“Active transportation” is walking, using a wheelchair or scooter, bicycling, roller skating or skateboarding for transportation.
Join us as we implement strategies and action items in the 2023 Active Transportation Plan and follow for the latest news.
01/09/2026
Not every trail needs to be long to be important.
In many Kansas towns, a short trail can mean a safer place to walk, a healthier community, and a reason to stay active close to home.
These everyday trails are the heart of Kansas. Find one in your community today using the KTI Trail Finder App on the KTI website: https://map.kstrails.org/
Make trails a priority in 2026
✔️ Become a member of Kansas Trails Inc.
✔️ Join our newsletter to stay connected
✔️ Tell us about a small trail that makes a big difference in your town
01/08/2026
Check out our latest reel of 2026 focused on making streets safer for children.
12/24/2025
The Meadowlark Trail project extending from Lindsborg to McPherson is now complete! 👏
12/17/2025
Are you giving your teenager an e-bike this holiday season? That’s great — e-bikes are awesome! BUT there are several classifications of e-bikes, so make sure you choose wisely:
1️⃣ Class 1 has pedal-assist only and a 20 mph max.
2️⃣ Class 2 has a throttle, pedal-assist, and a 20 mph max.
3️⃣ Class 3 has pedal-assist only and a 28 mph max, and operator must be 16+.
❎ If it goes over 28 mph, exceeds 750 watts, or doesn’t have real pedals, that’s an e-moto. E-motos require a motorcycle license, must be registered at the DMV, and are not allowed on trails or in bike lanes.
All e-bikes should have a clearly visible sticker that shows their classification. If it doesn’t have a sticker, it’s not an e-bike. Still not sure? Ask the experts at your local bike shop!
We recommend a Class 1 e-bike to keep your student as safe as possible. And be sure to wrap up a helmet to put under the tree, too!
It’s the season of giving, and we’ve got a gift for you! 🎁 It's our *new* Pedestrian Safety Lesson: Crossing Streets and Intersections. This is the second pedestrian lesson developed by KDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program, and it’s designed for you — teachers, parents, anyone! — to help students learn safe walking habits. Visit the Program’s homepage to find the lesson materials, including a presentation slide deck and facilitator guide: https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov
P.S. If you haven’t yet tried our first Pedestrian Safety Lesson: Walking Safely Near Traffic, you can find that one linked from the homepage too!
11/20/2025
In case you missed it, last month we launched a Pedestrian Safety Lesson that teachers—or anyone!--can use to teach students and their families how to be safe walkers. The lesson includes three components designed to be easy-to-use for educators and fun for students!
A presentation slide deck 🖥️
A facilitator's guide with a sample script 📖
A bookmark to keep safe walking tips right at students' fingertips 🔖
Find it all linked from the Kansas Safe Routes to School homepage: https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov
11/19/2025
Something to consider if distance to key destinations is conducive for riding a bike vs driving. Added bonus, the kids and adults have a lot more fun, stay active, and get plenty of fresh air.
Note: you don't need kids to get a cargo bike! KDOT's Active Transportation Manager uses her cargo bike to get groceries and for other errands ☺️
Many parents are now are forgoing minivans for greener alternatives: cargo bikes. They have been around for decades, but the advent of the electric bike motor has made them much more popular.
11/13/2025
Tomorrow, November 14th, is Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day! This annual event honors the role Ruby Bridges played in the civil rights movement AND celebrates the joy of walking, biking, and rolling to school. KDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program encourages students to build community through active transportation tomorrow and every day!
Learn more about Ruby’s legacy and how your school can celebrate: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day | Safe Routes Partnership
11/12/2025
What a great turnout and a beautiful day for the Andover Augusta Redbud Trail Bridge ribbon cutting!
11/06/2025
If you’re nearby, go check out the new Redbud bridge in Augusta over US400 funded with KDOT Transportation Alternatives and local funds
Hey Redbuddies -
Hope to see you tomorrow afternoon!
We've had some folks ask if they can ride their bikes to the event. You bet!
Just a couple of reminders:
Please ride in from the Andover side of the Redbud Trail; the north side of the highway.
Dismount before you've crossed the bridge as you'll need to walk your bike through the event staging area.
What a glorious celebration it will be!
11/05/2025
Did you know: A walking school bus is a group of students and an adult supervisor walking to school with "stops" along a designated route. It’s a great way to encourage active transportation and build community!
Ready to get on board? We just launched a brand-new walking school bus webpage filled with downloadable resources to help you put your best foot forward (see what we did there? 👟) in starting your own!
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A Fun, Healthy, Affordable Way to Connect People and Places
Imagine a future with greater choices for how you get around. Working closely with national and local experts in planning, design, and safety, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is developing the state’s first Active Transportation Plan (ATP) in 25 years. The ATP will look at the needs of people who walk, cycle, use mobility assistance devices, scoot, and more. The plan will focus on how things can be improved through better policies, planning, design, and partnerships with other state agencies and local communities.
Benefits of Active Transport
Here are just a few of the many benefits that active transportation brings to its users and the broader community:
Improved Health and Lower Healthcare Costs
Active lifestyles can make a significant positive impact on physical and mental health and reduce the overall costs of providing healthcare in Kansas. Seven of the top 10 leading causes of death in Kansas are due to chronic diseases. Walking and bicycling are basic forms of physical activity that can help address the personal and community costs of poor health outcomes that result from inactive lifestyles. The CDC recommends changing the built environment in communities to make it easier for people to walk and bicycle as a strategy to prevent chronic disease.
Reduced Pollution
Increasing active transportation in Kansas can help make the air cleaner today and reduce the impacts of human-caused climate change. Biking and walking are zero-emission transportation modes. When people use active transportation instead of driving, motor vehicle-related air pollution emissions go down, thereby reducing the harmful effects of motor vehicle pollution on the environment and human health.
Increased Quality of Life, Equity, and Economic Vitality
Active transportation helps make communities more livable. Nationally, people who agree they have places to walk to nearby also report that they are more satisfied with their quality of life. In addition, communities that invest in mobility alternatives like walking and bicycling often generate higher property values and tax revenues after making such investments.
Active transportation benefits everyone by expanding mobility choices and ensuring that local businesses can retain the workforce they depend on. In Kansas more than 69,000 households lack access to a motor vehicle. While most households with above-average incomes have a car, only half of low-income households do.
This impacts these families’ ability to access jobs, school, transit, health care and other necessities. Safe and easy opportunities to walk or bike to these essential destinations and services can reduce the burden on households with limited motor vehicle access from needing to purchase one. Providing access to active transportation can be a powerful strategy for improving upward economic mobility.
For more information, see our Info Sheet at:http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/KansasATP/documents/Kansas-ATP_InfoSheet_FINAL.pdf
