Yesterday the City Council unanimously approved the Trails KC plan for a city-wide network of bicycling, walking, and equestrian trails serving both recreation and transportation purposes. For the first time the city has a comprehensive plan addressing routes, design standards, funding, and maintenance. Some of the details include

• 230 miles of multi-use trails
• 26 miles of on street connections
• 40 miles of equestrian trails for horse riders
• Regional connections to suburban trail systems
• 15 year implementation plan

Thanks to federal grants and local PIAC capital improvements funding, several miles of trails are already under construction or planned. Trails KC was a long time in coming. It started several years ago when Councilmember Russ Johnson grew frustrated with the city’s piece-meal approach to trail building and secured the funds to create a master plan and develop a strategy for the investment city resources into trail building.

The development of Trails KC included an exhaustive process of public input and participation. Many bicyclists spent a lot of time at public meetings poring over maps and providing suggestions of where and how to build trails.  Shannon Jaax and Jade Liska in the City Planning department did a great job managing the project and working with the community to craft a strong plan. Bicyclists Brent  Hugh, Todd Posson, and Kenneth Walker dedicated many hours to serving on the steering committe that supervised the planning process. And the entire City Council has been very supportive of taking Kansas City’s trail system to the next level and making a something for our citizens to be proud of.

Now with a great plan in place, the bike/ped community can begin working with the city to make sure it gets funded and the necessary resources are dedicated to constructing the trail system.

Learn more about Trails KC at www.kcmotrails.com, including maps of current and future trails.