• 3-Foot Passing: It’s The Law in Kansas — On April 1st, the Kansas House and Senate approved a bill that requires motorists to pass bicyclists at a distance of not less than three feet. The bill also contained a provision that allows vehicle drivers to pass a bicycle in a no-passing zone if it is safe to do so. In addition, the bill contained a so-called “dead red” provision, which allows bicyclists (and motorcyclists) to bypass a malfunctioning traffic control signal (i.e. a red last that won’t detect their presence) after stopping and waiting for “a reasonable period of time”. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed the legislation, and it went into effect July 1st.

• The De Soto Bike Ban is History — In September, the De Soto city council voted to repeal the prohibition against non-motorized vehicles on 83rd Street east of the city, ending a painful and embarrassing episode in Kansas bicycling history. A month later, the council listened to testimonials from citizen who wanted the bike ban reinstated, citing safety concerns. Fortunately, sanity prevailed, and the council voted to keep 83rd Street open to bicycles.

• At least three Kansas cyclists lost their lives while bicycling this year:

  • In June, 8-year-old Makiya Ritthaler was killed by a truck in Halstead.
  • In July, Larry Godfrey of Arkansas City suffered from a possible heat stroke and died while bicycling on a rural road in Cowley County.
  • In September, Patti Gilliam from New Strawn was struck by lightning while riding her bicycle across John Redmond Reservoir Dam, and died a few days later from her injuries.

• Remembering Kansas Bicycling Advocates:

  • In February, Ken Cobb, president of the Johnson County Bicycle Club and a passionate and tireless advocate for cycling, passed away in his sleep.
  • In April, longtime bicycling advocate Cecile Kellenbarger passed away in Wichita. Cecile was active in the leadership of a number of organizations, including KanBikeWalk, the Oz Bicycle Club, Sunflower Recreational Trails, and Prairie Travelers.

• Justice (or lack thereof):

  • A Cyclist’s Killer is Convicted in Topeka — Marc Schultz, a Topeka lawyer, who struck and killed Tim Roberts with his car in Topeka in September 2010, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence, and of leaving the scene of an accident involving a death. He was sentenced to more than five years in prison.
  • Driver Convicted of Reckless Aggravated Battery in Lawrence — Scott Young, who assaulted a group of bicyclists in a road rage incident near Lawrence in July 2010, hitting one of them, was convicted of reckless aggravated battery by a jury in Douglas County. He was sentenced to 14 night in jail (free for work during the days) and 18 months on probation.
  • Randy Ledbetter, of Perry, was convicted in September of driving under the influence when his SUV struck a bicycle ridden by 40-year-old Michael Anthony Ebron on Highway 24 near Topeka, in 2009. Ledbetter was sentenced to 32 days (7 days in custody and 25 days under house arrest).

• Kansas Slips to #23 in Bike Friendly States Ranking — Kansas dropped from #13 to #23 in the annual state rankings from the League of American Bicyclists.

Have I missed any big stories? Please post in the comments!

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Conway, Arkansas – Bronze

Omaha, Nebraska – Bronze

In addition, Breckenridge, Colorado and Steamboat Spring, Colorado have moved up in the rankings, from Silver to Gold.

Leawood, Kansas made the “Honorable Mention” list, as did Dubuque IA, Erie CO, and Lee’s Summit MO.

The Bicycle Friendly Communities program recognize communities for their efforts in promoting bicycling, and awards designations at four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum (with Platinum being the most bicycle-friendly).

Congratulations to all the new Bicycle Friendly Communities!

Kansas currently has two Bicycle Friendly Communities, Lawrence and Shawnee, both at the Bronze level.

No Kansas businesses made the Fall 2011 Bicycle Friendly Business list, though companies and organizations from some of our neighboring states did so.

Read more from the League of American Bicyclists: Fall 2011 Bicycle Friendly Communities

Additional coverage: Iowa Bicycle Coalition, Missouri Bicycle Federation

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Here’s how the League graded the state:

• Legislation: B
• Policies & Programs: F
• Infrastructure: F
• Education & Encouragement: C
• Evaluation & Planning: D
• Enforcement: D
• Overall: D

When we interviewed Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists on the podcast (episode #21), and asked about why Kansas’ ranking had jumped 20 places last year (from #33 to #13), he said that while there is a big difference between the few states at the top of the list, and the few states at the bottom, but there wasn’t much separating the states in the middle, so those ranks could be expected to fluctuate quite a bit from year to year.

Kansas was #25 in 2008, #33 in 2009, #13 in 2010, and now #23 in 2011, so we are indeed bouncing up and down a bit in the rankings, but overall not changing much.

