Local news media are reporting that a male cyclist was hit and killed this morning around 200 South Chestnut in the Scarritt neighborhood in Old Northeast KC. Details are still very sketchy, so stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.
11:00 a.m. KCPD is saying it appears the cyclist fell in front a car. Some reports say he was not carrying any identification, so it may be awhile before police identify him. There are conflicting news reports about whether the cyclist was on the street or on the sidewalk.
Saturday May 22nd: KCPD have released the name Carl C. Hansen, 45. He was homeless person who is believed to have been living in a camp near the crash site. It looks like Carl was riding in the grass alongside the road when he lost his balance and fell in front of a passing car.
I remember him, and where he lived, near my own neighborhood. I loved his ingenuity with building bicycles from salvaged parts.
I knew where this happened the moment I read it. Chestnut is an important connecting street between the Northeast and the East Bottoms, as well as a beautiful, shady route. Its gentle grade is perfect for bridging the riverfront and the cliffs without a motor. However, despit being two lanes in either direction, traffic is extremely hostile to both cyclists and pedestrians. I have biked and walked this road and have felt physically threatened absolutely every single time, whether on the pavement or on the rough, gravelly area alongside the road.
This path has an abundance of wildlife (including deer), a wooded disc golf course, and connects to Cliff Drive via a small pond. Area residents do walk and bike this stretch of dangerous road, not for recreation, but out of necessity. There is no sidewalk or shoulder, but there is space for it. We can make it safe for everyone. I hope that that can be Carl’s legacy.
Does anyone at JCBC/KCBC or out there in the community know of the funeral details? It’d be great to mass at the funeral on bikes – show some support for a brother cyclist. Chances are if he was “homeless” there’ll be no-one there to mark his passing. A murdered cyclist deserves more than that, right? Please post any info asap so we can get organized.