Lawrence seeks public input on updated bike plan draft

Residents still have a chance to steer which bike connections rise to the top in Lawrence and across Douglas County as planners circulate a 211-page draft update to the city’s bicycle plan and a separate countywide bikeway update. The countywide survey runs through June 21, and a 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 3 meeting at Fire Station 5, 1911 Stewart Ave., will be the next formal checkpoint before the plan moves toward adoption.

The Lawrence Bikes Plan, approved by the MPO Policy Board on Aug. 15, 2019 and by the Lawrence City Commission on Oct. 15, 2019 through Resolution No. 7299, set five goals: improve safety, increase ridership, increase access, build a network of low-stress bikeways and earn Bicycle Friendly Community Silver-level recognition. City planners say the update keeps that framework but adds new data and a broader countywide lens, giving residents a say in which gaps, crossings and corridors should be prioritized first.

One of the draft’s main tools is a latent bicycle demand map, which points to where people would be most likely to ride if routes felt safe, direct and convenient. The map steers attention toward schools, universities, community centers and denser neighborhoods, where better bikeways could have the biggest effect on daily travel. That includes places where a missing link or a safer intersection can decide whether a trip is practical by bike at all. The Lawrence Loop also remains part of the picture, with city materials describing it as a continuous 22-mile trail around the city limits when complete.

The countywide plan reaches beyond Lawrence to Eudora, Baldwin City, Lecompton and the unincorporated parts of Douglas County. Its scope says the first county bicycle plan dates to 2004, the system plan was updated in 2014, and Lawrence now has dedicated bicycle and pedestrian funding that can help move projects from paper to construction. The update uses the 6E framework: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Evaluation and Equity.

Public input has already shaped the draft. The MPO Policy Board approved the steering committee makeup on Nov. 21, 2024, and the first engagement phase began with a Feb. 26, 2025 meeting at Fire Station 5 and outreach that started in April 2025. City materials said that first phase collected 581 survey responses from self-reported Lawrence residents between March 27 and May 4, 2025. The steering committee includes representatives from the Connected City Advisory Board, Parks, Recreation, Culture Advisory Board, Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, Lawrence Bicycle Club, Lawrence Mountain Bike Club, Friends of Lawrence Area Trails, Safe Routes To School, the University of Kansas, Haskell Indian Nations University and Lawrence Coalition 4 Safe Streets.

Lawrence has been a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community since 2004, and KU earned Bronze Bicycle Friendly University status in 2016. City planners say a clear, community-driven plan can help secure grant funding and speed network expansion, making the coming comment period especially important for riders, commuters and neighborhoods that still sit farthest from a connected bikeway system.