Wichita 2024 Bike Plan Calls for 80 Miles of New Bike Lanes

The draft 2024 bike plan for the city of Wichita, Kansas calls for building over 80 miles of new bike lanes over the next decade, reports Kylie Cameron for The Wichita Eagle.

The draft bike plan calls for 30 miles of prioritized bike lanes to connect the network. “As it adds more bike lanes, especially on busier roads, the city said it will work with community partners like Bike Walk Wichita to educate the public on how to coexist with more cyclists on the road.”  

“Many of the paths will connect to existing bike lanes in the city. The bike paths may mean fewer car lanes on major roadways, most commonly known as a ‘road diet.’” According to city traffic engineer Lee Carmichael, many of the city’s 133 miles of bike lanes start and stop abruptly.

“Much of the plan would be funded by a $458,735 federal grant the city won approval for in 2022, with the city providing $91,747 toward that total. What parts of the plan the money will go toward is dependent on approval from the Wichita City Council.”