The Kansas Department of Transportation is beginning the process of updating the state’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, and one of the first public steps is to solicit input from Kansans, which they are doing in the form of an online survey:
Welcome to the Public Input Survey to help the Kansas Department of Transportation update its Statewide Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan. The purpose of this survey is to better understand State planning needs to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians in the State of Kansas transportation network. Your participation in this survey helps ensure the Statewide Plan addresses the needs of Kansans; improves strategies for new or modified policies, projects and programs; and increases understanding of the extent and value of biking and pedestrian-friendly transportation.
There are two surveys:
Both use a third-party service (SurveyMonkey.com) to conduct the survey. Feel free to complete either or both.
Kansas Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan History
The Kansas Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan was last refreshed in 1995. Here’s the introduction from that document:
The purpose of the Kansas Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan is to introduce and discuss ways to provide Kansans with expanded opportunities to travel by bicycling or walking as part of their everyday lives. Secondly, the Plan supports the view that bicycling or walking are mode choices that are practical, safe, and desirable.
The Kansas Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan is a broad based policy document that serves as a guide for the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) bicycle and pedestrian transportation planning process, and which will guide future bicycle and pedestrian transportation program development in Kansas.
One can question how well the 1995 plan was actually followed, but the transportation landscape, particularly how transportation improvements are funded, has changed greatly since the previous plan, and continues to constantly evolve on the federal, state, and local levels, so an update to the plan was definitely in order.
In fact, one of the recommendations in the 2012 Kansas Bicycle Friendly State Report Card from the League of American Bicyclists was to “Update the statewide bicycle plan that addresses each of the five “Es”, has clear implementation actions, and performance metrics to gauge success.”
This survey is a step in that process of updating the plan. So it’s important!
So please, take a few minutes to complete the survey(s).
Interesting Snippets From the 1995 Plan
It’s interesting to note some of the responses from the surveys conducted prior to creating the 1995 plan:
- 66% said that “Pedestrian and bicycle facilities should be built on or along roads where there is a demonstrated need for them.”
- 56% said that “Abandoned railroad corridors should be developed for public use as recreational trails.”
- 43% said that “Bicycle facilities should be built to encourage commuting.”
- 46% said that “Land use provisions should restrict development to encourage alternative modes of transportation including public transportation, bicycle and pedestrian travel.”
So bicycling had strong support then, as now. Good to know…
Wonder how the responses would differ today, were they to ask the same questions?
Post tags: NewsBlog
Thanks for the survey link! I filled it out. On a related note, there was an article in the Wichita Eagle about new Wichita bike plan — “Wichita to roll out biking plan”, http://www.kansas.com/2013/01/18/2640418/city-to-roll-out-biking-plan.html. Good stuff, but it’s a bit discouraging that it will take 10 years to implement.
Yes, both Wichita and hays are working on bike plans. I intend to cover those as well.
And yeah, high-level things take time, and money. We’d all like to see more progress, sooner rather than later, but it requires a lot of patience and perseverance on all levels to see projects thru. All we can do is keep working at it…