KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City and BikeWalkKC are celebrating installing more than 30 miles of bike lanes over the past two years.

Elected leaders and city personnel toured some of those lanes around downtown on RideKC pedal-assist bikes. The project has already helped connect various parts of town, making it easier to get around for people trying to limit their use of fossil fuels and for people who can’t afford a vehicle in the first place.

“It’s really important for people who are unhoused because biking is their most reliable form of transportation, for the thousands of households that don’t have access to a car, for the people who want to be able to save more, this is one of the key ways to lower overall household costs,” said BikeWalkKC Policy Director Michael Kelley.

That’s why Kelley says it’s important that many of the miles of bike lanes are protected in some way, either with plastic delineators or curbs to separate cars from cyclists.

The goal is for the city to keep installing about 15 new miles of bike lanes every year for the next five years, changing entire parts of the city.

“[Bike lanes] change the tone because it slows cars down, it makes people realize that there are people walking, and shopping, and biking around here,” said Kansas City Public Works Chief Mobility Officer Bailey Waters. “It’s a place to be it’s not a place to go through or to speed through.”

Kansas City has information about where bike lanes are currently installed here.

Learn about a November 9 meeting looking for input on future bike lanes here.