America Bikes is a national group that advocates for federal transportation funding for bicycling. They have some interesting bicycling statistics for all of the states in the nation.
Here is their data for Kansas and neighboring states:
| State | Number | Funding | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 320,808 | $70,542,583 | 300 |
| Colorado | 516,151 | $64,468,181 | 274 |
| Iowa | 351,159 | $88,622,049 | 305 |
| Kansas | 322,610 | $35,018,036 | 71 |
| Missouri | 671,425 | $121,853,527 | 325 |
| Nebraska | 205,352 | $44,575,982 | 127 |
| Oklahoma | 414,078 | $66,107,423 | 124 |
Where:
- Number = Estimated number of adults riding bicycles at least once a month in the summertime
- Funding = Transportation Enhancements funds since 1992
- Projects = Number of bicycle/pedestrian projects since 1992, including multi-use paths and walkways
Even though the number of Kansas cyclists compares favorably to other states in the region, its share of federal funding, and the number of projects built, falls woefully short.
KS has kind of a weird population distribution compared to those other states — most people in Kansas are next to Missouri or in Wichita, where in some other states the population is a little more spread out, so you guys can probably get a little more bang for the buck.
That’s possible. Nebraska is actually a pretty close match, with Omaha and Lincoln in the east, and a sparsely-populated western region. And perhaps not coincidentally, they’re also the closest to Kansas in terms of the number of projects and funding.