Alliance > Media center > People Powered Blog

Entries tagged: Colorado

A new partnership between Community Cycles and Boulder Food Rescue in Boulder, Colorado highlights a great way to deliver goods without the use of fossil fuels — and raise the profile of bicycle advocacy.

Boulder Food Rescue (BFR) is an all-volunteer nonprofit that receives donated food from grocery stores and transports it to charities serving hungry, homeless and at-risk individuals. When BFR volunteers found out that Community Cycles offers free bike trailer rentals to members, they contacted the organization to see if they too could access this valuable resource. BFR now does 75 percent of its deliveries by bicycle — transporting about 150 pounds each day in Community Cycles’ trailers.

Using Community Cycles trailers saves BFR money on gasoline, car maintenance and other costs, and brings volunteers who deliver food one step closer to the communities they serve. But BFR isn’t the only one that benefits from this partnership.

“It helps our mission by getting people to do more on bikes” says Sue Prant, Community Cycles’ Advocacy Director. The program sets an example that carrying things in bike trailers can be a fun, efficient and cost-effective option for a variety of individuals and organizations.

The first Community Cycles trailer was donated six years ago, and the nonprofit purchased one each year for the following three years. Their bike trailer inventory now includes three large Bikes at Work Trailers, and two Croozer Trailers. The 64-inch long Bikes at Work trailers are well-suited to large, heavy loads, while the roughly 3-foot Croozer trailers work well for more modest cargo. The organization also has an Xtracycle trailer that they use for Rolling Bike Clinics — bicycle powered shops that fix broken bikes in low income neighborhoods.

Sue says that the trailers have proved a great investment for Community Cycles, and she recommends them to other organizations that have the space.

“We do get people joining just because of the trailers,” says Sue. “Also, our big trailers have spawned more trailers. The city has bought two of them—one to move mobile bike parking for the farmer’s market and one to do greenways maintenance.”

Learn more about Community Cycles here.

For hikers, Colorado offers more than breathtaking vistas. The dramatic landscape extends a challenge, too. For years, tourists have flocked to the Rocky Mountain State to test their metal against Colorado’s rugged peaks and summit its tallest mountains. Now, bicyclists will feel a similar draw, too.

“People around the world set a lifetime goal to climb all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains,” Dan Grunig, Executive Director of Bicycle Colorado, says. “We thought bicyclists needed a similar checklist.”

This month, that checklist went live with the launch of the Bike the Byways website. A joint initiative of Bicycle Colorado and the Colorado Department of Transportation, the site highlights 25 bicycle touring routes that hit keys points of interest and showcase the state’s unique and diverse landscapes. According to the press release: “Routes range from a short 19-mile ride near Sterling, to a breath-taking trip to the top of Mt. Evans, to a multi-day tour deep in the San Juans.”

But the website isn’t a static source of information; it proposes a challenge, too. Visitors are invited to register for Bike the Byways and check off each route as they complete it. Participants are encouraged to comment and provide tips on the rides, as well.

“We hope this program will encourage folks to get out and visit areas of the state they may not have bicycled in before,” Grunig says. “We have such a vast array of geography and terrain here in Colorado that the byways really do provide something for everyone.”

And, it’s not just an opportunity for bicyclists. The benefits will extend to the communities along the routes, as well.

“My expectation is that this program will form a collaboration among bicyclists and local byway communities, as well as integrate the byway experience with bicyclists,” Lenore Bates, CDOT Scenic Byways Coordinator, says.

Check it out and, perhaps, plan your own trip at http://www.BikeByways.org.

Blog contributed by Alliance intern, Camie Rodan

When the small town of Black Hawk banned bicycles from its streets, it prompted an international outcry from cyclists and active transportation advocates. This week, Colorado advocates will continue a legislative push to protect the rights of bicyclists on their public roads.

According to the Active Outdoor Recreation Economy, cycling is the second most popular activity in Colorado and a major contributor to a $10 billion dollar economy. As the advocates at Bicycle Colorado rightly point out: “Colorado can’t afford to ban bicycling in its communities.”

