KSHB 41 anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers transportation-related issues in Kansas City. Share your story idea with Daniela.
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The City of Lawrence, Kansas, wants to bring changes to one of the city's most important corridors: Massachusetts Street.
The street cuts through the central business district of downtown Lawrence, and is constantly buzzing with cars in motion. Depending on the stretch, some cyclists can also be seen on the roadway or pedaling down Mass Street's bordering sidewalks to get through.
"I think that there's a million different ways that people can engage with bikes. A lot of people use it for transportation and they use it for recreation, fitness and health," said Laura Wagner, manager at the Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop in Lawrence. "Some people like to use it as a sport and recreation, racing."
Cyclists in Lawrence often turn to the Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop, for bike repairs, accessories, clothing and other outdoor needs.
The shop is also a place where some families go to conserve their loved one's final ride. Wagner and her team are currently in the process of fixing a bike belonging to a loyal customer and a friend to many, who died while riding this bike on a road between Lawrence and Eudora this summer.
"We are working on trying to repair it for his mother, just so that she can have a memory of him because this bike was an important part of his life," Wagner said.
Wagner and her staff are also regularly asked to assist in work orders for people who are hit by cars, and need a quote for insurance, for estimated repair and replacement costs.
"We (cyclists) experience, oftentimes, a lot of aggression from people as if you're impeding the speed of their day and their travel versus you also being on your own path of travel, and I think the biggest thing is remembering that there's, there's a human being under the helmet," said Wagner.
It's those cyclists and lives that Lawrence officials are determined to further protect, especially on Mass Street between 14th Street and 23rd Street.
"We're looking at a lane reconfiguration to add curb buffered bike lanes and other safety crossing improvements to make all users of this roadway corridor safer," Lawrence Transportation Manager Jessica Mortinger said.
According to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, crashes involving bicyclists (pedalysts) remain disproportionately high.
In 2023, nearly 50,00 people were injured an 8% increase compared to 2022.
Lawrence hopes to adopt a cycling infrastructure plan by the start of 2026 as the city continues to gather community feedback until then.
"We're going to build a community that people want to live in, one that's more sustainable and one that supports all quality of life," Mortinger said.
Wagner adds local cycling programs can help bicyclists learn additional safety skills, and it’s important to take advantage especially at an early age.
There’s the Kansas and Missouri NICA League; a youth mountain bike organization and Donderdag in Shawnee.
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