Last week, two reports aired on local television news outlining the danger created to motorists by the installation of new bike lanes along Armour Boulevard.

Channel 41 news-dude Andres Gutierrez reported the traffic hazard created by the new street parking configuration of the newly-completed bike lanes along Armour Boulevard in Midtown. The bike lanes have narrowed the vehicle traffic lanes on Armour to one lane in each direction from the original, much safer two lanes, making it extremely hazardous for motorists to cross or enter Armour Boulevard from the side streets. Parked vehicles are essentially in the middle of what was before a travel lane, and are now dangerously obstructing the view.

Bikewalk KC’s Eric Bunch stated we “shouldn’t blame the bike lanes” for this situation. This critically thinking news-dog is scratching her head as to exactly who is to blame, given Bikewalk KC is the agency that bullied the city into creating the traffic hazard in the first place. Bunch goes on to say that Bikewalk KC would advocate stop signs being placed on Armour to alleviate the new potentially deadly hazard. Knowing a thing or two about the disdain the Parks and Recreation department has for stop signs on boulevards, Bunch’s comment is effectively moot, and he knows it.

We also learned last week that Bikewalk KC is now advocating for a number of Midtown streets, including Broadway Boulevard, to be necked down to one lane travel in each direction so that, you guessed it, bike lanes can be installed. If you’ve driven Broadway between downtown and the Plaza you know it is heavily traveled. If the Armour Boulevard concept – a traffic fatality waiting to happen, in this dog’s eyes – is developed on Broadway, or any of the other midtown streets being studied for that matter, watch for injury accidents to increase exponentially after this dangerous new concept is rolled out.

The other streets being considered in this proposal are 39th Street, 43rd Street, Southwest Trafficway and Wornall Road. The Wornall Road proposal is especially worrying to this pooch, given its narrowness, and it presently looks like France after the Great War thanks to our ol’ buddies at Infra-Source and the city’s Water Department. Bikewalk KC is of course at the forefront of the arm twisting, using terms like “consensus” through a “community-based steering committee” to soften their potentially deadly impact to motorists. Given the city’s history of caving to special interests and high-dollar developers, this dog isn’t optimistic about the potential outcome and its sizable negative impact to motor vehicle traffic in the study area.

Here’s the bottom line: this coal-rollin’, motorized news-dog has railed against these bicycle bullying types before, and thinks it’s high time their federally-funded “advocacy” has its financial plug pulled for good. This is the same bunch that plans to deny Gladstone Boulevard residents on-street parking so their newly created protected class can “safely” navigate through the community. The Dog noted in a May 2018 editorial that some common sense was needed in this community conversation. Sadly, all we’re seeing is more arm-twisting and motorist shaming from the likes of the vocal minority at Bikewalk KC.