Theme 3: Getting Around

Getting around downtown should be easy, comfortable, and connected, whether someone is walking, biking, driving, scooting or taking public transit.

The Getting Around theme focuses on three priorities: create a network of lively, safe, people-first streets; complete and improve the bike network; and develop a high-frequency downtown circulator that connects The Hub with key points of interest.

Network of People-First Streets

Downtown streets serve more than cars. The Action Plan calls for improvements that make it easier and more enjoyable for everyone to move through downtown, regardless of their mode of transportation. 

One of the most impactful opportunities is redesigning the one-mile stretch of Douglas Avenue between Washington Street and Main Street. The proposed improvements include more on-street parking, large shade trees, a protected bike lane, and wideer sidewalks. Together, these changes would create a safer, more comfortable enviornment for pedestrians, cyclists and scooter users while helping manage vehicle speeds. 

The goal is not to eliminate vehicles from downtown, but to create streets that work better for everyone who uses them. 

Bike Network

A stronger bicycle network can make it easier to move between adjacent neighborhoods, downtown destinations and the Arkansas River.

The Action Plan calls for filling gaps in the existing network, prioritizing safety, extending protected bike lanes and improving connections to key destinations such as Naftzger Park, the Wichita Biomedical Campus℠, INTRUST Bank Arena and Old Town.

The proposed network includes protected and grade-separated bike lanes, bike boulevards and greenways designed to create safer, more seamless connections throughout downtown.

Downtown Circulator

A high-frequency downtown circulator vehicle could make it easier to move between downtown’s economic, educational, cultural and entertainment destinations.

The Action Plan proposes a dedicated shuttle bus operating every 10 minutes on a two-mile loop along Douglas Avenue and First Street. The route would connect The Hub, Wichita’s new multimodal transit center in Delano, with major downtown destinations and provide convenient transfers to local and regional bus service.

Making Downtown Easier to Experience

Getting around is ultimately about creating a downtown that is easier to navigate and more enjoyable to experience.

Better streets, connected bike routes and reliable transit can help people move between the places that make downtown unique, while supporting the businesses, destinations and development that bring people downtown in the first place.

For developers, property owners and business leaders, these connections can help shape how projects engage with the street and contribute to a more accessible, active downtown with more to explore, every day.