Kansas Cyclist - Kansas Bicycle Guide and Reference

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Episode number 3 of the Kansas Cyclist Podcast features an interview with Alan Apel, a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) certified by the League of American Bicyclists, who is circulating a proposal for updating Kansas statutes related to bicycling (see the current cycling laws here), and he’s looking for some input from the bicycling community.

We also talk with Deb Ridgway, Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, who discusses the state of biking and walking projects in the city, as well as KC’s plans to become a bicycle-friendly community.

Here’s a summary of the rest of the podcast, with links to more information:

Bicycling News:

• The League of American Bicyclists have announced their latest awards for Bicycle Friendly Communities, and Cedar Falls, IA and Tulsa, OK gained Bronze-level status, while Columbia, MO attained the silver. They were each the first cities in their states to be regognized. [link]
• The League also updated their rankings of bike-friendly states, and Kansas dropped in rank from number 25 to number 33. Iowa took a big leap from 21 all the way up to number 6, and Colorado was up 9 places to number 13, with Missouri climbing from 28 to 17. Nebraska, Arkansas, and Oklahoma didn’t fare so well, bringing up the rear at numbers 37, 38, and 48, respectively. [link]
• Colorado’s Bicycle Safety Bill has been signed into law [link]
• A new bike shop, Big Poppi Bicycle Co., opens in Manhattan [link]
• Kansas City’s Car-Free Challenge racked up over 21,000 miles, replacing more than 2,600 car trips [link]
• Kansas City announced a new bike/ped plan [link]

Upcoming Rides and Events:

• The Ride of Silence is an annual ride in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. Rides are taking place worldwide on May 20th, with many in our region. [link]
• Highlights for the last half of May include the Cottonwood 200 in Topeka, the Dirty Kanza in Emporia, and the Lone Star Century out of Gardner.
• Looking ahead to June, we discuss the Biking Across Kansas and Border Raiders tours in Kansas.
• We also touch on tours in neighboring states, including the Oklahoma FreeWheel, the Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska, Ride The Rockies, Tour de Nebraska, the Bicycle Tour of Colorado, and RAGBRAI.

There are many more ride opportunities available nearby, so please view the regional calendar for a complete list.

Trail News:

• A review of the new trail system in Melvern, Kansas
• A ride report from the Linear Trail in Manhattan

As always, we hope you’ll listen to the Kansas Cyclist Podcast, and consider subscribing to future episodes. We welcome your feedback, so please send in your comments or suggestions.

The Ride of Silence is an annual ride in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. Join cyclists worldwide in a this silent slow-paced ride (max. 12 mph/20 kph). It is a moving event as bicyclists slowly ride two abreast in complete silence. Rides are taking place worldwide on May 20th.

Here are some of the events in Kansas and neighboring states:

• Kansas: Leavenworth, Prairie Village, Wichita
• Arkansas: Little Rock, Springdale
• Colorado: Colorado Springs, Denver, Edwards, Golden
• Iowa: Ames, Atlantic, Cedar Rapids, Charles City, Des Moines, Iowa City, Le Mars, Marshalltown, Mason City, Sioux City
• Missouri: Kansas City, Sedalia, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis
• Nebraska: Bellevue, Lincoln
• Oklahoma: Stillwater

Refer to the Ride of Silence web site for a complete list.

Carl Edwards is an elite NASCAR driver who hails from Columbia, Missouri. When he’s not flying around the track at upwards of 200 mph, he likes to kick back with the simple pleasures to be found in his hometown:

“I realized after being away, there just aren’t many places cooler than this,” Edwards said. “So I moved back, and now I live here and I’m really proud to live here.”

The day started at Rock Bridge State Park, 2,273 acres of natural beauty and serenity that is hard to believe is only 10 minutes from the bustling center of this college town.

“This park is one of Columbia’s best secrets. It’s a beautiful place to come mountain biking, hiking. There’s a cave that runs under this ground that goes for over 50 miles.”

The park boasts 15 miles of trails and endless possibilities for adventure, from hiking and biking to canoeing and even cave exploration.

When Edwards gets the need for speed at home, he opts for two wheels instead of four. He grabs his bicycle and heads to the Katy Trail, just up the road from Rock Bridge Park.

“This used to be an old railroad, and now it’s a state park. It’s 10 feet wide, it’s over 200 miles long, and all of this is open to the public.”

Edwards also showed us one of his favorite trail features: a beautiful giant bur oak tree simply referred to by Missouri natives as “the big bur oak.” Edwards says it’s one of the oldest in the state and thinks that it is one of the coolest spots along the trail.