Unfortunately, the Centennial State made headlines for stifling bicycle tourism when the city of Black Hawk passed an ordinance that outlawed bicycles on the alleged grounds of rider safety. Even though the main thoroughfare is part of the popular Great Parks South Route, no alternatives were provided, causing cyclists to go 55 miles out of the way. Bicycle Colorado led the charge in raising awareness about the dangerous precedent and even participated in a lawsuit to have the measure overturned (their motion was denied in October).

Now, they’re taking their efforts to the state capitol.

Last week, Bicycle Colorado alerted its members about the Open Roads Act (HB 1092). Sponsored by State Representative Andy Kerr, the Open Roads Act aims to provide bicyclists relief by restricting bicycle bans like the one in Black Hawk, helping to ensure bicycle access to public roads across the state. Under the act, limited bicycle prohibitions are allowed only if local authorities provide a nearby alternative route. According to Bicycle Colorado: “The goal of the bill is to provide Colorado citizens and visitors with the ability to travel to jobs, schools, stores and attractions by bicycle without restriction from using public streets.”

“Banning bicycle travel on every street in a community penalizes people that choose healthy, affordable, pollution-free transportation,” says bill sponsor Representative Kerr.

“People travelling in Colorado by bicycle shouldn’t be turned back by ‘Road Closed’ signs at every entrance to a community,” adds Senator Greg Brophy, another co-sponsor. “Americans should have to the freedom to travel.”

The bill is now in the Transportation Committee and could come to a vote this week.

But, the Open Roads Act isn’t the only bill bicycle advocates are advancing this session. The Mountain Bike Safety Act (SB 36) aims to define the innate risks of mountain biking and to reduce the liability of landowners. State Senator Greg Brophy sponsors the bill and says, “I hear from landowners around the state who want to open trails, but are concerned about liability and insurance. This bill protects them while providing more opportunities for people to get outdoors and enjoy all that Colorado has to offer.”

Because landowners fear potential lawsuits due to the dangers presented by mountain biking, they are refraining from hosting trails on their land. As a result, mountain biking is often limited to multi-use trails. By barring lawsuits that can result from these inherent dangers, the act will help expand mountain biking areas, easing the use of multi-sport trails and inviting residents and tourists alike to bring their bikes for an exhilarating ride on Colorado trails.

Stay tuned for updates on both these bills on Bicycle Colorado’s legislative priorities page.

UPDATE: The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation reports, “A St. Charles County proposal to ban bicycles from shoulderless highways around the Katy Trail town of Defiance was tabled at a County Council meeting last night, but will be reconsidered next month with the possible addition of more roads on the banned list.” Click here to stay up-to-date as the issue develops.

When officials in the small town of Black Hawk banned bicycles from their streets earlier this year, Colorado advocates worried the absurd prohibition would spread to other locales. “Bicycle Colorado is very concerned about it, because we don’t want it to set a precedent that other cities would follow,” said executive director Dan Grunig.

Unfortunately, it appears Grunig’s fear was well founded.

A bicycle ban is now rearing its head in eastern Missouri.

Joe Brazil, a Republican councilman in St. Charles County (which borders the big city of St Louis), will likely introduce a measure at a meeting tonight that would make it illegal to ride on a handful of two-lane highways in the southwest portion of the county. His argument sounds eerily similar to the rhetoric out of Black Hawk: Brazil insists his intent is to protect cyclists, who allegedly are endangered by high-speed motorists on highways with no shoulders.

“You’re going 55 (mph) and there’s absolute limited sight distance,” Brazil told the St. Louis Dispatch late least week. “You come around a corner and come upon a bike in seconds and you have to react.”

“This is a problem we’ve had out here for years,” he added, suggesting that he gets more complaints about the issue than on anything else.

Advocates in Missouri are gearing up to push back against the proposed ban.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, advocates are keeping the heat on Black Hawk officials. On June 29, Bicycle Colorado held a rally that drew more than 100 bicyclists and several state policymakers, calling for a repeal of the ban. “This is a basic freedom issue,” state senator Chris Brophy told the crowd of bicyclists.

Get the latest on the Black Hawk campaign at Bicycle Colorado and stay tuned for updates from Missouri.