Kansas still has two Bicycle-Friendly Communities, Lawrence and Shawnee (both bronze). Shawnee’s BFC status was renewed in the latest Bicycle Friendly Community rankings.

Kansas also has two Bicycle Friendly Businesses, Anderson Rentals, Inc. and Foth IE Kansas City, both at the bronze level.

Rankings of our neighboring states:

Arkansas: #48 (#45 in 2010)
Colorado: #12 (#14 in 2010)
Iowa: #6 (#7 in 2010)
Missouri: #26 (#28 in 2010)
Nebraska: #45 (#43 in 2010)
Oklahoma: #43 (#44 in 2010)

See also: Bicycle Friendly State rankings, 2008-2011, state grades by category.

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Here’s the story from the Topeka Capital-Journal:

Within six hours of being charged, Topeka lawyer Marc A. Schultz pleaded no contest Monday to three felonies tied to the death of a bicyclist who was struck as he was riding on S.W. 53rd Street in September.

“I plead no contest” to involuntary manslaughter, Schultz, 40, told Shawnee County District Judge David Debenham.

Schultz then pleaded no contest to charges of driving under the influence of alcohol in a fourth or subsequent case and leaving the scene of an accident in which a death occurs.

The plea calls for a 43-month sentence for the manslaughter, and the sentences for the other charges would run concurrently to the manslaughter sentence. Debenham isn’t required to follow the plea.

Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor filed the charges after lengthy negotiations with Schultz and his attorney. “Marc’s desire to accept responsibility and to spare the family the additional grief of a contested trial,” resulted in the charges and subsequent conviction.

In court proceedings, Schultz said “Mr. Roberts is dead because of me and I’m willing to take full responsibility for that.”

Schultz had three prior DUI arrests, one in 1989 and two in 2000. Schultz also pleaded no contest to driving an unsafe speed for road conditions in 2003, and to speeding in 2007. After killing Tim Roberts last September, blood tests showed Schultz had marijuana, tramadol, and citalopram in his system, and his blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent.

Schultz is currently free on $100,000 bail. He will be sentenced by Judge Debenham on June 2nd.

An interesting note is that the sentencing guidelines for the convictions call for 31 to 34 months. In order to justify the longer sentence, prosecutors must demonstrate an aggravating factor. “The aggravating circumstance is that the victim was particularly vulnerable” as he rode the bicycle, assistant district attorney Jessica Domme said.

Kansas does not have a “vulnerable user” law (yet), such as those in Oregon, Delaware and New York, but it’s good that prosecutors see the wisdom and justice in such a law, and will seek stronger sentencing in cases such as this.

In November, a Ghost Bike was placed at the site of the collision as a memorial, and this year’s Capitol Classic on May 22nd is being ridden in honor of Tim Roberts.

Learn more:

• Topeka Cyclist Struck From Behind and Killed
• “Isn’t it bad enough he has to live with the guilt of what happened?”
• Capitol Classic: Tim Roberts Memorial Ride

Media coverage:

• Topeka Capital-Journal: Schultz pleads no contest in bicycle fatality
• WIBW: Topeka Attorney Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter, DUI
• Wichita Eagle: Topeka lawyer pleads in fatal accident
• DWI Hit Parade: Topeka attorney works plea deal for killing bicyclist while driving drunk…his 4th DUI…accepts responsibility

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If you haven’t yet heard Cecile Kellenbarger passed away at home, Monday April 4, 2011. Cecile was involved in many bicycle related projects. There are too many to mention here. She will always be remembered for the Wicked Wind 100. I know John would like to see many OZ Bicycle Club members come to the service. This will be a time that we all can celebrate her life and all that she has done for the bicycling community.

Memorial Service for Cecile Kellenbarger
Where: Eberly Farm, 13111 West 21St Street North, Wichita, KS.
Time: 2:00 PM on Sunday April 10, 2011

Anyone wanting to ride their bicycles to the memorial can gather at Heartland Bicycle Shop at 12:30 PM. The distance from Heartland to Eberly Farm is about 12 miles. For more information call Delores Craig at 316.304.4428.

