Bike Lanes Pitted Against Sidewalks in Kansas City

A proposed ordinance regulating bike lanes in Kansas City has sparked a broader debate about "the quality of the city’s streets and sidewalks, about the neighborhoods that are prioritized for improvements and the ones left behind, about equity and whose voices are heard," writes Celisa Calacal.

The ordinance, introduced by Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, drew controversy for its inclusion of language that lets the city remove existing bike lanes at the request of neighborhood associations. The councilwoman says she supports bike lanes, but points to other unmet needs in some of the city's most underserved neighborhoods. According to Robinson, "The deepest socially and economically disadvantaged communities depend on public transit, and their mobility is walking." For her, this signals a need for boosting funding for sidewalk repairs and improvements. But complete streets advocates reject Robinson's framing of bike lanes and sidewalks as priorities in opposition to each other. 

While Robinson says the ordinance is meant to respond to resident concerns, Michael Kelley, policy director of BikeWalkNC, notes that the position of neighborhood associations often doesn't include "a whole swath of the community that deserves to have a say in improvements, which will impact their safety." The debate continues as the city moves forward with the ordinance.