Favorite quote from the video: “I ride my bike on the Katy Trail probably 2, 3 times a week if I can.”

Read more from CNN: NASCAR driver shows off his Missouri hometown

For years, it has seemed strange that Arkansas had no organized cross-state bicycle tour — something similar to Biking Across Kansas, the Oklahoma FreeWheel, or RAGBRAI.

Arkansas would seem to be a good fit for such a tour — it’s largely rural, with lots of low-traffic roads running through scenic and in many places, challenging, terrain. I, for one, would love to do a Bike-Across-Arkansas tour.

Well, it seems I’m not the only one who’s had that dream.

From the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette comes news of some folks that got fed up with dreaming about a tour, and just up and did it themselves:

After more than a decade of talking, talking, talking in which one spangle of excitement after another fizzled down to … more talking, six bicycle riders finally “just did it.”

These members of the Arkansas Bicycle Club grew tired of failed attempts to organize a cross-Arkansas tour on the scale of RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) or the Oklahoma Freewheel. So, by golly, they saddled up April 13 and went on their own little Bicycle Ride Around Arkansas (BRAA) or Bicycle Arkansas (BARK) ride – or whatever people want to call it.

Forget shuttle cars and insurance coverage and 210 parade permits or whatever. They announced their plan on bicycle club chat boards, inviting everyone to come along for all or part of a seven-day, no-sag, no-frills, no-fault bicycle-camping tour. At 9 a.m. on a rain-soaked Monday, Jim Britt, 59; Coreen Frasier, 65; John Linck, 59; and Brad Joseph, 55, launched themselves from the relatively dry porch of River Trail Rentals. Their wheels sliced through rapidly deepening puddles as they left the North Little Rock riverfront and headed north toward Arkansas 107. Two other cyclists joined them on the road. Seven days and 350 miles or so later, only two of them were willing to stay in the saddle all the way to their front doors. But Frasier says they all agree “the mileage was perfect all but the first day … Arkansas is a beautiful place to ride, and we picked a most beautiful and scenic course.”

The article details their route, which started in North Little Rock and overnighted at Greers Ferry Lake, Mountain View, Marshall, Tilly, Lake Nimrod, Hot Springs before ending up back in Little Rock (you can also view their route online).

The riders had to battle some rainy days, and “Boy, we went up some big hills. But we managed to get up the hills,” Linck says. “We only had one flat. Everybody had good equipment. Everybody came physically fit enough to ride those hills. We didn’t have a weak link, which really made it nice.”

Britt says they will try another BRAA or BARK or whatever next spring. No frills, no insurance. Feel free to join them.

Read the full story: 7-day Arkansas bicycle tour often arduous, usually scenic

After a long winter, when only the hardiest cyclists brave the cold, the warmth of Spring allows the fair-weather cyclist to ride the roads and streets once more.

It’s at this time of the year that motorists issue a collective groan, and begin to pitch hissy-fits in newspaper opinion pages and in the comment sections on newspaper, TV, and radio web sites. “Oh no,” they seem to be thinking, “We have to start sharing the roads again.”

A sampling of comments from web sites around the region:

• I don’t respect the “rights” of bikies who are out for a pleasure cruise on one of our highways or major country roads. Our paved roads were constructed for autos for the purpose of getting from point a to point b. (Lawrence Journal-World)
• A serious cyclists wears those tight girly pant short things with shaved legs. Studies show that those tight girly pant shorts restrict blood flow to the brain. quite often this is what leads to an accident. (Lawrence Journal-World)
• I know this highway well which is hilly, with many curves and no shoulder. It is also heavily used by trucks and farmers. Instead of creating a five foot law, they should ban bikers from this highway. (KCCI in Des Moines)
• I’m tired of hearing it people. Bikers stay on the trails and then maybe you won’t have to worry about your lives. (KCCI in Des Moines)
• Bikers have way too many rights. Give bikes to kids not old people. (Des Moines Register)
• You all act like you own the road; well then pay the fees, get a license plate, and go the speed limit; otherwise get the hell out of my way! (Des Moines Register)
• I am sick of hearing about all of this utter nonsense! The roadways are for cars…. always have been and always will be. All this is doing is infuriating motorists. (Columbia Tribune)
• Let’s get the idea out of pedestrians and bicyclists’ heads that they have as much right to the roads and streets as cars and trucks. (Des Moines Register)
• I don’t think many of these dudes realize just how gay the spandex makes them look. (Des Moines Register)
• Bicycles should be banned and bicyclists should all be thrown in prison. Perhaps the key should be forgotten. Maybe they should be subject to public flogging when they try to sneak a pleasant Sunday afternoon ride through the park. They are monsters and they deserve to be punished. (Kansan.com)
• Sidewalks and bicycle lanes are a waste of money. People drive cars or ride in school buses and will not use sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Money would be better used for good roads and parking at each destination. (Tulsa World)
• I’m sorry but I think riding your bicycle in the road with cars is the most retarded thing ever. (Tulsa World)
• Stop riding on the public roadways and get together with all your biker pals, form a coalition and purchase, construct and maintain your own PRIVATE bicycle paths. (Boulder Daily Camera)
• If the spandex twinks with the cute shaved legs want part of the road, then make them buy a license plate for their stupid bicycle and make them pay a couple of hundred bucks a year like those of us who drive cars. (Boulder Daily Camera)
• I can’t stand these Lance Armstrong wannabe’s occupying an entire lane and they act like they own the dang road, but they tie up traffic and are a danger to others. (Tulsa)

