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Cyclists tell Overland Park council parked cars are blocking marked bike lane near Shawnee Mission High School
Summary
Two cyclists told the Overland Park City Council on June 16 that cars frequently park in a marked bike lane on 100th Street near Shawnee Mission High School, creating safety hazards and urging the city to enforce no-parking restrictions.
Two cyclists told the Overland Park City Council on June 16 that parked vehicles are repeatedly blocking a marked bike lane on 100th Street in the area of Shawnee Mission High School, forcing riders into traffic and creating a safety risk.
The concern was raised during the council’s public-comment period by Doug Paulson of Lenexa and Paul Young of Prairie Village, who said the lane runs from Knoll to Roe and is a fast downhill where bicyclists can reach roughly 25 miles per hour. “It’s a clearly marked no parking all the way from both streets…parking about halfway down in the lane, which forces you to pull over into traffic,” Paulson said. “And if somebody pulls out and a car hits a bicycle, it’s, you might feel guilty that we didn’t do something about this,” he added.
Why it matters: Speakers said the blocked lane regularly forces riders into faster-moving traffic and increases the risk of collisions. Young, who said he has been struck by a car previously, described the situation as making bicyclists feel like “a second class citizen” and urged the city to enforce parking rules and consider further design solutions.
Details from speakers: Paulson said the parking problem appears driven in part by a nearby apartment complex whose residents park in the lane to avoid a short walk. Young praised a separate street redesign on Knoll Avenue (between 60th and 70th Streets) as an example of a successful “road diet” that slowed traffic and improved safety for cyclists, and said he hoped similar treatments could be considered.
Council reaction and next steps: No enforcement action or staff direction was recorded in the meeting minutes during public comment. City staff did not respond during the comment period, and the council did not take immediate action on the matter at the June 16 meeting.
Community context: The bike lane in question serves riders traveling past Shawnee Mission High School and is part of the city’s network of on-street bicycle facilities. Residents urged clearer enforcement of the posted no-parking restrictions to reduce the risk of collisions.
Ending: Council members did not debate or vote on enforcement during the meeting; the concern was entered into the public record during the open comment period.
