Hopefully you’ve heard that light rail is a big deal around river city lately. Even if Clay Chastain’s plan is nixed, all signs point towards some kind of plan eventually getting built. So, what would that mean for cyclists? On one hand, improving public transportation and getting some automobiles will be a benefit. On the other hand, some details could cause us problems…

Bikes on trains
I don’t know of any similar system that features bike racks on the front of trains or streetcars, but most cities with light rail do allow bikes on board outside of rush hour. There is no reason KC can’t do the same. However, if the popularity of the MAX is any indication, even at off-peak times it might be hard to find room for your bike.

There are many unknowns, but here are a few of the big issues. If you happen to participate in any of the public meetings on light rail (including tonight), these would all be things to ask about.

Sharing the street
Whatever is built in KC will have to run on rails in the street, alongside automobile and bicycle traffic. We don’t have an abandoned rail line through the heart of the city to use for a grade-separated rail line like St. Louis and other cities did. No one knows yet exactly how the streets would be configured, but hopefully rail would be given a segregated lane. However, bikes would still have to cross the tracks to make turns. Bicyclists will have to learn to deal with another road user, but at least it will always be in a predictable spot. Some cities like Portland have been able to create bike lanes along side the rail line.

Heart of America Bridge
MoDOT has plans to turn the northbound shoulder of the HOA bridge (Oak/Burlington/Route 9) into a barrier-separated bike/ped facility. Local and state governments are working to scrape up enough money to build this in the summer of 2008. Unfortunately, this could also be the biggest impact of light rail on bicycling.

While traditional light rail trains are too heavy for the HOA, so-called modern streetcars are not. These European-style trams are much lighter and could run on the HOA, which would save the expense of building a new rail bridge. Putting dedicated streetcar lanes on the HOA could preclude a bike/ped lane.

Bike Routes
The long-delayed BikeKC network is about to become a reality. Putting rail on a street could squeeze some of our planned bike lanes. So far most light rail plans focus on either Grand Boulevard or Main Street. Grand is supposed to become a bike route between 5th and 12th Streets. Main Street is not on the bike plan, but the MAX lanes have become become popular with cyclists and are now de facto bike-and-bus lanes.

More info
You can keep up to date on light rail developments at places like KC Light Rail, BlogKC, and the official KCATA site. On a related note, the Mid-America Regional Council is also working on updated Smart Moves, the regional public transit plan that would be centered on any light rail line in KCMO. Public meetings for that plan are also underway.