A KCPD officer is still recovering after police said a motorcycle officer was hit by a car on Troost Avenue Wednesday morning.
Police said the officer is stable but is being further evaluated Thursday. They said a nearby business owner ran to the scene and managed to push an emergency button on the officer's radio.
The intersection of 72nd Street and Troost Avenue, where the officer was hit, is part of an area the city is looking at to help make streets safer.
Kansas City’s Vision Zero program shows Troost Avenue from 39th Street to Bannister Road as a “top priority” street. Vision Zero looks at streets that need things like bike lanes, bollards, and reduced speed limits.
“We want to make them safer to cross, safer to drive on, safer to be on a motorcycle on,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “We've done none of that on Troost and certainly not on Troost south of about 39th Street.”
Mayor Lucas said they recognize the work needed along Troost Avenue.
“If that means that we have to slow down traffic, which frankly I think is in many ways good for everyone on Troost, on Paseo, on lots of streets, then we need to evaluate it,” he said.
The city did receive funding from a grant to study areas of Troost for speeding. People who work along there were quick to help the KCPD officer Wednesday.
"It's pretty normal for that to happen, unfortunately,” Samantha Armas said.
Armas, an employee with The Greensman, said they’re used to seeing crashes.
“If you want to cross the street, you literally have to triple-check that you're OK because people just come super fast down this street,” she said.
Armas said she welcomes traffic calming measures because she just wants to keep her community safe.
“The concern is obviously safety for everyone around us, including our crews that work with us, and the rest of the people that are part of the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s just not safe for anybody.”
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