Elected officials and staff need to hear from you to change policies allowing vehicles to park in bike lanes in the city.
An issue that BikeWalkKC is increasingly hearing about from our members in Overland Park is the issue of vehicles parking in the bike lane. Unfortunately, it appears that City Hall doesn’t consider this to be an important issue and has dismissed efforts to try to address the problem.
While it may seem like a small issue, parking a car in the bike lane is bad for a number of reasons, particularly:
- It makes cycling more dangerous: According to the League of American Bicyclists, one of the five main Rules of the Road that cyclists need to follow in order to ride safely is to “be predictable”. In other words, this means riding in a straight line and not swerving between parked cars. Cyclists can’t be predictable if they’re constantly having to swerve between vehicles that are parked in a place they’re not supposed to be.
- It discourages people who want to ride more: Ignoring the issue of parked vehicles in the bike lane is also a problem because it could keep more people from riding in Overland Park. When considering who does and doesn’t ride, research shows that the majority of people identify as “interested but concerned”. These folks won’t ride unless they feel that there is a safe place to do so. While BikeWalkKC would like to see Overland Park begin to install protected bike lanes, we know that can’t be done immediately. In the meantime, the city can and should be working to keep existing infrastructure clear for people who want to use those facilities as a matter of safety and fiscal responsibility.
If we want to see this policy change, we need YOU to tell City Hall to make this a priority. They need to hear from residents especially that parking in the bike lane is unsafe. Here’s four steps you can take:
- File a complaint through OPCares: Under the “Find a City Service” section, search for “General Information” or “Traffic and Speed Enforcement” and then click on the “Create Service Request” button. Fill out the form and submit!
- Email the City Council: Find your city council members and email them directly. Tell them that you want them to do more to prevent vehicles from parking in the bike lane. If possible, share personal stories of the challenges you’ve experienced because a vehicle was parked in a bike lane that you were riding on.
- Show Up at the next City Council meeting: More than anything else, it’s critical for you to show up at future City Hall meetings and speak directly to the City Council during the public comment period. City Council typically meets on the second and fourth Monday each month. Be sure to register to speak beforehand!
- Encourage your friends to do the same: Advocacy is a team sport. A big reason why City Hall has dismissed this is because they believe no one thinks it’s a problem. That’s why it’s so important that as many folks as possible speak up on this now. Especially at the local level, a motivated group of people can push their leaders to take important steps and create tangible change.
Parking in the bike lane shouldn’t be tolerated because it is unsafe and discourages people from riding. In Overland Park, the best way to address this issue is to tell city leaders that this is a problem that needs a solution. The best people to deliver that message are everyday residents like YOU.