Originally Posted by
ontheroadid
That's an interesting perspective. As a former resident of KC and Hutchinson, KS, I can tell you that Wichita would be the last place in Kansas that I would choose to live. Stupid drivers abound in both communities, but my experience was that Wichita's held the edge. Especially in the aggressive-SUV department. I found it pretty easy to get around Johnson County on a bike. But everyone's experience is different...
Wichita isn't exactly a joy to cycle in, but our average cager-commute is something like 12 minutes. I imagine KC-metro is at least four times that. Where I live, in mid-northwest Wichita, getting around by bike is pretty easy. The worst area for cycling in Wichita is the west side, west of the 235 bypass. that area is overpaid white trash with SUVs and sub-prime mortgages. Our sprawl isn't nearly as bad as KC, therefore no one would need to live 30 miles from work to get their kids in a decent school. Wichita is 1/4 the size of KC (Half-million vs nearly 2 million people)
I think most large cities are just as bad as KC, I've just driven more frequently in KC so I have more experience with it. It seems like the sprawl and bad drivers are worse than in most places to me.
I bet Hutch is a nice cycling town. If I could find a way to make a living there I'd move. Wide streets seem to have enough room for bikes all over town. I see a lot of cyclists when my job takes me there, but most are the homeless-looking types. When I visit hutch I often wonder why anyone there even drives a car. I cant think of too many local Hutchinson trips that wouldn't be faster by bike than by car.