As Roxanne mentioned, Cecile was involved in a huge number of cycling organizations and events. Here are just a few that I’m aware of:

• KanBikeWalk – Cecile was a founding board member, serving as Treasurer from 2007-2010, and her knowledge and experience was instrumental in establishing KanBikeWalk as a non-profit advocacy organization.
• Cecile served on the Board of Directors of Sunflower Recreational Trails
• Cecile was a founding board member of Prairie Travelers, which has built the Prairie Sunset Trail in Wichita.
• Bike\Walk Alliance-Wichita
• Wicked Wind 100 – Cecile had been in charge of the Wicked Wind 100 since 2004, and had helped grow the event into one of the premier rides in Kansas.
• Oz Bicycle Club – Board of Directors in 2006-2007
• Walnut Valley Metric
• Wichita Ski Club – President 1994-95

Here is her obituary from the Wichita Eagle:

Cecile B. Kellenbarger

Kellenbarger, Cecile B., 55, Boeing Analyst, passed away Monday April 4, 2011. Memorial service 2 p.m., Sunday, April 10 at Eberly Farm, 13111 W. 21st, Wichita. Preceded in death by parents, Frank and Betty Kellenbarger. Survivors: husband, John Moore; step-mother, Dorothy Kellenbarger; brothers, Garth Kellenbarger of Wichita and Lance D. Kellenbarger (Trisha) of Derby, KS; step-daughter Shelly Padgett (Mike) of Hillsboro, KS; grandchildren, Camden and Connor Padgett; nieces and nephews; Lindsey, Ryan, Audrey, and Christopher Kellenbarger. A memorial has been established with Prairie Travelers, Inc. P.O. Box 781033, Wichita, KS, 67278-1033. Downing & Lahey Mortuary East. Tributes to the family via www.dlwichita.com.

Cecile did much to promote bicycling and trails in Wichita and Kansas as a whole. She will truly be missed.

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The El Dorado Main Street organization, in partnership with the City of El Dorado is sponsoring a bicycle rack design competition for downtown El Dorado. The purpose of this project is to beautify the community, encourage alternate transportation and promote exercise and fitness by providing aesthetically-pleasing parking options for cyclists. The submitted design shall exhibit a balance of form, function and security and at the same time be artistic and contextual to the downtown area.

This is an open competition and drawings must be submitted on or before 04/12/2011. In addition to public recognition, the winner(s) will receive a family gift package for the upcoming Frontier Western Celebration.

Read more at 360eldorado.com

Designers interested in entering the competition must register by March 22nd, and entries are due by April 12th.

Designs must accommodate at least two, but no more than four bicycles, and must be safe for pedestrian and bicyclists, and no wider than 6 feet, and no more than 10 feet in length, with bicycles attached. Of course, the ability to lock the bicycle frame securely to the rack is essential, and the design must also ensure that bicycles are not damaged as a result of rack usage.

Designs should either “hold universal appeal or reference a unique feature of El Dorado’s downtown district”, and must be designed to withstand all weather conditions as well as heavy use with little or no maintenance.

Winner(s) will be chosen on June 25th.

If you have questions, please contact Lindsay Baines at 316-321-3088 or eldo.mainst@sbcglobal.net

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The following announcement was posted at the recent grand opening of the new BikeSource Ranchmart location:

Some of you may know Chris Smedley within the Kansas City bicycling community. Chris started and has owned the “Bike Shack” bicycle business on Blue Ridge Boulevard in the southeast end of Kansas City, Missouri for the last 30 years.

Chris unfortunately has developed pancreatic cancer and his medical prognosis is not good for recovery from this type of cancer. Even though he owns a business that make money if persons purchase from him, Chris is not a rich man. So far his medical bills are over $100,000 dollars and still climbing. Most of that is being paid by his medical insurance but not the total amount. He has to pay for his cancer medicines prescriptions and medical insurance deductions out of his own pocket as well as a percentage of his surgery and hospital bills.

Chris needs help in paying his medical bills from this cancer. I would like to ask each of you to seriously consider making a financial contribution to him to assist him and his family to pay their medical bills. Any amount you can afford would be appreciated, especially anything $100 or more. All financial contributions can be mailed or dropped off at the business address below. If contributing by bank check, please make out your check to “Chris Smedley” directly such that the total amount goes to him.

Thank you for your contribution.

Steven Barnes, A friend of Chris Smedley and Fellow Kansas City Bicyclist

Chris Smedley
The Bicycle Shack
10415 Blue Ridge Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64134
(816) 761-3233

In addition to owning The Bicycle Shack, Chris has long been an active member of the recreational and competitive cycling community in Kansas City.

If you can help, please consider doing so.

Image courtesy of Bicycle Shack on Facebook.

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Here is Ken’s bio from the JCBC web site:

Ken is an attorney by occupation, but is a cyclist by vocation. He has ridden bikes all of his life, starting as a paper boy and then later on road bikes. For the past few years Ken has been both a recreational cyclist and a regular bicycle commuter. Ken rides most of the JCBC and KCBC organized rides each year. He rides the annual MS Bike Ride as a member of the Cutters team, and serves on the MS Bike Ride Planning committee. Ken’s primary regular riding group is the Prairie Village Yacht Club.

