12
Friday, October 17, 1975
University Daily Kansan
Mibeck says bike paths need public support
By BRUCESPENCE
Staff Writer
Whether Lawrence gets more bike paths may depend on organized public support more than financial support, City Commissioner Carl Mibke said yesterday.
"You know, I've had very little indication that people in this town want to spend money for bike routes," said Mileck who is trying to get a study of bike paths made. "I talk to some individuals I know who ride bikes, and they say 'Yeh, that's a good idea.' But as far as an organized group goes, there doesn't seem to be much support."
He said that the city would have to show that there was public support for the paths or the city couldn't justify spending the money, even though there are federal funds available for the program on a four-to-one matching basis.
Mibek said that he's just trying to find out whether there is any money available for the group.
"There's going to have to be some indication that the people in Lawrence want to go that way," Milbock said. "I think if that is, we'll have a friendly commission."
The city already has quite a bit of preliminary information from an earlier study done by the Lawrence Traffic and Safety Commission.
The original study, done in 1973, three bicycle routes on existing roadways with one-way traffic.
Several representatives of the Mt. Oreo Bicycle Club were involved in that study and proposed 12 routes with lanes marked on them, five-feet wide and marked with signs.
The three routes that were chosen, however, were marked only with international bicycle route signs because the Traffic and Safety Commission thought that the 26- and 27-foot streets involved were too narrow to permit painting of lanes.
Gene Wee, president of M. Orl. Bicycle Club, said Monday that there hadn't been any recent club participation in efforts to get city bike trails.
He said that although some of the club members had supports the city bike paths several years ago, most members now were not. He said people bike trips than shorter, trips through town.
Mibbeck said that George Williams, director of public works, had told him that the city had some slides of bicycle paths in Boulder, Colo., which have been successful there. The city might use the slides for a public showing. Mibbeck said.
"Maybe we could see how much public support there is for more bicycle paths
Mibeck said he would like to have a serious study made of what some cities have done in the way of making bicycles lanes. The city might send someone to get experienced to ride in a successful bike path program, such as Boulder and Bartlesville, Oka., he said.
are all data that the city has gathered on bicycle-related traffic since 1971, Mifbeck said, including the amount of bike traffic at certain intersections, where accidents occurred, where the bike route signs were, the plans that originally were proposed by the M. Otread Bicycle Club and minutes of public hearings on bike paths.
He said that new studies would be necessary to update the information. He mainly wants to present the reports of what he has learned from his walk programs to the city commission.
Fred DeVictor, director of the Park and Recreation Department, said his department had been looking into the possibility of relocating a school to the city, particularly recreational routes.
There are three city projects that will be involved with more bike paths.
The city has planned a park of about 1,000 acres on the north side of the Kansas River, and bicycle and hiking paths would run the length of the 11-mile park. DeVictor said.
Board delays decision on bargaining unit
The question of whether University of Kansas faculty members may form a collective bargaining unit is still unanswered.
The five-member Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) said in its monthly meeting in Topeka yesterday that it hadn't had enough time to consider all the matters now allowing collective bargaining to begin at KU and so made no ruling on the matter.
Jerry Powell, PERB executive director, said after the meeting that the board needed more time to study the briefs on KU's situation.
Formation of a faculty bargaining unit is serious step and many factors have to be considered.
PERB must rule on what kind of bargaining unit, if any, would be appropriate for the KU faculty. It may decide to reorganize or should be formed to represent the faculty.
Five separate proposals were offered by various groups during hearings at KU last summer. The major differences among the proposals involved the inclusion in the curriculum of liberal arts and nursing school faculties, department chairmen and librarians and research associates.
Powell said the group would consider the matter at its next regular meeting on Nov. 15.
Recognition by PERB of the faculty's right to form a collective bargaining unit wouldn't necessarily bring such a unit into beak. Kansas law states that, should the boss or unable to elect a representative, the bargaining unit would have no power.
The paths wouldn't be asphalt, he said but rather a compacted material of some kind.
DVictor said that the riverfront park development, which would be built by the Army Corps of Engineers, hadn't been approved by the federal government.
He said that the development wouldn't cost city taxpayers any additional money, and that the city would be responsible only for maintenance and operation of the nature
The land for the park was bought for the flood control levee in the late 1968, DeVictor
Also in the planning stage is a separate bike path as part of four miles of Clinton Parkway, from 23rd St. to Clinton Reservoir, he said.
The city has also approved two proposed bridges over the Kansas River in downtown Lawrence. One, the proposed Vermont St. bridge, will have a bicycle lane, DeVictor
One of the benefits of the proposed bridge bike lane, he said, will be that the lane will tie in directly with the riverfront park bike paths.
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"From the Park and Recreation Department point of view we are interested in seeing more bike paths, particularly along the park's thoroughbaugh the community," DeVictor said.
For example, he would like to tie the bike routes near the University of Kansas to the proposed Clinton Parkway bike path, he said.
"Maybe there could be a circumference route around town," DeVictor said, "where people in all segments of the community can get on the bike paths and get down-town or out to Clinton Reservoir or wherever they may want to go.
"We're interested in both the transportational and recreational bike systems. Bicycles are here to stay, and there's a need for both systems."
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Mibeck said that although he was primarily interested in development of bike transportation routes, he wouldn't be opposed to development of a general plan to link up transportational routes with recreational ones.
"That suits me, but we've got to see what money is available and who wants to put time in on this," he said.
Mibek said that he was concerned simply about the people who rode bikes to the beach.
"I'veriden my bile for 38 years, and it's important to me," he said, "but it's as much to me."
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