move Your Way KCK this spring.

We know that people need physical activity to stay healthy, but most people can’t do it alone — they need community support to help them be active. That’s where the Move Your Way KCK campaign comes in!

Our overarching goal is to increase the use of the KCK trail/parks system by promoting and enhancing active living efforts of partner organizations who are already hosting events and programs around physical activity. We want to build new community
relationships and strengthen existing ones while conducting outreach to our target audience of upper elementary and middle school age youth.

We seek community partners working in Wyandotte County who offer events and activities that improve the health of kids. Contact Laura Steele at 816-205-7056 or laura.steele@bikewalkkc.org to learn more and get involved.

Tickets are selling fast: don’t miss out on KC’s biggest charity bike ride

Tour de Bier supports BikeWalkKC’s work

Did you know that the very first Tour de Bier made BikeWalkKC possible? Funds raised from that event matched a founding grant, which helped establish our organization a decade
ago. Since then, the Tour de Bier has raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars to support BikeWalkKC’s advocacy, education, and encouragement events!

Registration is now open but don’t delay: prices go UP on March 1!

The First Mile: BikeWalkKC’s early days

First steps on the Mile 10 journey

As we celebrate our first ten years, we want to take a moment to look back at where we’ve been.

It started with some scrappy and hardworking volunteers, a BBC radio feature, and KC’s reputation as the “worst American city for cycling.” As co-founder and executive director Eric Rogers says, “We had a big vision for what Kansas City could be, and an ambitious plan to get there. But the start of BikeWalkKC was built on the hard work and success of advocates going back many years.” Click here to read about our earliest days and stay tuned for the next steps on our journey.