Photo by Rick Usher.
The city’s first modern test of back-in angle parking has just opened on McGee Street in Downtown’s Crossroads Arts District. Flipping the outdated head-in angle parking is a growing movement across the country because it greatly increases safety for bicyclists and even reduces crashes for motorists.
The official ribbing cutting is Tuesday, November 30th at 2:00 p.m. near 18th and McGee, but the new parking spaces are open for use right now.
More photos from Rick Usher, the City Manager’s Downtown development coordinator and a bike commuter.
The back story
The Crossroads pilot project is the result of a June 2009 controversy where a developer objected to the City’s request to use back-in angle parking on a designated bike route on 5th Street in Columbus Park. The compromise reached called for the city to pilot test back-in angle parking before requiring it on 5th Street. 4th District Councilmember Beth Gottstein stepped up help find a suitable location and work with city staff to implement a pilot project. The Crossroads Community Association embraced the opportunity to host the city’s first back-in angle parking as part of its efforts to make the neighborhood safer for all street users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.
If this new-fangled contraption doesn’t bring about the end of the world, we can hopefully look forward safer angle parking elsewhere in the city.
Previous KCBike.Info coverage of angle parking.
More on Angle Parking and Bicycles.
My prediction – people are highly confused by it and a great many drivers, especially SUV drivers, can’t back their cars up well enough to pull in straight, so these spots will be full of crookedly-parked vehicles.
Is there any statistics on the number of bicyclists injured by cars backing up in Kansas City in the last ten years?
…yeah, but I think only the dumb cyclists get hit by a backing car.
Great job, Rick! I’m tweeting your story.
Great coverage yesterday and today – front page in the Star and positive editorial – http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/give-angle-parking-chance-kc/ – way to go Crossroads!