Missouri Bicycle News

A streak of collisions and incidents across the Kansas City area, including four bicycle injuries within the space of a week, have caused concern throughout the metro area.

Among the concerns is the response of officers from the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department to an incident that involved two cyclists who were bumped and then involved in an altercation with an driver. The cyclists felt that the officers were not as responsive to their concerns as they should have been--though in the end the officers did cite the driver.

Kansas City area bicycle and pedestrian groups, including the Missouri Bicycle Federation, have been involved in the Kansas City Share the Road Task Force. The Task Force has been very effective in creating cooperation between cities, agencies, and bicycle/pedestrian groups. Members of the Task Force have been able to create positive relationships with law enforcement officials and are now following up through these pre-established contacts to be sure the proper protocol was followed in all of the incidents, and that law enforcement officers around the metro area are properly educated about how best to handle these types of incidents.

In addition, members of the Task Force and other interested community members met last Friday to prepare an effective response to the incidents. According to KCStar columnist Mike Hendricks, who attended the meeting:

It’s all over Internet discussion groups. There’ve been plenty of e-mails and phone calls to City Hall.

And at a Brookside coffee shop Friday morning, representatives of area bike clubs discussed how the Longview Lake incident and recent accidents demonstrate a need for more consideration between cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. I was invited, as a fellow cyclist, to sit in.

“What it is about is transportation choice for everybody,” said Laurie Chipman, a graphic designer who helps organize the annual tribute to dead cyclists, the Ride of Silence.

“With the economy the way it is, we’re going to see more people riding (bikes),” she said.

Indeed, we are seeing that. And not just the recreational cyclists in their skin-tight spandex. With gas prices soaring, there has been an uptick in the number of people walking and biking for trips to the store and work.

The upshot in a city like ours where the car is king? Safety concerns and opportunities for friction.

Reducing crashes and increasing safety for nonmotorized users is one of the primary goals of MoBikeFed's Vision of Active Transportation in Missouri. permanent link to article: "Recent bicycling incidents in Kansas City area lead to concern"
posted by Brent Hugh at 6/19/2008 11:31:00 PM |comment on this article