And an announcement from previous JCBC president, Maggi Hacker, via the JCBC email list:

Ken was a great friend of and passionate about cycling, current President of JCBC, he stood up for what he believed, his focus was on service, he was a brilliant lawyer and lived life fearlessly. He was a great teacher and one of my most valued friends.

Ken will be missed by many. This is a huge loss to us all. I don’t have any details of services yet.

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In July 2009, the De Soto City Council voted to lift the bicycle ban on 83rd Street. Shortly thereafter, the council changed their minds, and voted to keep the ban in place, but to reconsider the issue after 83rd Street was repaved. Later that year, after repaving was complete, the council reneged on their promise, and voted to reaffirm the bike ban. They reconsidered again in 2010, and once again voted to ban bicycles from 83rd Street east of De Soto.

Two of the council members at the time were Betty Cannon, who voted to keep the ban, and Mitra Templin, who voted to lift the ban. All told, the council voted 3-2 to keep the ban in place.

Now, according to the De Soto Explorer, Councilwomen Templin, Cannon won’t run for re-election:

De Soto City Councilwomen Mitra Templin and Betty Cannon, who have served on the De Soto City Council since 2003, have both said they will not run for re-election in April.

The De Soto Explorer also recently reported that:

Two De Soto men have filed to run in the April election for two of the three open seats De Soto City Council.

De Soto School District 232 Board of Education member Randy Johnson filed earlier this week, as did Bob Garrett, a retired AT&T employee.

It’s not clear whether the three open seats include Templin’s and Cannon’s seats or not, and Johnson’s and Garrett’s positions on the bike ban have not been made public yet. However, Garrett is “active in the American Legion Riders”, so there’s a good chance that he has an understanding of the issue and an empathy for other two-wheels travelers.

But it’s apparent that there will be some new faces on the council, so we’re hopeful that they’ll do the right thing and repeal the bicycle ban once and for all.

(Incidentally, The De Soto Explorer ran an online poll that asked readers to weigh in on the issue: “Would you like to see the bike-ban on 83rd street lifted?” The response was overwhelming: less than 15% of respondents wanted to keep the ban. Is the new city council going to listen this time?)

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Foth IE, located in Corporate Woods at 8717 West 110th Street, Overland Park, KS, earned the Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Business designation.

Here’s how they describe themselves:

Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC, offers a full range of strategic planning, consulting and engineering to governments and businesses. Our clients enjoy peace of mind as our solutions protect and restore water, land and air, keep people and products on the move and help communities effectively deliver necessary public services.

Foth Companies is headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and has offices in 18 locations in the United States. They offer “personalized consulting, engineering, manufacturing and installation solutions to government, industrial and commercial clients in the areas of infrastructure, environmental engineering and science, production solutions engineering and manufacturing.” The Overland Park office is the only location to earn BFB designation.

In addition to Foth’s bronze award, Kansas also had three Honorable Mentions: the City of Mission, the City of Shawnee, and Sprint Nextel in Overland Park.

Just across the state line, Family Bicycles and 360 Architecture in Kansas City, Missouri earned silver level BFB status. Also in KC, Mid-America Regional Council and UMB Bank received honorable mentions.

Thanks to RevolveKC for leading the effort to recruit Kansas City area businesses for the BFB program.

Other new regional awardees include:

• Bike City Recyclery, Fayetteville, AR (Silver)
• Garver, North Little Rock, AR (Silver)
• Gearhead Outfitters, Jonesboro, AR (Silver)
• City of Fayetteville, AR (Bronze)
• Ecologic Design – Green Guru Gear, Boulder, CO (Silver)
• In-Situ Inc., Boulder, CO (Bronze)
• Loris and Associates, Lafayette, CO (Bronze)
• Pearl Izumi, Louisville, CO (Bronze)
• Big Shark Bicycle Company, St. Louis, MO (Silver)
• Peckham & Wright Architects, Inc, Columbia, MO (Silver)
• Urban Eats Cafe, St. Louis, MO (Bronze)
• Walt’s Bicycle, Fitness, and Wilderness Company, Columbia, MO (Bronze)
• Boone County Lumber Co., Columbia, MO (Honorable Mention)
• Daniel Boone Regional Library, Columbia, MO (Honorable Mention)
• Trailnet, St. Louis, MO (Honorable Mention)
• Tribune Publishing Co, Columbia, MO (Honorable Mention)
• LandPlan Consultants, Tulsa, OK (Honorable Mention)

See also: Fall 2010 Bicycle Friendly Businesses Press Release, Complete List of Bicycle Friendly Businesses

Who will be the next Bicycle Friendly Business in Kansas? We’ll have to wait for the next round of announcements (Spring 2011) to find out!

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