BikeWalkKC’s policy and advocacy efforts in 2023 were productive despite some challenges along the way. Much of the work accomplished creates opportunities to further progress in 2024, including chances to improve multimodal transportation at the local, state, and national levels.
Prefer video? Click here to watch a recording or our March Policy Platform rollout meeting on YouTube.
Kansas City, MO (KCMO)
Walkability Plan Update - KCMO has not updated their walkability plan since 2003. A great deal has changed in the last two decades, and the city needs an updated document which guides efforts to make it easier for people to walk and use assistive mobility devices. In pursuing this update, BikeWalkKC will also work alongside groups such as Kansas City Public Schools to advocate for a citywide Safe Routes to School plan.
Implementing the Vision Zero Action Plan - The City Council adopted the Vision Zero Action Plan in 2022 as a guide to end traffic fatalities by the year 2030. Accomplishing this goal means city leaders must pursue more traffic calming, intersection improvements, protected bike lanes, and more. In addition to projects, BikeWalkKC will also advocate for more funding for Vision Zero implementation during the citywide budget process.
Public Restrooms - Public restroom access is a transportation issue, one which looms large for Kansas City as major events such as the World Cup get closer. But it should not take an international event coming to Kansas City to make free public restrooms a priority. Lack of access to restrooms deters older adults from outdoor physical activity, so too for people with disabilities and families with children. It is an example of how the built environment impacts our ability to enjoy public spaces and outdoor physical activities.
Meyer Boulevard Safety Improvements - BikeWalkKC worked to better understand the barriers people experience to safely moving along this key east-west corridor, culminating in the release of the Meyer Boulevard Walk Audit Report. In 2024, we’ll keep working with area stakeholders to ensure that the improvements they want to see are woven into City Hall’s plans.
Troost Avenue Safety Improvements - The death of Michelle Dunmore makes clear a longstanding truth: Troost Avenue is dangerous, especially for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. Working with Michelle’s family, neighborhood leaders, and other key stakeholders, BikeWalkKC will advocate for City Hall to develop a plan to make the corridor safer for everyone.
Kansas City, Kansas (KCK)
Vision Zero Safety Plan - In developing the state’s Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment, KDOT noted that KCK is one of the most dangerous places in the state for people who walk, bike, roll, or use public transit. Part of the Unified Government’s effort to address this is by developing a Vision Zero Safety Plan, and BikeWalkKC will work to ensure community stakeholders are included in that process.
Regional
E-Bike Rebate Program & Expanded Bike Share - Electric bike rebate programs have begun to emerge across the country, due in large part to the success of early iterations in places like Denver. BikeWalkKC will continue to explore how to bring a system like that to the Kansas City region, while also looking to expand bike share locations (in places such as NE Johnson County).
Transit Funding - Working alongside partners such as the Sunrise Movement and the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance, BikeWalkKC will work to preserve zero-fare transit, while also supporting efforts to explore better funding options for transit from a regional perspective.
Transportation for All Coalition - BikeWalkKC received funding from the Equitable Transportation Fund for this work. The coalition will have two primary goals: 1) gathering data to better understand how transportation shortcomings impact some of our vulnerable neighbors, and 2) developing a policy platform to bring about improvements.
Transportation Safety Plans - In the most recent round of funding under the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program, a number of local communities received funding to develop transportation safety plans. BikeWalkKC will work with local champions in these communities to help them advocate for recommendations and action items that prioritize the safety of our vulnerable road users.
Families for Safe Streets - KC Chapter - The tragic reality of our transportation system is that it frequently kills, injures, and forever alters the lives of everyday people. The group Families for Safe Streets was founded in New York City to help people who are dealing with the aftermath of traffic violence. Chapters have started to pop up across the country, and we want to explore how to bring a chapter to the Kansas City region.
Suburban Communities
NKC Bike Parking Policy - North Kansas City has been a regional leader on improving active transportation for several years now. One area where there’s an opportunity for additional strides is with its bike parking policy.
NE Johnson County Bike Parking Policy - Local leaders and advocates in places such as Mission and Roeland Park have notched important wins for active transportation recently. With that momentum, there’s an opportunity to push for additional policies like bike parking.
