Be the first to get the new KC bike map

The new KC bike map shows bike lanes, special bike routes and a new type of designation called a “sharrow.” This combination of shared lane and arrow tells bikers and auto drivers that bikers can use the entire lane. The newly-painted sharrows on Armour Boulevard are among the first of new improvements for biking and walking coming to Kansas City streets.

For those who have wished for a bike map of Kansas City, the wait is almost over.

Tomorrow, the city is hosting a celebration of its progress in biking and trail infrastructure, and the new bike map will be available for the first time.

“We hope people will be pleased with the progress we’ve made recently,” Deb Ridgway, the city’s bicycle pedestrian coordinator, says. “After being stuck at six miles of bike lanes and 25 miles of trails, we’re ready to celebrate how much we have built.” Ridgway wouldn’t reveal the exact amount of progress, however, saying that will be part of tomorrow’s celebration.

The map is meant to show riders bike-friendly streets and where the city has made improvements. Ridgway says it also shows how city bike facilities and trails fit into the metro area system.

Ridgway says the map will show the different types of “facilities” for each street. Facilities are designations by the Federal Highway Administration based on things like the speed limit and the width of the roadway. They include:

• Bike lanes: striped portions of the road set aside exclusively for bicyclists.
• Share the road signs: these alert drivers they may encounter bicyclists along this route.
• Sharrows: designated bike routes where its ok for cyclists to ride in the middle of the lane.
• Bike routes: lightly traveled residential or secondary streets.

“This a huge step forward for the city’s goal to be more bike-friendly, and BikeWalkKC strongly supports City Hall’s efforts,” BikeWalkKC said in a social media announcement of the event.

The map will be distributed at a celebration tomorrow from 
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
at 360 Architects, 
300 West 22nd Street in the Crossroads.