Touchdown! Shawn Barber donates 11 bikes
As the Player Engagement Manager (and former linebacker) for our own Kansas City Chiefs, Shawn Barber knows a bit about tackling big challenges. Students in our Maintain Your Ride program won't be using these bikes to sack the quarterback, but they will take on do-it-yourself bicycle maintenance skills and practice safe riding drills. With successful completion of the program, students take home the bicycle they learned how to fix, plus safety gear and new confidence in their abilities.
Do you have a bike gathering dust in the garage? Email us at education@bikewalkkc.org to set up a donation.
May 6 is National Bike & Roll to School Day! It's not too late to start planning a celebration
Schools across the United States celebrate National Bike & Roll to School Day each spring with bike to school parades, special safety lessons, and more. Is your school or neighborhood participating? We can help you learn more about Safe Routes to School and youth bike safety! Click here to find inspiration, toolkits, and resources for Bike to School Day and beyond!
🚨 Safe Routes to School subscribers got these tools last week. Want timely resources and action items just for your youth walking and biking safety? Click here to subscribe to our Safe Routes to School mailing list!Â
Family bike education series with Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council + BWKC
We're teaming up with INC to deliver bike safety education for ages 8+ through adults! These lessons will help riders build confidence, learn safety skills, and get comfortable on two wheels. The series concludes with a supportive group ride so we can practice what we've learned in a safe, encouraging environment.
📆 April 11 Learn to Ride (April) | May 23 Bicycle Lessons and Safety Training (BLAST) | May 30 Neighborhood Bike Ride
Meet BikeWalkKC's new director of policy
Rayan Makarem has joined BikeWalkKC as the next leader of our public policy and advocacy work! Rayan is a strong advocate for the healthy living of our community. He understands the intricacy and complexity of local, state, and federal regulations, and their impact on the everyday lives of our neighborhoods.
Questions about advocacy? Want to send a note of welcome? Get in touch with Rayan and the policy team at policy@bikewalkkc.org.
Rayan spent his first week on the job at the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit with Eric Rogers and our advocacy partners in Kansas and Missouri.
Due April 30 📆 Overland Park Safe Streets Plan
The City of Overland Park is developing a Safe Streets Plan! They need YOU to tell them how OP residents, workers, and visitors move around the city. Here's how you can help:
- Inform the Safe Streets Plan and project priorities
- Identify areas of concern and opportunity
- Guide decisions on where funding should be applied
Click here to learn more, take the survey, and mark the Safe Streets map.
🚨 Advocacy Alert subscribers saw this call to action last week, and they will get a reminder just before the survey closes. Want timely news and action items just for your zip code? Click here to subscribe to our Advocacy Alerts!
Welcome to our new series, Rules of the Road with Popham Law! For the next few months, attorney Paul Anderson will answer common questions about bicyclists' rights and responsibilities.
Q: Do I have to stop at red lights, and how long do I have to wait?Â
A: Yes. In both Kansas and Missouri, bikes generally have the same rights and duties as cars, so you must stop at red lights. Both states have a “dead red” rule for bikes: if you’ve fully stopped and the light clearly isn’t changing because it won’t detect your bike, you can treat it like a stop sign. In Kansas, you may go after a “reasonable period of time” if it’s safe and you yield to traffic and people in the crosswalk. Missouri gives you an “affirmative defense” if you go only after a full stop, an unreasonably long red, and a malfunctioning or non-detecting signal, and you still have to yield. The best rule of thumb is to be patient at red lights and wait your turn.
Paul Anderson is a trial lawyer at Popham Injury Law in Kansas City, where his practice focuses on representing people injured by dangerous drivers and unsafe road conditions. As an avid cyclist himself, Paul has successfully represented numerous cyclists and pedestrians harmed in motor vehicle crashes, giving him a deep understanding of both the legal issues and the real world challenges vulnerable road users face. He is committed to educating cyclists, drivers, and the broader community about safety, insurance, and accountability so that preventable injuries and deaths never occur in the first place. Popham Injury Law is a team of dedicated trial lawyers who represent injured victims, on a contingency-fee basis, in Kansas City and across the country, fighting to ensure they receive full and fair compensation.
Many thanks to Paul Anderson and Popham Law for sponsoring our adult bike education series this spring!
What we're reading
From Advocacy to Action for Disability Rights | You don't have to be an expert to speak up for disability rights in our community! Advocacy is more than just a single-day event, it's consistent action. (The Whole Person)
Pedestrian hit-and-run fatalities double in Missouri over past decade | “These are not just crashes. These are actual people and they’re being left behind on the side of the road when they need help the most." (KCTV5)
Wyandotte County advances safer streets plan | Officials are pursuing millions in federal funding for road safety projects targeting deadly crash locations. (The Beacon)
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