27th May 2008, 01:38 pm
The directors of the Missouri and Kansas Departments of Transportation will be the guests on Steve Kraske’s Up To Date radio show on Wednesday. Please make sure that the discussion about the future of transportation in Kansas City includes bicycle and pedestrian issues. Call and/or emailing questions to either Pete Rahn of MoDOT or Deb Miller of KDOT.
Up-To-Date
Wednesday, May 28, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
89.3 FM or www.kcur.org
Get your question on the air:
Call 816-235-2888 or email uptodate@kcur.org
Some possible questions to ask…
How will MoDOT and KDOT help cities respond to surging demand for transportation alternatives like bicycling, walking and transit?
What are the two states doing to reduce the number pedestrians and bicyclists injured or killed on state highways? (Missouri likes to tout its reduction in highway deaths, but forgets that bicycle fatalities have not decreased at the same time).
Will MoDOT quit messing around with bike/ped on the Paseo Bridge and just “get ‘r done” ? ?
How will MoDOT stick to Pete Rahn’s promise to integrate bike/ped into future projects after he killed the Complete Streets bill?
27th May 2008, 06:45 am
The Star has a story this morning about new bus service on the way for KCK, but it doesn’t go into a lot of specifics. The city recently recevied grants from the Federal government’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program (CMAQ) to add Sunday service and improve weekday and Saturday service.
A new State Avenue route will link Downtown KCMO with Village West, including stops in Downtown KCK and the Indian Springs Transit Center. This will be a huge boost for getting folks from homes in the east of KCK to jobs in the west. This new route will run seven days a week, and is temporary solution until the State Avenue MAX line is up and running a couple of years. It’s something that should have happened years ago when the Speedway was first built, but better late than never.
On Sundays the new route will be suplemented by service on three existing routes: #104 Argentine, #106 Quindaro, and #107 Seventh Street.
As great as the new service is, it is only temporary. The CMAQ grant is only for the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years. Then the Federal money goes away and KCK has to find local money to continue it. It is a pattern that repeats itself often in the metro area - getting Federal grants to start new transit service and then struggling to continue it in the absence of regional transit funding.
The other caveat is that the 2010 money is imaginary. The current Federal transportation bill runs out in 2009, so the 2010 funding is a big assumption that the next program will include similar CMAQ funding.
16th May 2008, 05:51 pm
Today city officials and Northeast neighborhood leaders conducted a ceremonial closing of Cliff Drive. As part of a new Car-Free Cliff Drive program, the historic road will be closed to automobile traffic and become the exclusive domain of pedestrians and bicyclists every weekend until October. Cliff Drive is also undergoing a big renovation to enhance its charms even more in the future.
With this historic move, Kansas City joins the ranks of other world cities that are closing streets to promote healthy, family-friendly activities in the public space. If this test proves successful and popular, the city could expand it to include car-free days in other areas. Just imagine how pleasant the Country Club Plaza could be without the steady stream of cars and SUVs…
It all started in Bogota, Columbia where every Sunday over 60 miles of city streets are closed and become open air festival of walking, jogging, bicycling, music, families, etc. It’s called Ciclovia, and it has spread all over the world.
Car-Free Cliff Drive will start on Fridays at 2:00 p.m. and continue until 8:00 a.m. on Monday. If Friday or Monday is a holiday, then the closure starts on Thursday or lasts until Tuesday. To really get enjoy car-free, think about getting there on foot or by bicycle. If it’s too far away, take the bus. The Metro #30 Northeast route is your best bet. Take it to Lexington and Brooklyn and walk two blocks to the entrance near the old reservoir, or go to St. John and Elmwood walk four blocks north the drive’s eastern entrance.
For more information:
12th May 2008, 08:39 am
Today’s Star has a front page report on the huge success of Johnson County Transit’s K-10 Connector, a new bus route that connects Lawrence, KS with Johnson County. In its first year the service has seen explosive growth as students and commuters take advantage of the only car-free option to travel between the two cities.
The success of a bus route in such a suburban area show that there is a huge unmet need for better transit service between suburbs, not just suburb-to-downtown commutes. Unfortunately the K-10 Connector is funded with a two-year federal grant. Johnson County will have come up with its own money to keep the service going. It ought to be a no-brainer to include this route in the Smart Moves plan and make it part of a regional transit system. Sadly the Kansas side of the metro doesn’t seem ready to join a regional system any time soon.
Continue reading ‘KC Star reports on success of Lawrence-JoCo bus’ »
9th May 2008, 06:30 am
The Missouri General Assembly has sent a capital improvements bill to the Governor and it includes $5 million for improving Missouri’s Kansas City to St. Louis Amtrak service. If a $5 million federal match is secured then the money will be used to build two new sidings along the route. These sidings will allow long coal trains to pull over so passenger trains can pass by.
Also, Amtrak is currenly running a special on Missouri service. Through June 15 if you take a friend you can get 50% off the second ticket.
5th May 2008, 10:36 am
For just one week, how many car trips can you replace with walking, bicycling, or public transit? Almost half of all trips we take during the day are five miles or less, the perfect distant for bicycling. Many of our errands are less than two miles from home, close enough to walk.
The Car-Free Challenge runs May 10th through May 16th. Sign-up online and log your miles during the week to be eligible for great prizes.
Can you go car-free just once during the week? How about a whole day? Or even the whole week?
29th April 2008, 01:27 pm
Let’s Go KC just received word from Tom Shrout at Citizens for Modern Transportation that the Senate/House Conference Committee has agreed to the $8 million request to continue the current four trains per day between Kansas City and St. Louis. The request for $5 million for upgrades to reduce congestion will come up later in a separate bill.
Thanks to everyone who contacted their legislators on this issue. Please stay tuned for news on the important project to reduce delays and improve reliability of the Missouri Amtrak service.
29th April 2008, 11:13 am
Learn to you use your bicycle for transportation, for getting to work, or for running errands. Deb Ridgway, KCMO’s new Bike/Ped Coordinator will teach a class this weekend to help you learn about what to wear, how plan a route, etc.
Saturday, May 3rd at Family Bicycles in Waldo. Find out more
40% of trips that people take in urban areas are only 2 miles or less. These short trips to the store or library can easily be switched from the automobile to the bicycle.
28th April 2008, 10:00 am
Plans are progressing to expand the popular MAX bus rapid transit system to a new line on Troost Avenue. There are two open houses this week. Stop by either one at your convenience to learn more and provide your feedback.
More on the April open houses.
27th April 2008, 04:00 pm
Prairie Village, KS is planning for improving and enhancing 75th Street. One of the things that residents are asking for is a better environment for pedestrians, including slowing traffic and adding space the between sidewalks and the street.
Continue reading ‘Prairie Village to enhance 75th Street’ »
