KANSAS CITY, Kan — Kansas City Public Works will host a meeting Wednesday night regarding the bike lanes along Truman Road.
Over the past couple of weeks, the lanes have been the center of controversy with some businesses and drivers voicing concerns against them, while bicyclists say the lanes are needed.
The lanes were added late last fall, and business owners along Truman Road say they've been driving away customers.
“It has been affecting our economy and not just our economy, our employees' economy because our sales went down like 50% because they took our parking,” said Leonardo Nolasquez, owner of Los Tres Hermanos Taqueria.
Tres Hermanos Taqueria is located off of Truman and Colorado Avenue. Nolazquez explained the lanes are hurting sales since customers are no longer able to park next to the sidewalk.
According to diagramsposted on the city’s website, parking is still available and drivers are able to park next to the delineators along the bike lanes, but Nolasquez and other business owners say it’s dangerous.
“There's no signs, you don't you see any signs that say they can park,” Nolasquez said.
A KSHB 41 News crew drove along Truman on Tuesday morning and saw several cars illegally parked on the bike lanes with signs displayed on hoods taking a stance against the new modes of transportation.
According to a recent email from a Kansas City spokesperson, the city is working on a parking compliance system and will ticket violations. They said that in the past, the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department has handled parking enforcement, but they are in the process of taking this responsibility over.
KSHB 41 News also saw a cyclists taking advantage of the lanes, but the individual didn’t want to be interviewed due to increasing tensions between the biking community and business owners.
Recently, BikeWalkKC posted on its website saying it's received messages from people who ride on Truman Road that they have been verbally harassed and intimidated. The organization released a statementsaying threats must stop, but that community engagement should be improved.
Nolasquez says he hasn’t witnessed any intimidation on behalf of businesses.
"I haven't seen nobody harassing nobody and if [bicyclists] come and eat, they can leave their bikes outside. We are still going to give them service and everything,” Nolasquez said.
Wednesday night's meeting will take place at the Gregg Klice Center at 1600 E. 17th Terrace, in Kansas City, Missouri, at 4:30 p.m.
