KCRag Forum

DaveKCMO wrote: but you'd be arguing it alone.

The council voted to continue to marking bike lanes or shared lanes for about 30 miles of streets in northern Overland Park next year. The projects include the downtown area plus some other roads planned for chip-sealing.

Next year’s projects will use about $325,000, with $240,000 from federal air quality money and $85,000 from the city and state. The city’s portion would be about $60,000. However some council members objected because future maintenance of the lane stripes and bike symbols would be the responsibility of the city budget. The striping costs about $10,000 per mile.

Goodman said that is too much money to spend on something where the environmental impact and lessening of traffic congestion is negligible. “Very, very, very seldom do I see someone using a bike lane,” since they’ve been installed, he said.

Others asked whether automobile drivers would be ticketed if they drove in the lane when no bicyclists were present. The lanes reduce the width of pavement available to cars, said council member Dan Stock, who worried that drivers would be forced into the bike lanes when streets were narrow and then would get tickets.

“It’s a different experience,” Stock said. “It’s not as convenient for automobiles with bike lanes on the side of the road.”

The council voted 9-3 to continue the striping program next year, with Goodman, David White and Dave Janson voting against it.

As part of the master plan, the council got a report on bike usage and safety. A bike counting system was used for the first time last year. Counts taken at 25 locations put the first year total weekly bicycle usage at 3,040. The city will continue to count bike riders to see how the bike lanes might be affecting ridership in the city.

“Since 2012, $1.6 million in federal grants have been obligated towards four on-street bike projects in the city’s core,” the report said. “None of the projects have been completed and some have faced additional costs. Federal funding obligated towards a project that has not made reasonable progress in the fiscal year it is programmed is at risk of being reallocated or forfeited.”

As an example, the report cited a plan to install dedicated bikes lanes on Armour Boulevard, from Broadway to the Paseo. After four years of planning and neighborhood involvement, Armour still has no bike lanes.

City Manager Troy Schulte agreed with the report’s conclusions and called for a complete rewrite of the city’s 2002 bicycle transportation plan, which Schulte called an anachronism.

earthling wrote:I never understood the obsession for bike lanes on urban roads as they just provide a false sense of security. I ride often and like off road paths but otherwise don't care for lanes. Can ride just as well on secondary roads and probably more safely than a busy road with bike lane.

earthling wrote:I never understood the obsession for bike lanes on urban roads as they just provide a false sense of security. I ride often and like off road paths but otherwise don't care for lanes. Can ride just as well on secondary roads and probably more safely than a busy road with bike lane.