Things in the Bike Lane campaign launches in Denver

Mar 19, 2018
ByBicycle Colorado

Things in the Bike Lane campaign launches in Denver

Bicycle Colorado and BikeDenver, in a joint effort to raise public awareness about regular safety issues within bike lanes in Denver, have launched the Things in the Bike Lane campaign.

Through the end of 2018, the two organizations will collect photos and information about the many things that block bike lanes, whether that’s wrong-way “salmon” bicyclists, snow and ice, cars, delivery trucks or even a portapotty or two, at thingsinbikelanesdenver.com. Problem spots will be revealed using crowd-sourcing, with the goal of helping the public and city officials better understand, monitor and begin to address these issues.

A person standing with their bike across a bike lane in downtown Denver.

Five people riding segways in the bike lane in a city.

A car parked in the bike lane of a city.

A delivery truck parked blocking a bike lane with their loading ramp.

A person biking into the street because there is a large truck parked in a bike lane.

The Things in the Bike Lane campaign seeks to create a favorable climate for people who bike, or who want to bike in Denver by encouraging people to use bike lanes for the purpose they are designed—as unobstructed traffic lanes meant for bicycles.

“When people choose to bike instead of drive we get cleaner air, healthier employees and reduced traffic congestion, to name a few things,” says Piep van Heuven, Bicycle Colorado’s Denver Director. “But when bike lanes are clogged with obstacles that throw the bike rider back out into traffic, that discourages healthy behavior by creating a safety issue for everyone on our roads. The Things in the Bike Lane campaign will help identify problem areas so we can proactively address them.”

Together, Bicycle Colorado and BikeDenver are calling on the Denver bicycling community, street safety advocates and others to help document the bike lane conditions they encounter, from random, odd and interesting occurrences to inconvenient or unsafe conditions. Participants are asked to share photos and locations of the “Things in the Bike Lane” they observe at thingsinbikelanesdenver.com. In the spirit of a shared love of Denver by all Denverites, humor is encouraged and posts will be monitored for appropriate content.

Documenting things in the bike lane in Denver, with information on date, time and location, will create a tangible, living data set that can be used to keep all road users safer.

“This is all about collecting the facts and helping Denver Public Works identify hot spots. We want to discover what’s in the lane, and how it’s being used,” says James Waddell, BikeDenver’s Executive Director. “As demand rises for space on our streets, we hope to support Public Works as they build out the Denver Moves bicycle plan. The Things in the Bike Lane campaign will help us keep the lanes they’ve already built open for traffic, and help educate everyone on how to share our public space.”

For more information, please contact:

Piep van Heuven
Denver Director, Bicycle Colorado
piep@bicyclecolorado.org, 303-417-1544

James Waddell
Executive Director, BikeDenver
james@bikedenver.org, 720-530-5894

Click below to read about Things in the Bike Lane in the press:

About the Author: Bicycle Colorado

Bicycle Colorado is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Denver. We use advocacy, education and passion to make Colorado one of the most bicycle-friendly states in the nation. We encourage and promote bicycling, increase safety, improve conditions and provide a voice for people who ride bicycles in Colorado. With the support of our members and numerous partnerships across the public and private sector, we’ve made significant strides in improving bicycling since 1992.

COMMENTS (1)

Jane davis May 12, 2018 at 3:22 pm - Reply

Piep, what a fantastic idea!!!🚲🚲🚲🚲