In the past four years, Kansas City has installed more than 5.6 miles of bike lanes as part of its initiative called Complete Streets. The latest addition was the 3.3-mile lane on Gillham Road.

More lanes are on the way across the city, but the process for how those lanes are approved and created may be changing in the city’s Third Council District, which includes Ivanhoe, Hyde Park and Squier Park neighborhoods.

Councilwoman Melissa Robinson introduced an ordinance last month that would give residents—specifically neighborhood associations—in her district more of a say in the installation process for bike lanes in the area, and the potential removal of the lanes.

The ordinance was scheduled for a hearing by the Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee on Dec. 1, but that was canceled.

Meanwhile, Kansas City is also considering expanding bike lanes on 11th and 12th Streets downtown and wants to hear what residents want to see.

More on that in a second, but first thing’s first.

Where are the bike lanes in Kansas City?

Take a look at where all the bike lanes are currently in the city.

This story is from The Star’s new Service Journalism team. We’re here to share information that makes it easier to navigate local challenges and participate in the Kansas City community. Have a question for us? Fill out the form at the bottom of this story.

What could change about how bike lanes are created here?

If Councilwoman Robinson’s ordinance passes, the city would need to remove bike lanes installed in the third district in the past 12 months, unless city officials get written permission from neighborhood associations to keep the lanes.

Then, before the city can install new bike lanes, it must receive written approval from Councilwoman Robinson, Councilman Brandon Ellington and neighborhood associations in the district.

Robinson clarified the goals of her ordinance in a public meeting last week after some residents expressed concerns. Residents who attended the meeting were worried that the change would exclude the Third District from the citywide bike lane plan and slow the spread of bike lanes throughout the city.

One resident said that removing the lanes would threaten their safety as a cyclist, while another said they’d like to see better bike lane configuration after getting into a bike accident on Armour Boulevard.

Robinson said the point of the ordinance is to make sure a bike lane doesn’t go up in a neighborhood before the city communicates with residents in the neighborhood and the neighborhood associations.

The ordinance would require the city to put other street safety measures in place before a new bike lane can go up, including:

• Fixing all sidewalks within a 1-mile radius of a proposed bike lane.

• Appropriately striping crosswalks.

• Providing automatic bulky item pick-up in neighborhoods within a 12-mile radius of school buildings located in the city’s lowest life expectancy area codes.

“Sidewalks are a priority, and this ordinance says we’re looking at deeper sidewalk safety, along with bike routes,” Robinson said in the public meeting.

The ordinance lists 23rd Street, Van Brunt Boulevard and Truman Road as priority areas for bike lanes in the Third District.

Councilwoman Robinson did not return requests from The Star for further comment.

The Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee hearing for the ordinance on Dec. 1 was canceled.

If you have thoughts to share with your council member, you can find who they are and how to contact them here.

What is Complete Streets?

Complete Streets is a program that the Kansas City Council introduced in 2017 with the goal to make it easier for people with limited mobility to access buildings in the city, to improve current sidewalks, to install bike lanes and to reduce the environmental impact of the city’s public transportation.

Maggie Green, the media relations manager for the city, told the Star that 10 more miles of bike lanes are planned for spring of 2022. Some of the planned lanes will reach locations such as Hickman Mills Drive and 19th Street in the Crossroads.

The lanes and the plan are part of Kansas City’s goal to reduce the number of traffic deaths to zero by 2030.

How you can weigh in on bike lanes in Kansas City

The City of Kansas City and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority are hosting 11th and 12th Street Complete Street Connections pop-up events to gather feedback from the community on potential improvements to bike lanes in the city. They’re proposing adding an east-west bike corridor going through downtown.

You can share your thoughts on this potential new bike corridor on Nov. 30 at 7-9 a.m. at the 11th and Grand and 12th and Grand bus stops, or from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park.

If you’re interested in these new bike lanes and can’t attend in person, you can fill out this survey.

Share your thoughts with The Star

We want to hear from readers about what bike lanes in Kansas City mean to you, and what other aspects of your block you think the city should be paying more attention to, like the quality of the sidewalks, potholes or trash disposal.

We edited this story on Nov. 30 to note that the Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee meeting was canceled.

This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.