Xander came home from school with a big question: âMom, why donât we have more sidewalks?!â
Earlier that day, he had participated in BikeWalkKCâs STEP pedestrian safety program at his school, TA Edison Elementary in Kansas City, Kansas. As they practiced looking both ways and listening for cars, the instructors also showed them how to be as safe as possible when walking along a street that has no sidewalks at all.
Xander's question caught the attention of his school Principal Cindy Cop and Unified Government Mayor Christal Watson... and even inspired the grown ups in his community to organize for more sidewalks!
Our Safe Routes to School mailing list subscribers read this story last week! Sign up today to get education events and stories direct to your inbox.
June 7 đ» Tour de Bier
Cheers to Tour de Bier! Register today for this bicycle tour of Kansas Cityâs breweries, supporting Head for the Cure in the fight against Brain Cancer!
Head for the Cure's Tour de Bier is a leisurely, non-timed urban bike ride through Kansas City. Riders can choose between a 15, 30, and 50-mile ride featuring stops at local breweries. Riders receive samples of beer and snacks at each brewery stop. Following the ride, there is an after-party at Union Station with live music, lunch and more beer for all riders or those just looking to join the fun.
Join Head for the Cure's fight to raise awareness, funds, and hope for brain cancer research and grief support services through the Tour de Bier! Funds raised through this event will locally benefit Solace House, Head for the Cure's Path to Hope, and other national brain cancer programs, education, and initiatives.
BikeWalkKC was pleased to pass the Tour de Bier torch to our friends and partners at the Head for the Cure Foundation, and the Tour de Bier is no longer a BikeWalkKC event.
Stepping up: Nolan Oehrke is our new Director of Education!
As our Education Program Manager, Nolan Oehrke developed our staff, wrote curriculum, and guided projects to success. We are delighted to announce that Nolan has accepted the position of Director of Education!Â
Nolan brings a deep passion for education and is known for his dedication, warmth, and ability to connect with students of all ages. He always knew he wanted to work in education, as his teachers were his biggest inspiration. He holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Spanish Language and Literature from San Diego State University, where he also taught several courses while pursuing his graduate degree. He is fully bilingual in Spanish and English and is proficient in Portuguese.
Nolan firmly believes that education should be dynamic, relevant, engaging, equitable, and enjoyable. These principles serve as the guiding values he incorporates into education programming at BikeWalkKC.
In 2022, Nolan relocated to Kansas City from San Diego, California after graduating from college, seeking a new place to establish his life and professional career. He first found employment at Garmin International, where he provided product support to Spanish-speaking customers across the United States and Latin America. Presently, Nolan finds fulfillment in the harmonious blend of utilizing his educational background while simultaneously contributing to the diverse communities that BikeWalkKC serves.
Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, hiking, and cycling. He also teaches Spanish part-time at La Causerie Française, a language school in Brookside for adults.
Get in touch with Nolan: nolan.oehrke@bikewalkkc.org
Family-friendly fun!
Join a Grounds to 'Grounds ride this summer! These rides are designed to be a safe way for kiddos to gain on-street bike experience.
Parents can grab a coffee while a BikeWalkKC certified instructor leads a kid-centric safety overview. Then the guide will lead all parents and kids together to a nearby playground. All ages are welcome!
June 6 - Filling Station Midtown to Troost Park (KCMO)
June 13 - Urban Prairie to R Park (Mission/Roeland Park)
June 20 - McLain's NKC to Macken Park (North Kansas City)
June 27 - PH Coffee to the đ Cliff Drive goats! (KCMO)
đ These are KC Family Bike Ride events supported by BikeWalkKC, and you can find more info (and even add the events directly to your calendar!) on their website. Please sign up ahead of time so we know how much of a crowd to plan for (the coffee shops really appreciate it).
Coming soon: Bike Share KC in Overland Park!
The bikes have been delivered, the hubs are being installed... The big day is almost here! Thanks to support from the City of Overland Park, Bike Share KC is opening six new hub locations along the Metcalf corridor in Overland Park this summer. The model will be similar to Kansas City, Missouri, allowing riders to seamlessly use the service across the state line.
Subscribe to our Bike Share newsletter to be notified as soon as the bikes hit the streets in Overland Park!
Due June 30 đ Overland Park Safe Streets Plan
The City of Overland Park is developing a Safe Streets Plan! This plan will identify where crashes happen, then use that information to prioritize safety improvements and make streets safer for everyone. Here's how you can help before the deadline on June 30:
â Â Take the survey to share how you get around Overland Park and what improvements would make it safer, and attend a pop-up event to give feedback and meet the project team!
Report: Connection and momentum in the 3rd District
This past week at our very first 3rd District Transportation Townhall, we came away with several exciting ideas to make the infrastructure in KCMO's 3rd District best serve the needs of the people. Residents and neighborhood leaders brainstormed things like improvements to the PIAC process, public education campaigns, neighborhood coalition-building, and methods to get city staff in rooms with community members more often (shout out to Lead Mobility Planner Regan Tokos for attending!). Stay tuned for how we turn this energetic discussion into action!
Want timely news and action items just for your zip code? Click here to sign up for our Advocacy Alerts!Â
Welcome to our 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: What is a vulnerable road user (âVRUâ)?
A: A âvulnerable road userâ is anyone using the street without the protection of a car or truck around them. That usually means people walking, biking, using wheelchairs or mobility devices, pushing strollers, using scooters, or working in the roadway. These people are more likely to be badly hurt or killed if a driver hits them, simply because they donât have a metal shell, airbags, or other crash protection.
If youâre hurt in a crash and itâs not your fault, you may be able to bring a claim against the at-fault driver. Personal injury lawyers, like Popham Injury Law, usually handle these cases on a contingency fee, which means you donât pay anything out of pocket unless there is a recovery for you.
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
Argentines bike 10K miles through 17 countries to watch national team play in KC | Lee este reportaje en español aquà | "We want to make a public call to everyone who has a bicycle to join us for the final hour of our 10-month journey across the continent," Silio said. Instagram: En Biciando al Mundo (KSHB)
Who Gets to Live in Walkable Places â and Who Doesnât? | Street design, land use, and access to transit are factors that shape whether people walk. This new tool looks not just at whether a place is walkable, but how many people live in walkable places as compared to less walkable places. (America Walks)
The Good, the bad, and the ugly: Our first look at transportation reauthorization | LAB read the 500 pages of the proposed legislative language for the next five-year transportation bill... while itâs not our worst fears realized, there are proposed cuts and repeals across the board that temper any enthusiasm. (League of American Bicyclists)
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