Believe it or not, many Kansas Citians use their bicycles to get around on their daily business. Whether it’s riding to work or school, or just running errands like the video store, library, grocery store, etc., it is easier than you think. In fact, half the trips an average Kansan City makes each day are less than miles – a perfect distance for bicycling.
Getting Started
- Resources for beginners – Some basic pointers for getting started with bike commuting or riding on the street for transportation.
Find a Route
- Regional Bike Map – Shows on-street bike routes, multi-use trails, bike shops, hospitals, etc. Look for it at local bike shops, order a free map online, or download the PDF version.
- RouteSlip – Browse dozens of routes mapped by local cyclists.
- Bikely – Another great bike mapping site with lots of local routes.
- KC Bike Commuters Mailing List – sign up for the local mailing list and ask other bike commuters for their advice.
Find a parking space
- Use KCBike.Info’s bike parking database to find a bike rack near your destination, and help us expand the list by letting us know about bike racks in your area.
Local Resources
- MARC Ride Share – Register as a bike commuter with the Mid-America Regional Council and get a Gauranteed Ride Home in case of emergency.
- Metro bus/bike info – The KCATA offers bike racks on most Metro buses in KCMO, KCK, and the Missouri suburbs.
- JO bus/bike info – Johnson County Transit offers bike racks on most “JO” buses in the Kansas suburbs.
- Advice from local bike commuters Les Sire, CommuterDude, Noah, Warren, and Jeff
Crossing the River?
There are few good options for crossing the Missouri or Kansas Rivers, especially for novice or cautious cyclists.
- The Heart of America Bridge (a.k.a. Burlington or North Oak) is doable, but intimidating for many.
- The Chouteau Bridge is a little out of the way, but much better than the H.O.A. However, Front Street between Chouteau and Downtown has a lot of truck traffic.
- Adding the bus to your bike commute is a good option, and three Northland bus routes do have bike racks: #142 North Oak, #133 Vivion/Antioch, and #129 I-29 Express.
- See Also: Bike-N-Bus info and Northland bus routes.
Tips and Tricks
- How to Not Get Hit By Cars
- Urban Biker’s Tips and Tricks
- Missouri Bicycle-related laws
Helpful to have in case there is a dispute with a motorist or police officer. - Kansas Bicycle-related laws
- Report a hostile motorist
Missouri Bike Federation members can report a hostile or careless driver’s license plate number and have a warning letter sent.
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