The Star reports that a 7 year-old boy has been hit and killed by an automobile in Gadrner, KS in far southwest Johnson County.  The location is near a school, but only has sidewalks on side of the street.

The Examiner reports that the suburb of Sugar Creek in north-central Jackson County has just approved the use of speed cameras, in addition to the red light cameras it already has.  The new cameras will issue speeding tickets to the vehicle’s owner.  If someone else was driving at the time of the ticket the owner can sign an affidavit with the name of the guilty driver.

Sugar Creek will use a system of mobile speed cameras that be moved around the city to places like school zones and hot spots where speeding is a problem. As far as we know, Sugar Creek is the first metro city to use speed cameras.  Given the continued disinvestment in traffic enforcement around the region, we doubt Sugar Creek will be the last local city to turn to new technologies to keep their citizens safe from dangerous motorists.

MainCor and the City have begun working on a new streetscape project to improve the appearance of Main Street through Midtown and make it safer and more inviting for pedestrians.  At the moment they are installing red faux-brick crosswalks at several locations.  Unfortunately, this construction is blocking access for the pedestrians it’s ultimately meant to serve.

The photo above as the intersection of Main Street and Linwood Boulevard.  Construction is blocking both sides of the street, which leaves pedestrians with no alternative route and is something that is supposed to be against City policy.  The situation is especially critical at Linwood and Main because there is MAX bus station right there, plus a big residential population and the Cristo Rey High School.

While there are the regular “Sidewalk Closed” signs, there are now signs directing pedestrians to an alternate route and no temporary walkways through the construction zone. Able-bodied people can probably navigate around the big holes in the ground and dodge traffic, but anyone who is blind or in a wheelchair is just plain screwed.

This is an especially ironic example of how too often pedestrian (and bicycle) access is forgotten during construction projects, even when the construction project is for pedestrian infrastructure.

This post is cross-posted from KCBike.Info.

On May 16th, Kansas City’s successful Car Free Weekends on Cliff Drive will expand onto the streets of the Old Northeast neighborhoods for a full-fledged Ciclovia called Sunday Parkways along Gladstone Boulevard and the Indian Mound.

Streetfilms video of Sunday Parkways in New York:

Following the lead of Bogotá, Columbia, cities around the world have begun regularly closing streets to automobile traffic and opening them to people. In Bogota they call it Ciclovia, and in other cities they use names like Sunday Parkways, Summer Street, Open Streets, etc.

The streets will be filled with people walking, bicycling, jogging, skating, etc.; and family-friendly activities like yoga, face painting, live music, food vendors, puppets, a dog show, bike skills clinics, and much more. The Parks Department and the City’s Bike/Ped program home to expand Sunday Parkways to include all six Council Districts and run monthly from May to October.

Sunday Parkways on Cliff Drive – details and schedule of activities.

Streetswiki article about Ciclovias.

Streetsfilm video of Ciclovia in Bogotá:

Streetfilms has more ciclovia videos from Chicago, San Francisco, Milwaukee, etc.

Check out St. Louis Open Streets

The recent death of a KCK girl at her bus stop underscores the need for sidewalks in many metro area neighborhoods that were built in the 1950s through the 1970s, when when many local cities didn’t require developers to include sidewalks.  For example, west-central KCK, Waldo and the inner Northland in KCMO, and parts of Raytown, Independence, and northeast Johnson County all lack curbs and sidewalks.

In KCK,  a sales tax proposal on the April 13th ballot would include some funds to help property owners install new sidewalks. Residents in the dead child’s neighborhood are asking for the pragmatic step of starting with sidewalks near schools and bus stops. The Safe Routes to School program provides grants to cities and school districts for things like sidewalks.

In KCMO, Mayor Mark Funkhouser’s Schools First initiative would focus on sidewalks around schools.  Unfortunately it’s getting a cool reception from the City Council, including some Councilmembers who are normally very supportive of pedestrian issues.

Another troubling development in KCMO are efforts by Northland real estate developers to kill the city’s requirement for sidewalks on both sides of the street in new developments.

Fox 4: Bus stop tragedy focuses attention on sales tax.

KCK sales tax proposal.

KCMO Schools First initiative.

Out of the blue, the KCMO Police Department has started enforcing crosswalk laws with a week-long sting operation in Downtown and Midtown. Police are ticketing motorists who don’t yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, as well as pedestrians who jaywalk or cross against a traffic light.

It’s great to see the KCPD finally take on this work. Over the last three years the Share the Road Safety Task Force has conducted sting operations in Kansas City and several suburbs, but the KCPD has not participated.  Instead, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department has assisted with sting operations in Midtown, Brookside, and around UMKC.  Kudos to the KCPD for joining the cause of safety for all roadway users.

KC Star: KC police step up enforcement of crosswalk rules.