Since the start of June, the city of Black Hawk has issued at least eight traffic citations to cyclists passing through the Colorado town. Their crime: simply pedaling down the street.

In January, the tiny city that banks most of its economic development from area casinos, passed an ordinance banning bicycles from virtually every street. That includes Black Hawk’s main thoroughfare, which also happens to be a road used by travelers following Adventure Cycling’s popular Great Parks South route.

Officials argue that it’s too dangerous for cyclists to share the narrow roads that carry a heavy flow of tour buses bound for the slot machines. Bicycle Colorado, an Alliance member organization, says the real danger is that this absurd measure could spread across the Centennial State — and beyond. “Bicycle Colorado is very concerned about it, because we don’t want it to set a precedent that other cities would follow,” Dan Grunig, the group’s executive director, told a local news reporter.

Grunig made a formal case for lifting the ban at the June 9th city council meeting, but Black Hawk officials remained determined to keep bikes off their streets. But their logic doesn’t add up. While the council insists the ordinance promotes safety, city staff hasn’t cited even one example of a car-bike collision. When Bicycle Colorado offered to work with the town to come up with road safety alternatives to the outright ban, city officials shot that down, too.

So, until the measure is overturned, anyone “caught riding” is subject to a $68 fine.

But the frustration of many American cyclists is starting to bear down on the tiny mountain town. Last week, a new website promoting a Black Hawk boycott went live. The Facebook page “Bicyclists and Tourists Boycott Black Hawk Colorado” has racked up nearly 1,300 supporters. Bicycle Colorado is hoping to capitalize on that momentum next week, when they rally in front of the state capitol on June 29.

You can help. Send your thoughts to the city council at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (303) 582-2212. Or donate a few dollars to the cause by contributing to Bicycle Colorado.

The complete streets movement kicked off summer in sizzling fashion, with a handful of policies passing in places you might not imagine.

In recent weeks, measures to make roadways safe and accessible for all users, from cyclists to pedestrians to transit riders, won approval all over the map. A number of those victories are outlined in the latest newsletter from the National Complete Streets Coalition this week.

-  In Pascagoula, Mississippi, the city council passed a resolution on May 18 that “calls for the inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian ways in new construction and reconstruction projects undertaken by the city.” The resolution made Pascagoula the third city in the state to adopt complete streets language.

- The hard work of Alliance member Active Transportation Alliance paid off when the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission became the third, and largest, metropolitan planning organization in the state to adopt a complete streets policy on May 20.

- Also spurred by local advocates, Edmonton captured the distinction of being the first city in the state of Oklahoma to officially embrace complete streets. On May 24, the city council unanimously approved a resolution to provide accommodation for all users on the city’s roadways in a “balanced, responsible, and equitable way.”

- On May 25, the planning commission in Midland, Michigan, unanimously approved a complete streets policy that specifically calls for attention to safe, accessible intersection design and will apply to any new or reconstructed streets.

- In the Show-Me State, residents of St. Louis will be seeing better access for cyclists and pedestrians after the city council passed a complete streets policy on June 11. Chalk that up to the determined efforts of Trailnet, a group of advocates who pressed for the measure for several years.

- Just last week, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed a bill that added complete streets language to state statute. The Colorado Department of Transportation already had an internal policy of “accommodating bicycle and pedestrian use of the highways in a safe and reliable manner for all highway users.” But the new measure puts that policy into law.

- And finally, a group of advocates in Alaska kicked off a new complete streets campaign in the city of Spenard by drumming up more than 100 supporters on Facebook in advance of their first meeting with city officials last week.

For more information about the movement, visit the National Complete Streets Coalition.

BikeDenver recently announced that on November 23rd Denver’s City Council approved a bill to amend many sections of the Revised Municipal Code related to bicycling.

The new ordinances took effect on Friday, November 27th and amend City traffic laws related to bicycles to partially conform with a new Colorado state law. The new law allows speed-restricted riding on sidewalks for the limited purpose of parking and eliminates obsolete language associated with licensing.  Councilwoman Carla Madison (pictured right) who championed the effort within the council says: “It’s good policy to have state and city law aligned, and it’ll be nice to see people be able to legally ride to park their bike.” 

