e-biking in Kansas City

On one of my periodic rides on the east side of town, I stumbled upon the new protected bike lanes on, of all streets, Stadium Drive–a forlorn route through the dilapidated Leeds industrial district. The lanes stretch from 31st Street to Raytown Road.

They are well built, and are a part of a general redo of the street that has reduced the traffic lanes to two, improving the streetscape and non-car experience into the sports complex for the World Cup. I’m not sure anyone actually cycled to it, but that it is now possible to bike to the sports complex is a victory even as the stadiums enter their twilight years.

The Stadium Drive bike lanes are at the northern end of the Blue River Trail. Using them and then Van Brunt Boulevard–a short, scary segment from 31st Street north to the I-70 overpass but then a nice, wide boulevard, you can ride north to Gladstone Boulevard and Cliff Drive, and from there into the River Market and points beyond. These new lanes are a pivot point between various routes to the southwest of the Sports Complex and many others to the northwest. All of this serves as a substantial portion of a 33 mile loop I ride in the city.

Also World Cup related but of a more modest scale, the city shoveled some asphalt onto the Brush Creek trail east of The Paseo to eliminate several dangerous places where the original concrete had heaved up, creating danger for cyclists. Those hazards have been there for years, but it’s nice to have them finally fixed, even if it was in a slapdash fashion.

I even noticed temporary wayfinding signs along Brush Creek marking the way to Arrowhead and giving the remaining distance. Maybe I’ll cycle to a Chiefs game this fall. I’ll wave as I pass by you sitting in a mile-long traffic jam.