West 31st on Signall Hill

Broadway at 43rd

A new report on pedestrian safety in the United States ranks the Kansas City metro area above average for pedestrian danger.  We ranked 20th and of 52 large metro areas with a Pedestrian Danger Index of 77.6, compared to a national average of 52.

The report, Dangerous by Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (and Making Great Neighborhoods), ranks America’s major metropolitan areas and states according to a Pedestrian Danger Index that assesses how safe they are for walking. An update of the 2004 Mean Streets report, Dangerous by Design was released by Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership.

On the state-wide level, Missouri scored slightly more dangerous than average, with a danger index of 57 out of 52.  Meanwhile, Kansas ranked much safer, with a score of 27.6.

Dangerous By Design
(PDF, 3.7 MB, right-click to download instead of open)

Missouri fact sheet (PDF)

Kansas fact sheet (PDF)

Tonight the Plaza Branch of the KCMO Public Library hosts a lecture and book signing with Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We Do. It’s a very interesting analysis of the psychological, physical, and technical factors of traffic.  The book includes bicycling and walking, so this event will be of interest to alternative transportation fans as well. Rainy Day Books will be selling Traffic at the event, and the author will sign copies purchased there this evening.

Tom Vanderbilt
Monday, September 14th, 6:30 p.m.
Plaza Branch Library
4801 Main Street, KCMO 64112 (map)
More info and RSVP.

The metro area has developed a regional application for the latest round of economic stimulus funding for transportation projects.  The Mid-America Regional Council, KC Area Transportation Authority, and City of Kansas City, MO have joined together to create a $93 million multi-modal plan including streets, transit, freight rail, bicycling, walking, and ADA. The application will go the federal government where it will compete for part of a national pot of $1.5 billion.

This particular grant program places a special emphasis on transportation investments that enhance the sustainability, livability, and safety of communities. KCMO Resolution 090716 details the specific allocations proposed for each project.

Green Impact Zone: $26.1 Million
Street resurfacing, sidewalks, traffic signals, pervious pavement, transit facilities, and Troost Bridge over Brush Creek. More about the Green Impact Zone.

Regional Transit: $27.5 Million
Design and engineering of a Downtown streetcar car system.  Infrastructure improvements on future Bus Rapid Transit routes include North Oak, Metcalf, State Avenue, and Easter Jackson County.

Bicycle and Pedestrian: $12.1 Million
Multi-use trails, on-street bicycle routes (including bike lanes), bicycle parking, sidewalks, crosswalks, ADA accommodations, and comprehensive education and encouragement programs.

Rail and Front Street: $21.8 Million
Freight railroad infrastructure.  Reloction/expansion of Front Street west of Paseo Bridge.

We should know by the end of January if our application is funded. See KCMO Resolution 090716 for more details.

The City Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is currently considering applications for the next round transportation funding from the economic stimulus program, which goes by the acronym TIGER.

While all projects sound very worthy, their combined $340 million price tag is more than the $300 million expected to be available for the entire state of Missouri. The city and possibly suburban neighbors will have to make some hard choices about which projects or combination of projects is submitted to the Feds.  The US Department of Transportation criteria for selection includes long0-term impact, sustainability, livability, economic competitiveness, and safety.

Downtown Streetcar – proposed by the KCATA. 2.5 mile loop between the River Market and Crown Center. The hope is that up to $100 million in construction costs could be paid for by the feds and the operating costs paid for by an assessment on property along the route. This 2.5 mile segment is deemed the most likely to succeed from the recent light rail study.  The tracks would be built to accommodate light rail vehicles in the future. Streetcar presentation (PowerPoint).

Regional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) - Proposed by the Mid-America Regional Council.  MAX service on Main Street and Troost Avenue would be expanded to four more Smart Moves corridors in Kansas City and the suburbs – North Oak, 40 Hwy, State Avenue, and Metcalf Avenue/Shawnee-Mission Parkway in Johnson County. Cost is estimated at $50-100 million.  A lack of ongoing operating money is a big weakness, especially for the two Kansas routes. BRT presentation (PDF).

Bicycle/Pedestrian Network – Proposed by the city’s Public Works Department.  The proposal would speed the build out of both on-street bike routes and multi-use trails, sidewalk construction and repair, crosswalks, curb cuts, and many ADA accessibility improvements.  The $45 million plan would have a strong emphasis would be placed on creating transportation corridors for bicycle and pedestrian commuters. Transforming Transportation for a Livable Kansas City (PDF).

Urban Transportation Safety Program - Another Public Works proposal includes $20 million in sidewalk improvements as part of a $97 million package for street resurfacing, traffic signals, etc. It would cover the city’s East Side, between the Missouri River and 103 Street, east of The Paseo. Presentation (PDF).

The T&I Committee’s blog has more information on these and other proposed projects. For even more context, archived video of the July 16th and 23rd committee meetings is online.