Delivery trucks, rideshare drivers, and even a port-o-potty have all been spotted inside Denver’s bike lanes. Now advocacy groups are hoping to do something about it.
“As more people have been biking and we’ve seen generally more congestion on the roadways, more people moving to Denver the problem is really bubbling up to the top and that’s that we see a lot of different things in the bike lane and it’s becoming a safety issue”, said Piep van Heuven with Bicycle Colorado.
Bike Denver and Bicycle Colorado have teamed up to make the website thingsinbikelanesdenver.
It shows more than 150 incidents from throughout the city of bike lanes being blocked to some extent.
Piep van Heuven with Bicycle Colorado
“We’re actually asking the public for help”, said van Heuven. “We’re getting 25 to 35 submissions a day. We really need a sustained effort over time.”
The site is regulated by both Bike Denver and Bicycle Colorado. License plates aren’t made public, and there’s some gatekeeping on what photos are posted. The groups say the website has many purposes, but most of all, is to gain data to take to the City of Denver for improvements.
CBS4’s Jeff Todd interviews James Waddell the Executive Director of Bike Denver
“It’s just present the facts to the city and let’s see what the data tells us. And we will find some hot spots there’s no doubt about that”, said James Waddell the Executive Director of Bike Denver.
There are already some clusters of issues around Union Station and the Webb Building, which houses many city departments.
Ideally, the data would get the city to increase enforcement and keep bike lanes free and clear for movement, or increase infrastructure for more protected lanes.
“There are 12,000 people who live within five miles of downtown Denver who drive alone into downtown Denver. And we know that’s a pretty bike-able distance. Let’s make it safer for people riding that distance”, Waddell said.
