Page 4 of 57

Volunteer Request: Bike & Pedestrian Count on the Lawrence Loop

May 18, 2020 /

Looking for volunteers!

As a result of the COVID pandemic, Lawrence residents are out along the Lawrence Loop in unprecedented numbers. Our friends at FLAT (Friends of Lawrence Area Trails) are interested in getting a better idea of how much use of the Loop has increased, so FLAT is conducting a formal count of trail activity in early June!

They will be conducting 2-hour counts on Wednesday, June 3, and Saturday, June 6. If you've ever participated in the City of Lawrence/MPO bike/ped count, we're using that same method, and the tentative plan is to integrate these results into the MPO 2020 counts.

They need volunteers to make this happen! Please follow the link below to sign up for a slot. Detailed instructions will be provided after you've signed up.

Walking / running / biking on the Lawrence Loop is a great way for everyone to get out and enjoy nature. This project will help to show just how many Lawrencians take advantage of the community resource.

City of Lawrence awarded $1.47M in KDOT grants for Lawrence Loop, Safe Routes to School projects

February 28, 2020 /

Amazing news – the City of Lawrence was awarded two grants totaling $1,470,000 from the Kansas Department of Transportation as part of its Transportation Alternatives Program for Fiscal Year 2021.
Lawrence received a federal award of $1,070,000 for the Lawrence Loop project and an award of $400,000 for phase 2 of the Safe Routes to Schools project. Both projects are overseen by the City's Municipal Services & Operations Department. The Transportation Alternatives grants require a 20% local cash match.

“We are extremely excited to learn that we were awarded the grants for these two projects,” said City Engineer David Cronin. “Safe Routes to School and the Lawrence Loop are two high-priority community projects for improving multi-modal transportation. These grants will help us move forward with both.”

The Lawrence Loop grant will be used to help extend the existing Peterson Road shared-use path to Michigan Street, just a few blocks from the Burcham Park Trail. The Safe Routes to Schools grant will be used to complete phase 2 of the project, targeting routes to three different elementary schools.

“Kansans value safety in all modes of transportation, which is why it is an important element of the new FORWARD transportation program,” said KDOT Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz. “I’m pleased that these projects focus on improving safety for pedestrians and children walking to school.”

KDOT received 32 applications from eligible project sponsors and awarded a total of $8.6 million for 18 projects for Fiscal Year 2021. Lawrence is the only city that was awarded two separate grants.

Lawrence parents have another opportunity to share their thoughts on Safe Routes to School

December 17, 2019 /

Lawrence Public Schools, in partnership with the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department and the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, is working on an updated city-wide Safe Routes to School plan for Lawrence. The next step in the development of an updated plan is to collect parent input on the desired components of a Safe Routes to School program.

The Be Active Safe Routes team is working with PTOs/PTAs and Site Councils* to gather parent input to help prioritize programs that will ultimately improve student travel to school and shape the vision of our city. We ask that all parents visit lawrenceks.org/safe-routes to fill out the worksheet packet for their school of interest. Parent input is vitally important even if their child does not currently walk or bike to school. In addition to parents, other interested Lawrence residents are invited to share their opinion by filling out the worksheet packet.

If you have any questions, please email: [email protected].

Volunteers needed for bicycle and pedestrian counts in Lawrence, Eudora and Baldwin City

August 12, 2019 /

The Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization is looking for volunteers for a variety of bicycle and pedestrian counting projects happening this September in Lawrence, Eudora and Baldwin City. There are hundreds of available counting opportunities as part of the following projects:

The annual Bicycle Rider and Pedestrian Project will count locations throughout Lawrence, Eudora and Baldwin City to gather data on bicycling and walking usage to assist city and regional leaders in estimating usage and demand for bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

The Lawrence School Crossing Guard Count is one of our first steps to developing a citywide Safe Routes to School Plan. Data is being gathered at existing school crossing guard locations. This data collection effort was started in the spring, but rain delayed the completion of the counts.

The Lawrence Downtown Count is an ongoing effort to collect usage numbers. These counts have been conducted every spring and fall.

To sign up as a volunteer for any of the three counts visit: www.lawrenceks.org/mpo/volunteer

For more information about volunteering for bicycle and pedestrian counts, please contact: Ashley Myers, Transportation Planner, at (785) 832-3155 or [email protected]

100+ brave the heat to attend Lawrence’s 2019 Community Bike Ride

July 26, 2019 /

It had been a scorching week but after discussions with the organizers and the forecast that said we'd start with a temp of 80 degrees and be done before the mercury broke 90 we forged ahead.

We were able to use the new shelter at the Lawrence Rotary Arboretum which allowed more space in the tent to fit people with new helmets.

Thank you to our sponsors and everyone who came out to ride and volunteer.

The team from Matty D Media was on site and put together this video of the event (more coming soon)!

We also got some great photos of the event, you can check them out at the Lawrence Central Rotary Website. If you took any pictures you'd like to share email them to: [email protected] or post them to our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LawrenceCentralRotaryClub/

Ride Lawrence