Nov

18

Bicyclists trying to drag MoDOT into the 21st Century

November 18, 2008 | 6 Comments

In any other city this wouldn’t be an issue.  A major new bridge would just include a bicycle and pedestrian path without much fuss. The Missouri Department of Transportation does it everywhere else in the state, but for some reason the KC MoDOT office refuses to deal with a multi-modal future where automobiles are just on of many ways to get from Point A to Point B.

The situation with the new Paseo Bridge has become so ridiculous that the local bicycling community has started a pledge drive to raise money to build what the state refuses to pay for.

KC Star: Cyclists push for right of passage on Paseo Bridge

Pitch: Cyclists pony up for Paseo Bridge bike lane

Let’s Go KC: Alliance for Transportation Choice

Categories: Transportation


Comments

6 Comments so far

  1. bfos7215 on November 18, 2008 1:13 pm

    Save lives. Use trails.

  2. Bryan on November 18, 2008 2:14 pm

    Ridiculous. I’m in for $50.

  3. KK on November 18, 2008 3:41 pm

    Isn’t the Paseo Bridge exclusively an interstate highway? Bicycles can not be on an interstate, so how could they access the bridge? You mention other bridges MODOT has added bike lanes to…are any of them interstate only bridges?

  4. ChrisM70 on November 18, 2008 5:36 pm

    If you do a search for “bike lane and interstate bridge”, you’ll see that it’s not that crazy of an idea, and that many cities have them. You just have to separate the bikes from the cars, and create points where bikes can access the bridge.

    For Kansas City to not have even ONE bridge across the river than has a separated bike lane so that bikes can safely cross, is ridiculous. Can we please have a little something to make this city more livable and forward-thinking?

    I guess that’s what you get when you name a bridge after a crook like Kit Bond.

  5. William Rockhill Nelson on November 18, 2008 6:00 pm

    KK,

    The bike/ped path is separated from the highway traffic by a barrier or grade change. The two types of traffic do not mix. There are dozens of examples in cities as varied as Seattle and Charleston.

  6. ScooterJ on November 19, 2008 11:28 am

    I still think Heart of America is the more logical choice and I’d rather see money spent separating a safe, dedicated lane there than on Paseo.

    There is nothing at the north end of the Paseo bridge except an industrial area cut off by multiple railroad tracks. At the south end you have a casino and the park, no other business and no nearby residential.

    Heart of America has businesses at both ends that commuters actually go to, is very close to residential areas, and already has a good deal of pedestrian and cycle traffic. It better connects NKC to downtown.

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