KCRag Forum

slimwhitman wrote:
If traffic can be held to 25mph, cyclists should be able to keep up with flow

do you know how hard it is for a bicyclist to get up to speed compared to a car?

there's no way a bike could possibly keep up with the flow with street lights

I occasionally follow bikes on SW Blvd during rush hour, they get off the line just fine. I was actually surprised.

grovester wrote:I occasionally follow bikes on SW Blvd during rush hour, they get off the line just fine. I was actually surprised.

SW Blvd is different than the center of downtown. there's far less stoplights and less hills.

think of someone on 8th at Walnut on a bike. there's no way they're going quicker.

flyingember wrote:

grovester wrote:I occasionally follow bikes on SW Blvd during rush hour, they get off the line just fine. I was actually surprised.

SW Blvd is different than the center of downtown. there's far less stoplights and less hills.

think of someone on 8th at Walnut on a bike. there's no way they're going quicker.

They also aren't going to ride up 8th. They'd go out of their way a block or two to avoid the hill.

smh wrote:

flyingember wrote:

grovester wrote:I occasionally follow bikes on SW Blvd during rush hour, they get off the line just fine. I was actually surprised.

SW Blvd is different than the center of downtown. there's far less stoplights and less hills.

think of someone on 8th at Walnut on a bike. there's no way they're going quicker.

They also aren't going to ride up 8th. They'd go out of their way a block or two to avoid the hill.

But dammit!...we need to put a dedicated bike lane on it to promote more cycling!

smh wrote:

flyingember wrote:

grovester wrote:I occasionally follow bikes on SW Blvd during rush hour, they get off the line just fine. I was actually surprised.

SW Blvd is different than the center of downtown. there's far less stoplights and less hills.

think of someone on 8th at Walnut on a bike. there's no way they're going quicker.

They also aren't going to ride up 8th. They'd go out of their way a block or two to avoid the hill.

which backs up my assesment. there's no way a bike is going to keep up with traffic if they have to make detours cars don't.

flyingember wrote: which backs up my assesment. there's no way a bike is going to keep up with traffic if they have to make detours cars don't.

Your assessment was that a bike could not keep up with the speed of traffic from a light. That is incorrect. Bikes most certainly can. But there won't be any at the 8th and Walnut light because riders will have chosen an alternate route.

doubtful the conversions will begin today due to the precipitation.

DaveKCMO wrote:doubtful the conversions will begin today due to the precipitation.

it was apparently dry enough yesterday to re-stripe. walnut street is now 2-way between 12th and 20th. the rest is coming this weekend.

I went down it yesterday just because and I was mostly humored by how it was two-way but the parked cars weren't

flyingember wrote:I went down it yesterday just because and I was mostly humored by how it was two-way but the parked cars weren't

more than half of the cars i saw this morning were parked correctly. it was worse near 16th where there are more residents who tend to park overnight.

DaveKCMO wrote:dedicated and protected bike lanes draw more people to bikes, period... whether it seems logical or you like it or don't.
same can be said for urban rail transit stops. you may disagree, but the data is there.

CBD bike lanes vs. on-street parking:
http://joe-urban.com/archive/bikes-and- ... ust-unite/

walnut is now 2-way all the way from 5th to 20th.
charlotte is now 2-way from 8th to 11th (the rest will come with additional funding).
14 street is now 2-way from wyandotte to broadway.

baltimore comes later this month.

what should be next? 7th/8th? the east part of 10th? holmes?

DaveKCMO wrote:walnut is now 2-way all the way from 5th to 20th.
charlotte is now 2-way from 8th to 11th (the rest will come with additional funding).
14 street is now 2-way from wyandotte to broadway.

baltimore comes later this month.

what should be next? 7th/8th? the east part of 10th? holmes?

10th seems like a good candidate.

I've tweeted this a couple of times, but I'll say it again: The 2-way conversion of Walnut is outstanding! I'm amazed at what a little paint can do to the life of a street. Really just a well done job by everyone involved.

DaveKCMO wrote:walnut is now 2-way all the way from 5th to 20th.
charlotte is now 2-way from 8th to 11th (the rest will come with additional funding).
14 street is now 2-way from wyandotte to broadway.

baltimore comes later this month.

what should be next? 7th/8th? the east part of 10th? holmes?

9th St from Main to the Paseo
this would give a long-distance cross-downtown route for all kinds of delivery vehicles that avoids the financial district
it also helps give a more notable street for a number of potential redevelopment areas

12th St Broadway to the Paseo
potential streetcar line
city hall easier access

10th from Main to Locust
primary bus route across the CBD

I've seen some dangerous situations each of the past two mornings due to the intersection change at 14th and Broadway. I like the changes, but people have no clue what the changes are still and are turning from parking lanes, going the wrong way under Bartle Hall (used to happen pretty often the other direction, however), and zooming in front of other cars when they realize they are in the wrong lane.

I'd love to see Pennsylvania and Washington to the South of 12th, along with 14th all the way to the FBI building, made into two way streets. This would probably also require 13th to be two way. The intersection of 13th and Penn, just before the I-35 on ramp could be a traffic circle, but there is probably not enough space. The triangle between Broadway, 12th, and I-35 is a dead zone unless your office is there. Broadway is really a boundary for many to "downtown," and I'd like to see that line blurred.

Charlotte and Holmes in Columbus Park
6th between Cherry and Charlotte
7th/Admiral between Grand and Washington
All of 8th
All of 9th
All of 10th
The rest of Charlotte from 11th on South
All of Holmes through the CBD and Crossroads

Yeah, um...basically everything. Some of those are easier than others, like the two in Columbus Park--mainly re-striping and signage, only one signal. I'd say prioritize those easy ones first.

i think columbus park is out. there's a streetscape plan for charlotte that would make 2-way impossible there.

That's quite unfortunate. I'll have to study those signs that they have up more closely next time I'm nearby.

it's not technically a one-way street, but walnut between 3rd and 5th will be restored to a proper thru street with the bond package the council passed yesterday. the street will remain closed on market days, but more "on-street" parking will be made available for the buildings on the east side of the market (which has been an impediment to leasing). the new on-street parking will accommodate vendor trucks on market days. city market staff and neighborhood reps are supportive of the change.

#restorethegrid