City council receives master plan for bicycles
The Wichita city council has seen the first draft of a 10-year master plan for bicycle use in the community. The plan was developed by a 19-member steering committee that used online surveys and other methods to get input from the community, and the plan was presented to the council during a workshop meeting Tuesday.
The plan calls for bike lanes, lane markings, shared pathways and other improvements to improve bicycle travel and safety across the city. Scott Wadle with the city's planning department says 60 percent of the people responding to an online survey expressed an interest in bicycling, but safety is their big concern.
The development of shared use pathways for cars and bicycles would have the biggest cost, at around $650,000 per mile. Bike lanes with parking areas would have the lowest cost, at $28,000 per mile. The plan is suggesting $500,000 in the city's capital improvement plan every other year for bicycle projects, and the city would also go after federal grants.
Vice mayor Janet Miller, who served on the steering committee, said it's a realistic plan with projects that can be accomplished in the next 2 or 3 years.
The plan will be taken to the city's district advisory boards, neighborhood associations and other community groups for more input. It could come back to the city council in November for approval.
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