Johnson County CARS & Vision Zero - The CARS program is one of the main funding sources for transportation projects in Johnson County. Unfortunately, there is little support in this program to build safer streets for vulnerable road users. In 2024, BikeWalkKC wants to work with residents and elected officials to bring changes to the program that prioritize the needs of people who walk, bike, roll, and use transit in this part of the region.
Shawnee Safety Improvements - BikeWalkKC has had increasing involvement with advocates in Shawnee related to projects like Midland Drive, working with the Bicycle Advisory Committee, and helping residents navigate interactions with the local police department concerning the rights of people who use bikes for transportation. There’s more work for BikeWalkKC to do on all of these fronts in 2024.
Statewide - KANSAS
Statewide Complete Streets Policy - One of the key goals in the updated statewide active transportation plan for Kansas is to develop, adopt, and implement a Complete Streets program. The first step in that effort is to develop a policy, and BikeWalkKC is eager to collaborate with state leaders to make this a reality.
Statewide Coalition - Despite efforts across the Sunflower State to improve active transportation, there’s still no organized group to better coordinate this work. By teaming up with Bike Walk Wichita, we hope to identify and pursue funding to build a formal alliance of existing and emerging groups devoted to making it safer and easier to move throughout Kansas.
Statewide - MISSOURI
Statewide Active Transportation Plan - The Show-Me State still lacks a comprehensive vision for how they plan to support the needs of people walking, rolling, biking, and using public transit on their roads. BikeWalkKC will continue working alongside our partners across Missouri to push for MoDOT to take action and begin developing this crucial document.
MRT Technical Assistance - BikeWalkKC is a partner organization with the statewide coalition Missourians for Responsible Transportation (MRT). Through MRT, we’ve been able to provide support to smaller, largely rural communities in need of policy and planning expertise on active transportation. We’ll build on this work to bring knowledge, improvements, and funding to active transportation efforts across the Show-Me State.
FEDERAL/NATIONAL
E-Bike Charging - As electric bikes have grown more popular, there is a growing question about how to charge all of them. Federal legislation has been introduced that could help to address this, especially for disadvantaged communities. BikeWalkKC will advocate for our congressional delegation to support this legislation and help to move it forward.
Major Taylor Congressional Gold Medal - Major Taylor is widely regarded as one of the greatest competitive cyclists in American history. A major figure in the sport around the turn of the 20th century, Taylor faced adversity on and off the bike as a Black man. A recent effort has begun to award Taylor the Congressional Gold Medal, and BikeWalkKC is eager to work with the League of American Bicyclists to make this happen.
Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Act - Sarah Debbink Langenkamp was a U.S. diplomat evacuated from Ukraine at the start of the war who was unfortunately killed in a crash while riding her bicycle in Bethesda, Maryland. The act named after her would, among other things, allow more types of federal funds to be used on projects which enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
Building Safer Streets Act - This legislation would do a lot to strengthen FHWA requirements about multimodal transportation. It includes better guidance and recommendations on bike/ped projects and stronger multimodal elements for updating federal documents such as the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act - A major challenge with transit funding at the federal level is that it can only be used for capital elements; it can’t be used for operations. This bill, if adopted, would change this arrangement by authorizing $20 billion a year in federal matching funds for operating expenses associated with improving transportation service and increasing transit ridership.
Complete Streets Act - We’ve seen iterations of this bill introduced in the past, and an updated version of the bill has been introduced this year. If adopted, the bill would create a new federally-funded Complete Streets program, allow jurisdictions to use those funds for multimodal projects, and direct US DOT to require stronger design standards for multimodal elements on federally funded transportation projects.
Partnership with RE-AMP - In 2023, BikeWalkKC joined the RE-AMP Network, a group of organizations whose work entails setting collective strategy and enabling collaboration on climate solutions in the Midwest. The collaboration will enable BikeWalkKC to do more work with an eye towards policies, plans, and projects which lower our region’s transportation emissions.
Support our advocacy work
As we often say, advocacy is a team sport. This means we need YOU to help us advocate for the policies, plans, and projects that make it safer and easier to walk, roll, bike, and use public transit in our region. If you do not already subscribe to BikeWalkKC’s general newsletter or to our advocacy alerts, please sign up and stay informed!
We rely on our generous donors to help us fund this work. If you share our vision for a more connected and accessible community, please make a donation today.