Mark Wyatt of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition finds the trend alarming, writing in the Des Moines Register: “The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is disturbed by the comments of hatred and violence in the public forums following the recent bicycle and vehicle road incidents. All Iowans should be appalled by the increasingly hostile rhetoric, from banning bikes because they don’t meet a fictional minimum speed limit to actual threats of harm.” (Let’s focus on safety for bikes, cars)

In a similar vein, Andrew Hartsock, in his Lawrence Journal-World column, recently posted on the topic of comments and commenters as well: “I have to admit, at first I used to get upset reading these items and the comments they spawn. I used to be surprised at the vitriol. Now I try to avoid ’em like a sneezing pig. Why? They’re all the same. The tired, old circle repeats itself every time there’s a trigger — usually a cyclist getting hurt. And I read enough and spend enough time at the appropriate online sites to know it’s not a local thing. It’s the same thing everywhere. It’s the same old arguments, the same old hatred.” (We can’t all just get along)

I haven’t been in this game as long as Andrew has, and I find the newspaper comments tiresome and repetitive as well. Yet I’m still surprised by the vitriol, by the anger, by the hostility.

I still don’t understand the hatred. Do you?

Since 1956, May has been recognized as National Bike Month. The third week in May is designated Bike to Work Week; and the third Friday of May is Bike to Work Day.

This annual celebration of bicycling is a great opportunity to not only ride to work yourself, but to introduce the joy of bikes to those who haven’t yet considered this form of transportation for themselves.

Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists, said, “Biking to work is an efficient and fun way to get the exercise you need, without having to find extra time to work out.”

Communities around the nation offer special events during this month to promote bicycling. The following is a rundown of some of the festivities from around our region:

Kansas City

Kansas City’s festivities are known as Bike Week and include dozens of events for every level of cyclist:

• Classes on fixing your bike and riding it safely
• Rest stops on your way to work
• Press conference with KCMO Mayor Funkhouser
• Car Free Weekends on Cliff Drive
• KC Women on Wheels Bike Festival and Expo
• Group rides for all skill levels

You can also sign up for the Car-Free Challenge and see how many car trips can you replace with bicycling, walking, or riding the bus Form a team with your friends or co-workers, or go solo.

Learn more at kcbike.info or on their Facebook page or Twitter. See also: Get ready for Bike Week from The Pitch.

Note: These events encompass the entire KC metro area, including both the Kansas and Missouri sides of the city.

Overland Park, Kansas

Overland Park events include three breakfast breaks — which include fruit, bagels and coffee to refresh morning commuters — bike safety checks and opportunities for residents to connect with a “bike buddy” and join the Car-Free Challenge. Read more

Reno County, Kansas

Reno County, Kansas (Hutchinson) is celebrating Reno County Bike to Work Day on May 15th. Events include a Bike to Work Breakfast at Promise Regional Medical Center from 6:30 – 8 a.m., and at DCI Park from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. A “Smart Cycling” class is offered May 12th at 6:30 at the Public Library. Learn more at renocountygrowth.com and register for the activities.

Reno County Bike to Work Day also has a Facebook page.

Wichita, Kansas

The 2005 census labeled Wichita as one of the 10 worst cities for commuting by bicycle. Encouragement and participation in Bike to Work day on May 15th could help to lift that stigma. It will also help to educate both commuters on bike and in cars, on the benefits and safety required to change the Wichita community.

Bike Wichita is your complete source of information for Bike to Work day in the Wichita community, with info on local rides and events, bicycle safety, and promotional materials.

Bike Wichita also has a Facebook page.