BikeDenver Executive Director Piep van Heuven said: “It’s very important that Denver’s laws mirror those recently adopted on the State level that ensure key protections for bicyclists like 3-Feet to Pass.  Synchronizing City code with Colorado’s Bicycle Safety Law will make riding a bike in Denver and operating motor vehicles around bikes in Denver safer for all of us.  We’re also pleased to see City Council so actively involved in the effort to make Denver a safe, convenient and fun place to ride a bike.”

BikeDenver worked for months with stakeholders and councilmembers including to suggest ordinance revisions that would bring Denver in line with State and National standards.  BikeDenver’s van Heuven said: “It was great to see so many interested parties at the table and on the same page.”  Groups and offices involved in the effort included representatives from the Downtown Denver Partnership, the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, Denver City Attorney’s Office, Denver Bike Sharing, Greenprint Denver, Denver Police Department, and the Department of Public Works.

For more of the story, including the specific key changes to Denver’s Bike Ordinances, visit http://www.bikedenver.org/news/denverbikeordinances/.

“After more than two years of meetings and drafting language, Bicycle Colorado announced that the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Transportation Commission has adopted a, “groundbreaking statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Policy.

According to Bicycle Colorado, “The new policy directs that, ‘...the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians shall be included in the planning, design, and operation of transportation facilities, as a matter of routine…’

Division of Transportation Development Director Jennifer Finch stated, ‘This is a change in philosophy for the Department [of Transportation].’

Bicycle Colorado’s Executive Director Dan Grunig said, ‘We have passed positive bicycle legislation and overturned bike bans, but passing this policy may be the biggest step we’ve taken towards bicyclists being treated as legitimate road users.’

Adoption of this policy is a big step, but implementation is the key to the policy’s success. Read more about next steps for this policy online.

Bicycle Colorado is introducing a new education campaign for safer roads - the 3-2-1 Courtesy Code. “By following these simple guidelines, members of the bicycling community seek to create goodwill and positive sharing of the road with motorists. Safety is the ultimate goal. Also, by collecting signature pledges on the banner, we are building broad support for positive behaviors on public roads.”

Click to find out more…

Colorado bicyclists are excited about the new Bicycle Safety Act, which went into effect August 5th. The Bicycle Safety Act was made possible through the supportive grassroots efforts of Bicycle Colorado members. The new laws, including a requirement that cars give a minimum of 3 feet of space when passing bicyclists, are meant to improve safety for bicyclists and motorists. The new law also allows bicyclists to ride side-by-side when the road is clear of other traffic.

For more information on the new law, click here…

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Governor Bill Ritter, and other additional state leaders broke ground June 30th on the 26-mile reconstruction of the C470 bike path. According to Bicycle Colorado, “This $7 million Recovery Act funded project nearly doubles Colorado’s annual budget of federal funds for bike and ped projects.” Bicycle Colorado worked at the state level to add this to the recovery-funded projects after bike projects were omitted from the original list.

For more information, click here…

Colorado’s much needed and hard fought bicycle safety bill, SB09-148, passed the state legislature last week - a huge victory for cyclists in Colorado and Alliance member Bicycle Colorado. Among other provisions, the new law has a 3-foot passing rule, allows cars to cross the centerline to pass bicyclists when safe to do so, allows bicyclists to ride on the left or right of multi-lane one-way streets, clarifies the legality of riding two-abreast, and makes it illegal to throw something at a cyclist.

For more information, click here…

According to Bicycle Colorado, “The Colorado Senate approved the 2009 Bicycle Safety Bill (Senate Bill 148) on Tuesday morning 26-7! The Senate process resulted in no major changes, keeping a three feet safe passing distance in the bill. Now the bill moves to the House and faces the next set of votes. Passing the Senate is a big step but there is still lots of work to do in the House.” Besides a 3-foot passing provision, the law promotes anti-harassment towards cyclists and allows for side-by-side cycling among other conditions.

To read more about this bill visit Bicycle Colorado...