1. The Self Initiated Project

Kansas City has made great strides in cyclist safety. Bike lanes are slowly making an appearance on some major streets, and other projects around the city have advocated somewhat to drivers the importance of giving bike riders their distance and being courteous while driving alongside them.

But the it must be difficult and frustrating to place these lanes and as a member of the biking community, I know that there were roads that would see far more use of these bike lanes. There is a disconnect between the cyclists of the community and the Kansas City Department of Transportation. Without the proper tools available, the city can't have have an up to date and accurate idea of just where bike safety needs to be implemented. It's a road left untravelled, and with so many that are teeming with bikes and vehicles alike, a project needs to bring both the KC bike community and local government together for increased safety and effectiveness.

So this questions sparked my degree project interest. It's a system, and it needs to target all of Kansas City, not only the local government.

"Through design, how can I convey the bicyclist community’s needs for road safety and advocate them effectively and clearly to the Kansas City area?"

 Certain groups within Kansas City have been established to bring attention to the problem. Critical Mass in particular has created events throughout the year that encourage the entire KC bike community to gather for one large ride. Sure it's about comrodery, but it's it's far more than that. Safety in numbers, and catching the public interest. But it's limited to these dates, and it doesn't assist the city any in figuring out where these desired lanes should go.

For my senior self-initiated project, I want to adress all of these issues by creating a system that embodies the voice of the bicyclist community and can work to better show where these bikes are travelling throughout the day and how often.