Elsewhere around the region:

• Bentonville, AR: Events include a ceremonial ride with Mayor Bob McCaslin and a bicycle-themed story time and safety demo at the Bentonville Public Library.
• Conway, AR: Events include a Bike To Work Ride With Mayor Townsell, a Children’s Bicycle Rodeo, a Community Ride with the Mayor, and a Bike-in Movie. Read more.
• Fayetteville, AR: Fayetteville Mayor Jordan will read a Bike to Work Week proclamation at 10:00 am on May 9th at Town Center Plaza. A bike ride on Scull Creek trail will follow the proclamation. Also, a group ride on Friday, May 15th, Bike to Work Day will begin at Arsaga’s on Greg and Township at 7 am. Read more.
• Iowa: The 7th Annual Bike to Work Week for Iowa is May 9-15, 2009. The purposes of Bike to Work Week is to encourage people to try bike commuting, increase cycling awareness and promote a healthy alternative form of transportation. Iowa’s Governor Culver has also endorsed this event by declaring May as “Bike Month”.
• Iowa City, IA: Iowa City’s Bike to Work Week is May 10-16, with Ready To Ride Bicycle Commuter Clinics at the Bike Library, plus events including a Commuter Breakfast, a Bicycle Friendly Forum, a Bike/Bus/Car Race, a Bike Rodeo, the Mayor’s Ride, and Friday Nights Lights in downtown Iowa City.
• Columbia, MO: Columbia’s Bike, Walk & Wheel Week 2009 is for everyone! Ride your bike to run a couple of simple errands, walk up the street to visit friends or head out on the trail for some fresh air. The Annual Mayor’s Challenge is designed to encourage everyone to try an active mode of transportation – like walking or biking – to get to work, school and all around town.
• Springfield, MO: Ozark Greenway’s Bike, Bus, Walk Week includes an ArtWalk downtown on the square, plus the annual challenge, where you register your commitment to show your support for making Springfield a more bicycle/pedestrian friendly community.
• St. Louis, MO: In St. Louis, Trailnet is organizing a “Drive Your Bike Challenge”, continental breakfasts, and the during your bike commute to work on Friday, and the HOK Bike To Work Day Challenge with big prizes from Big Shark Bicycle Company and REI.
• Lincoln, NE: Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler will kick off National Bike to Work Week by riding his bike to work — and inviting others to join him. All residents are invited to join the bikers for a rally on the east steps of the County-City Building, which will include a mayoral proclamation, refreshments and bike safety checks. Read more.
• Omaha, NE: Activate Omaha is sponsoring the 2009 Bike Omaha Commuter Challenge to promote healthy lifestyle choices for Omahans, as well as create excitement and awareness around cycling in the Omaha Metro area.
• Oklahoma City, OK: The Central Oklahoma Bike to Work Day is part of the national campaign to promote bicycling as a healthy and efficient transportation alternative. See also: Facebook page
• Tulsa, OK: Green Traveler organizes a Bike to Work Downtown Rally on May 15th. The event is free and open to new and experienced bicycle commuters, and includes snacks, booths, and prizes.

Due to their slightly delayed seasons, Colorado’s Bike Month is June.

Note: Another annual event during bike month is the Ride of Silence to honor those cyclists killed or injured while riding their bicycle. We’ll cover those in a separate post at a later time…

A Lincoln, Nebraska organization known as MAD DADs — Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder — is well-known in Lincoln for giving bikes to children in need. But recently the group came to the aid of a 91-year-old man when it gave him a brand new three-wheeled bike:

Clarence Osborn recently walked three miles from his home to the Lincoln headquarters of MAD DADs – or Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder. He explained he was looking for a bike with a low frame. The frame on his old bike had broken, causing him to fall often when tried to ride it.

That’s not good for a nonagenarian who relies on a bike to get around. Group president Don Coleman noted that a woman had just donated a brand new, three-wheeled bike. On Monday, the group surprised Osborn with that bike.

Osborn’s first trip on the bike? The three miles home. [ read more ]

Clarence says its important for him to have a sturdy bike because its his main source of transportation. He says that with a bike like this, he doesn’t plan on tipping over anytime soon.

Off Track Events, which organizes multiple outdoor events every year, is presenting the Pedaler’s Jamboree on Memorial Day weekend in 2009. The event is Missouri’s first bike-powered music and camping festival.

The family-friendly event will be May 23-24 and will take participants on a leisurely ride from Columbia to Boonville and back again over two days for a total of 75 miles. Along the way, riders will be treated to free music at numerous stops along the Katy Trail as well as a headlining performance by Big Smith at Kemper Park in Boonville.

