KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Later this week, Kansas City, Missouri, council members will hear more testimony over a proposal to shut down some streets so walkers and cyclists can practice social distancing.
A similar measure just went in place at some city parks. It's the first weekend cars couldn't cut across Swope Park.
"This is the first day that I’ve seen the barricades, so it’s inconvenient to park there and not be around my car so I can always keep it in sight," said Ashley Fields, who visited Swope Park on Sunday.
But with no traffic, Fields now has more space to train her dog, Diesel, and park-goers can spread out.
"We’ve been coming here for the last two months and ever since COVID hit, there was still a lot of barbecues, parties up here, a lot of traffic, a lot of people real close," Fields said.
On Sunday, visitors were few and far between, and that influenced others to stop by.
"At first we tried to go the Parkville Nature Sanctuary, but it was super crowded," M.J. told 41 Action News. "There was a bunch of people playing disc golf and stuff, so we decided to try it and lucked out there’s like nobody here."
KC Parks workers also put up barricades on the roads leading into Blue Valley Park.
The department is encouraging folks to check out the city's 221 parks or more than 130 miles of trails instead of sticking to popular ones like Loose Park.
"We’ll be able to get back here sooner if we all follow the rules," Fields said.
