Category: News (Page 3 of 22)

You Need To Know FLAT!

April 23, 2018 /

FLAT | Friends of Lawrence Area Trails There's a local organization you need to get to know. It's called FLAT, no it's not a play on the great plains once you get to the other side of the Flint Hills and can see Denver, FLAT is an acronym for the Friends of Lawrence Area Trails.

FLAT is a nonprofit group devoted to developing, promoting and maintaining a robust and vibrant trails system in Douglas County and northeast Kansas. FLAT’s primary roles are to raise funds for trail construction, build a community of trails supporters, and advocate for city, county and state investment in trails.

The founding committee is composed of local well-known local champions of being active that include:

Kate Dinneen – Chair
Marilyn Hull – Member
Sarah Hill-Nelson – Treasurer
Susan Hampton – Member
Jeff Severin – Member

From their website:

We envision a time when Lawrence area residents and visitors of all ages and abilities have convenient access to a trail system that delivers healthy people, economic growth, and a green future.

Our immediate goal is to work toward completion and greater use of the Lawrence Loop, the 22-mile paved trail that will eventually circle the city.

Looking ahead, we will work toward expanding the Lawrence area trail network and promoting Lawrence as a northeast Kansas trail hub.

FLAT will work collaboratively with existing groups that build and maintain trails and organizations that host events on trails.

We intend to establish ourselves as a 501c3 by the close of 2018. Meanwhile, the Douglas County Community Foundation is accepting tax-deductible donations to the Friends of Lawrence Area Trails Fund.

For more information about FLAT check out their:

Website: http://flatks.org/
Facebook Page: facebook.com/flATKS/
Twitter Feed: https://www.twitter.com/FLATKS
Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/flat_ks/

Great Local Educational Opportunity: Bicycle Friendly Driver Course 3/27 & 3/30

March 5, 2018 /

The Bicycle Friendly Driver program is an hour interactive class, aimed at educating all drivers on the best and safest ways to share the road with people on bicycles. Developed by FC Bikes in collaboration with Bike Fort Collins. This course answers questions like:

How do most crashes involving motor vehicles and bicyclists occur?
What is the safest way to make a right-hand turn when bike lanes and/or bicyclists are present?
Why do bicyclists ride in the middle of the road?
Attendance is open to everyone, no need to RSVP.

Please make plans to attend one of the two sessions offered by KU Sustainability.

The class will be presented twice.

MARCH 27th 2018 11:30-12:30 in Ritchie Hall Room 268, located in the new Earth, Energy & Environment Center, 1414 Naismith Drive.

MARCH 30th 2018 1:30-2:30 presented in Chalmers Hall room 421, 1467 Jayhawk Blvd.

Topics being covered include:

What’s legal and what’s not legal, for both motorists and bicyclists
Why bicyclists “take the lane” and what motorists should do in response
Why sharing the road is the safest alternative for both motorists

Questions? Contact Kirsten Yunuba Stephens at 785-764-1857 or email [email protected]

Input Needed From Lawrence Residents About The Lawrence Loop

September 5, 2017 /

The City of Lawrence is studying potential alignments for two incomplete sections of pedestrian and bicycle path to complete the Lawrence Loop. An open house was held in June to gather public input on proposed routes. Over the summer the study team evaluated the proposed routes and developed a series of alignment options. We are now seeking input on the proposed routes. There are two ways to provide input.

Attend the open house September 18th, 2017, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Lawrence Public Library Auditorium, 707 Vermont Street. There will be no formal presentation so please feel free come at your convenience between these times.

Take the short survey on Lawrence Listens.

For more information or to view the proposed routes go to www.lawrenceks.org/loop.

Questions – contact Jessica Mortinger, Senior Transportation Planner, Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, at (785) 832-3165 and [email protected]

Come out for this year’s community bike rides!

June 8, 2017 /

For the seventh year, Lawrence Central Rotary and Ride Lawrence along with some amazing local sponsors are hosting two community bike rides. One in July and another in September. The best part, they are both FREE!

The summer Community Bike Ride will be held July 15th at the Rotary Arboretum starting at 8:30 to beat the summer heat.

There'll be rides and activities for everyone ranging from a 1-mile easy loop around the Arboretum and Training wheel take-off workshop for smaller kiddos who are ready to start rolling on two wheels.

There's a three-mile family ride out to the Clinton Lake overlook and back. Lastly, there is the 10-mile ride up to I-70 and back.

During all of the rides in the parking lot of the Arboretum, there will be:

Helmets Fittings and Safety vests to participants (while supplies last).
Kid's Zone with inflatables to burn off that extra energy.
Sunflower Bike will have a maintenance and bike check stand set up.
The Merc will have a great array of healthy snacks.
7th anniversary T-shirts while supplies last

The Fall ride will be held September 16th starting at the Haskell University stadium parking lot and riding on the Burroughs Creek Trail.

Other activities from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. include:

A Training Wheel Takeoff Clinic. Experts will help children who are ready to take off their training wheels in a safe environment.
Bike Rodeo. Kids can practice and improve their riding skills
Bike Helmet Fitting and Giveaway. Safe Kids with LMH will help outfit kids with helmets, while supplies last, along with providing cycling safety tips for kids of all ages – and for adults too!
Inflatable Bounce House and Slides for the kids!

“One of our goals as a club is to get more and more people discover cycling and an active lifestyle as a fun and healthy activity,” said Steve Lane, a member of Central Rotary Club. “This event is a great opportunity for families and individuals to enjoy cycling in a safe and scenic area on Lawrence’s east side.”

All of this family-friendly wonderfulness is made possible by the sponsors below.

Ride To School Day 2017

May 11, 2017 /

Lawrence Schools participated in the 2017 Bike to School Day.

National Bike to School Day provides an opportunity for communities across the country to join together to celebrate safe, active transportation and, where needed, to bring attention to necessary changes so more people can safely bicycle to more places. Participation in the annual event grows every year and as of today, over 2,500 schools in 49 states have registered events on the official Bike to School Day website, walkbiketoschool.org. The success of Bike to School Day is thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of tens of thousands of students, parents, volunteers, school administrators, elected officials, and community leaders.

“Bicycling is a wonderful way to exercise, have fun and can be a means for some students to get to school,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. “National Bike to School Day is an opportunity for communities to highlight the many benefits of bicycling and promote bicycle safety for Americans of all ages.”

“On Bike to School Day, we’re pleased to report that places around the country are celebrating the fun of biking to school and prioritizing children as they look to improve transportation safety for their entire communities,” said Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School. “For example, Chicago, New York City and many rural and small town communities are seeing school zones as priority places to address speeding traffic – which can have safety benefits for everyone.”

Here's a great story 6 News Lawrence did on happenings here in Lawrence.