In 2001, Kansas City adopted a Master  Bike Plan. In 2016, the City Auditor's office of Kansas City found the plan inadequate. The audit recommended starting over with a new, more comprehensive plan. In early 2019, the new  Master Bike Plan was presented to the KCMO City Council who has chosen not to take action on it. During that same period,  there have been 35 confirmed crashes involving vulnerable road users in KCMO.  

On December 23rd, Ashlie Burkhart was struck by a driver at Admiral Boulevard and Virginia Avenue. On December 24th, Pablo Sanders Jr. was struck from behind by a driver at Southwest Trafficway and Valentine Road. Pablo is a leader in the Kansas City cycling community. Pablo used his bike for transportation,  recreation, and for raising awareness of cyclists on our streets. These are just the most recent in a long list of crashes that have included 13 fatalities.

Traffic crashes, deaths, and injuries are preventable with simple changes such as reducing speed limits, implementing protected bike lanes, and traffic calming. These are not radical demands that came out of nowhere; they are evidenced-based interventions that have proven their effectiveness in other cities and been validated by scientific research.  The people  of Kansas City demand that the City Council take steps now to adopt the Master Bike Plan and work to develop a Vision Zero policy. 2020 is the year we start to end all traffic fatalities. It is no longer acceptable to see our neighbors injured or killed on our roads whether in a car, on a bike, or on foot.