‘It’s not really about the bikes’: Advocates seek ideas to improve Wichita’s livability

Ten years ago, Wichita had less than 60 miles of bike paths.

When the city asked people how to make Wichita more bike friendly, over 4,000 responded, calling for more paths – and more safety awareness from drivers.

That level of public interest was something the city couldn’t ignore. So it created its first bike master plan to guide cycling development for the city and make Wichita more welcoming for bikes.

Since then, more than 50 miles of bike paths have been added, and the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Board was appointed to gather advice from cyclists.

Now it’s time to update the plan, and the city’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Board is seeking opinions from Wichita residents. People can participate in an online community survey about biking needs through Sept. 24.

Three pop-up events are planned this weekend, at the Old Town Farm and Art Market, Latin Fest-ICT and Open Streets ICT.

“What we have realized is it’s not really about the bikes,” said Kim Neufeld, executive director of Bike Walk Wichita, a nonprofit organization focused on making biking and walking safe and accessible for the city.

“We’re having a lot of people join in the effort and start to understand that it’s really about strengthening neighborhoods, making them more connected and accessible.”

The National Community Survey developed by the National Research Center at Polco measures the “livability” of Wichita, including such issues as mobility, safety, and parks and recreation.

Thirty-two percent of people surveyed in 2012 said “ease of travel by bicycle” was excellent or good. Satisfaction in this category peaked at 40% in 2018 and was 37% in 2022.

“A bike-friendly city helps companies attract talent, can decrease traffic congestion, increases visibility to local businesses,” city Communication Manager Megan Lovely wrote in an email.

Bikeable and walkable cities also attract young professionals and allow elderly people to live in their homes longer because they can be mobile even if they are not driving any more, Neufeld said.

When the 2013 plan was created, Neufeld – who was part of the original planning committee – said the focus was to increase the miles of bike paths. Now, the focus is on communities that were missed.

One of Bike Walk Wichita’s goals is to help underrepresented communities gain more accessibility. She said many of the Hispanic neighborhoods in the north end and Black communities in northeast Wichita, don’t have bike paths that easily connect them to the rest of the city.

“Just asking them what issues do you have, what opportunities do you see, what would you like, what keeps you from getting outside more and biking and walking, and they identify stuff immediately,” Neufeld said. “Then what we do is turn around and try to share those ideas and amplify their voices with the city staff.”

To engage with as many people as possible, Bike Walk Wichita hosts weekly group walk or ride events in these neighborhoods. They also have a community bike shop that provides no-cost repairs.

Neufeld has also seen that bike-friendly cities help homeless people have a consistent and safe mode of transportation.

“Everybody, every single resident, really needs to be able to move around their city,” Neufeld said.

Neufeld is proud that the city is on schedule to update the plan. Money has already been set aside for identified areas of improvement and others that will be brought up by the public.

The 2013 improvements cost $12.5 million, and the updates have a total budget of $458,000. The advisory board has already announced on their website that some of the budget will be used for upgrading bike parking and developing programs to support biking.

The planning committee will look for consistent themes and feedback, and use the results to shape the plan and guide use of resources, Lovely said.

Resident feedback is the first phase of the project, she said. Before it is finalized it will be presented to neighborhood groups, district advisory boards and other stakeholder groups.

Eventually, the updated document will be presented to and approved by the city council. Lovely said the first draft will be finished in 2024 and refined through the end of next year.