Riders will depart from Flat Branch Park in Columbia on the morning of May 23. Upon check in, participants can drop off their overnight bags for separate transportation to Boonville. Once on the trail, riders will be able to stop at various locations, including Katyfish Katy’s, Les Bourgeois, Rocheport General Store and Cooper’s Landing for music, food and drinks before ending their first day in Boonville with the Big Smith performance and crazy bike show at Boonville’s Kemper Park.

On May 24, riders will be able to depart Boonville at their leisure for the return ride to Columbia. Along the way, riders will again experience musical performances before ending their ride back at Flat Branch Park. The event promises to be a fun-filled outdoor adventure. For more information on schedules and performers, or to register, visit http://www.pedalersjamboree.com.

For additional information, contact Mike Denehy, director of Off Track Events, at 573.228.7476 or OffTrackEvents@gmail.com.

Alan Apel, a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) certified by the League of American Bicyclists, is preparing a proposal for updating Kansas statutes related to bicycling (see the current cycling laws here), and he’s looking for some input from the bicycling community.

Here are his proposed statutes:

A number of states have revised or added protection for cyclists in recent years. I would like to suggest some or all the following put into state law here in Kansas.

Safe Operating Distance: A driver of a motor vehicle must at all times maintain a safe operating distance between the motor vehicle and a bicycle. The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall give an appropriate signal, shall pass to the left thereof at a safe distance, and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle. The driver of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle must pass the bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle at a safe distance of not less than 3 feet between the vehicle and the bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle.

The operator of a motor vehicle when overtaking and passing a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on the roadway, shall leave a safe distance between the motor vehicle and the bicycle of not less than three feet (3’) and shall maintain such clearance until safely past the overtaken bicycle.

Anti-Harassment of Cyclists: It is unlawful to harass, taunt, or maliciously throw an object at or in the direction of any person riding a bicycle. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than two hundred fifty dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

Clearer signaling for cyclists:

1. 1. A bicyclist shall indicate a right turn by extending the left arm upward, by raising the left arm to the square, or by extending the right arm horizontally to the right.
   2. A bicyclist shall indicate a left turn by extending the left arm horizontally.
   3. A bicyclist shall indicate stopping or decreasing speed by extending the left arm or the right arm downward.
2. A bicyclist is not required to give signals provided for in subsection (A) continuously if the hand or arm is needed to control the bicycle.

Clarification of lane positioning:

1. Except as provided in subsection (B), every bicyclist operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable. A bicyclist may, but is not required to, ride on the shoulder of the roadway in order to comply with the requirements of this subsection.
2. A bicyclist may ride in a lane other than the right-hand lane if only one lane is available that permits the bicyclist to continue on his intended route.
3. When operating a bicycle upon a roadway, a bicyclist must exercise due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction.
4. Bicyclists riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.

Elimination of the mandatory sidepath law and clarification of right-of-way in bike lanes

1. For purposes of this section, ‘bicycle lane’ means a portion of the roadway or a paved lane separated from the roadway that has been designated by striping, pavement markings, and signage for the preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists.
2. Whenever a bicycle lane has been provided adjacent to a roadway, operators of:
   1. motor vehicles may not block the bicycle lane to oncoming bicycle traffic and shall yield to a bicyclist in the bicycle lane before entering or crossing the lane; and
   2. bicycles are required to ride in the bicycle lane except when necessary to pass another person riding a bicycle or to avoid an obstruction in the bicycle lane. However, bicyclists may ride on the roadway when there is only an adjacent recreational bicycle path available instead of a bicycle lane.

Imposition of more severe penalties for motor vehicles that violate provisions pertaining to bicycles:

1. Except as otherwise provided, in the absence of another violation being cited, a violation of this article by the driver of a motor vehicle is subject to a civil fine of up to one hundred dollars unless a bicyclist is injured as a result of the violation.
2. In the absence of another violation being cited, a person driving a motor vehicle who violates a provision of this article and the violation is the proximate cause of a:
   1. minor injury to a bicyclist, must be assessed a civil fine of up to five hundred dollars; or
   2. great bodily injury, to a bicyclist, must be assessed a civil fine of not more than one thousand dollars.

Definition of a bicycle: A bicycle is a device propelled solely by pedals, operated by one or more persons, and having two or more wheels, except childrens’ tricycles.” (This revision ensures that adult bicycles using more than two-wheels are covered by the statutes.)

Any comments or suggestions?

Feel free to share your thoughts here, or contact Alan via his LCI page.