KANSAS CITY — Bicycle riders in Kansas City will have an easier time negotiating the city’s mean streets next year. The Kansas City City Council accepted a proposal last week to paint 12 miles of downtown bike lanes next year. The Kansas City Star says the project will provide links to the city’s east side and to bike routes just over the state line in Kansas. The proposal is part of the “Bike KC” program adopted more than 10 years ago. Bike KC proposed a 600-mile system, but signs marking the first 175 miles went up this spring. The upcoming project is intended to provide safer riding through downtown and connect to the jazz district as well as the west side and west bottoms. The project also will complete some unfinished links to downtown Kansas City, Kan., and a popular bicycle commuting route to Johnson County. The Star reports that Wyandotte County has been striping bike lanes in the county and Kansas City, Kan., and all the way to the Johnson County border this year. Federal funds will cover 80 percent of the Kansas City, Mo., project.
Updated 6/27/13 @ 3:45 pm
