Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Targeted Spending Helps Boost Kansas City’s Walkability

11:12 AM EDT on April 17, 2014

The Alliance for Biking and Walking released a big new report yesterday that measures the nation's progress on active transportation.

Kansas City has been investing in safer streets, and it's moving up in walkability rankings. Photo: BikeWalkKC
Kansas City has been investing in safer streets, and it's moving up in walkability rankings. Photo: BikeWalkKC

There's a ton of data to nerd out on, but one thing that might be particularly interesting to local advocates is that the report shows biking and walking statistics for individual cities. It has details on safety, public spending, and income and gender demographics for active transportation in 50 large cities and 17 mid-sized cities across the U.S.

Rachel Kraus at BikeWalkKC dove into the data, and she found that a conscious effort to improve conditions in Kansas City seems to be paying off:

Moving Up in the RankingsIn 2012, Kansas City ranked 33rd out of the 52 most populous US cities for walking to work. In 2014, KC jumped to #30. Our closest neighbors include Omaha at #26, Chicago at #8 and Wichita at #50. Nationally the top five walking cities are Boston, Washington D.C., New York City, San Francisco and Honolulu. Our bike commuting ranking also improved from #42 to #41.

Still Room for ImprovementKC’s bicyclist safety ranking dropped from #34 in 2012 to #37 in 2014. Our closest neighbors include Omaha at #45, Chicago at #19 and Wichita at #2. (Safety rankings are based on crashes and fatalities.) KC also still lags behind on rankings of residents getting the recommended amount of physical activity. We ranked #38 in 2014.

City investment on bike/ped projectsKansas City ranked 16th among the largest cities for per capita spending on bicycle/pedestrian projects. Our closest neighbors include Omaha at #14, Chicago at #31 and Wichita at #41.

It goes to show that with targeted investments any city can improve conditions for walking and biking.

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Urbanist looks at four indicators that the demand for car-lite city living is intensifying. Reno Rambler grooves on Pope Francis's wise words about cycling. And Systemic Failure piles on proposed new FRA regulations that have transit advocates afraid for the future of commuter rail.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Headlines Are Trending Down

An estimated 19,515 people died in car crashes during the first half of 2023, which is down 3.3 percent but still 19,515 too many.

October 3, 2023

What Do ‘Livable’ Streets Look Like in an Era of Driverless Cars?

Does a world of autonomous cars really have to make our streets less human? Possibly.

October 3, 2023

Why Chicago Advocates Are Providing Bikes to Migrants

Unless funds are freed up from a larger entity, bike distribution to asylum seekers is going to stay in crisis mode indefinitely.

October 2, 2023

Monday’s Headlines Are Open for Business

Monday will be just another Monday for federal employees, as Congress avoided a government shutdown. Plus, declining gas tax revenue provides an opportunity to rethink transportation funding.

October 2, 2023

Why Connecticut is Investing in New Regional Rail

Gov. Ned Lamont will spend $315 million investment on new rail cars — but they're not going anywhere near Grand Central. Here's why.

October 2, 2023
See all posts