When the Healthy Harvey Coalition (HHC) received a Healthy Communities Initiative (HCI) Grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, the coalition prioritized active transportation as our goal. We partnered with the City of Newton, Kansas (population 19,117), Harvey County, USD 373, and the ReNewton Bicycle Initiative (RBI) to complete a Bike Master Plan (BMP) for the city. Biking is popular in Newton and we are located at the center point of US Bicycle Route 76, but with the exception of three short multi-use paths, there are no bicycle facilities on the streets of the city and no connectivity between paths. This limits the ability of people to use bicycles as transportation for shopping, school, or work. The purpose of the BMP is to develop a system of on and off street bicycle facilities for safer transportation for all residents of the city, whether traveling by bicycle, foot or automobile.
Newton Bike Rodeo for Latchkey July 25, 2014. Volunteers fitting bike helmets.
Newton Bike Rodeo for Latchkey July 25, 2014. Obstacle course with Newton Police Department.
Assessment: We were awarded the HCI Grant in April 2013. The first year of the grant was a planning phase. To assess the need in the community we looked at previously gathered data including the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) reports, our local Community Health Assessment, the ReNewton 2030 plan. The BRFSS and our Community Health Assessment showed that our residents do not get the minimum recommended levels of physical activity. The ReNewton 2030 plan had a citywide goal of supporting alternate methods of transportation, including bicycling as a way of reducing traffic congestions, improving air quality, and enhancing the livability of the community.
Planning: Our goal is to change the built environment of Newton to encourage physical activity. To this end, we are drafting a BMP that will make bicycling safer and encourage the residents to make use of the improved facilities (bike lanes, multi-use paths, and bike parking). The BMP will also ensure that students can bike safely to school via the proposed facilities. Once funding was granted, our objective was to hire consulting engineers that the city planner works with to develop the parts of the plan that the HHC and RBI did not have the expertise to draft. To make it a community developed plan the coalitions strategies focused on involving as many community members as possible. The coalitions are also working to increase participation in bicycling by planning events. These events include valet parking at festivals, classes to build skills in youth and adults, and organized rides.
Taking Action: Beginning in May 2014, we surveyed residents about bicycling in Newton. We held two forums for public input. In December, we began work with an engineering firm to assist with the technical aspects of the BMP. We gathered a committee with representatives from the City, the County, both coalitions, and the general public. The committee meets at least monthly to identify locations for bike facilities that match the needs of the community and of the city planner. We held another meeting in February for public input on desired changes and another for public feedback on proposed changes. We used social media, the local newspaper, flyers, and discussions with residents and business owners to communicate events and updates to the community, and to allow the community to provide input.
Evaluation: We have written evaluation and sustainability into our BMP. We are recommending the appointment of an advisory committee to reevaluate the BMP regularly. One part of our goal is the development of the BMP; another is to encourage biking as a way of increasing physical activity. We will have completed a baseline measurement of bicycling and automobile traffic, and will take counts annually to see if the expected change of increased bicycling and decreased automobile traffic occurs. We will also be able to track changes in physical activity levels through our assessment tools. The number of children riding to school will be tracked by working with the schools.
Sustaining the Work: The BMP is only the first step. We will present to City Commission with a recommendation that they adopt the BMP and implement it as a policy in a timely manner and adopt the advisory board for the BMP. We are creating activities and events to encourage cycling. We are hosting a local challenge with the National Bike Challenge over the summer, creating bicycling “scavenger hunts,” and other events to encourage people to bike more. We are hosting Bike-to-School and to-Work events, presenting to the Chamber of Commerce on the economic benefits of bicycling, and holding classes to help people develop their cycling skills. The success and sustainability of the plan depends on the continuing need for bicycling facilities.
The effort to create a BMP is building a partnership between local and county government and two local coalitions. The coalitions began talking of a BMP in the spring of 2014. Then the city planner’s office joined the discussion and the health department received a grant to hire the engineers identified by the city planner. Discussions and planning have created a dialog in the community around bicycling and active transportation. Recently, a local college student created a “brand” for the BMP for advertising and marketing. To date we have held four public meetings to encourage dialog. We have received 11 articles or letters to the editor in The Newton Kansan about the BMP. We have held 8 meetings with the engineers and have a first draft of the BMP with a final draft due on May 22.
