Transportation around UMKC campus feels limited for UMKC being a commuter campus. Most students park their cars in lots or parking garages and walk to their classes from their parking spots. It is not feasible to drive to every class on campus so providing other realms of transportation like electric bikes.

I chose to take one of the electric bikes for a ride on campus to see the logistics of riding on campus and how effective it can be instead of walking to classes. UMKC’s campus consists of different contours that can be more difficult to walk and bikes could really come in handy. Below is a map of the route I took.

I started by downloading the BikeKC app on my phone and going to the bike charging station near Whole Foods. I parked in the School of Education parking lot so I knew I wanted to bike from Whole Foods to there.

The app was easy to work and I was riding shortly after getting to the charging station. The bikes can be intimidating at first because of the speed, but luckily I chose a route with smooth sidewalks.

The first mental note I made was that the sidewalks were actually in good condition. They felt a little narrow to ride an E-bike on when there were other people walking on the sidewalks, but they were still in good shape. Protected bike lanes on campus eventually could be a good addition. The intersection at 52nd and Cherry felt a little steep and dangerous because its a large intersection, but again, I felt safe because I had the sidewalk to ride on. I do wish there was a crosswalk at this intersection.

Riding down Oak St. to 52nd street felt boring aesthetically and a little unsafe. Oak street keeps pretty busy in terms of the traffic flow and the sidewalk is again narrow.

I ended at the Education Building parking lot at the end of my ride. There was nowhere to return my bike at a charging station in the near area, so this was not convenient.

Overall, I think the addition of BikeKC to campus could be a great one with more charging stations and bikes available. I also believe adding bike lanes on main streets of campus and cross walks at all intersections will keep those safe who are riding bikes.