Riding a bike on a hot day to stand on hot asphalt to see a band you hadn’t heard of till last week might not be everyone’s idea of a good time. But to me, I can’t think of a much better way to spend a weekend. And even though biking to the Underground Music Showcase (UMS)–a longstanding music festival on South Broadway in Denver which celebrated its 25th and final year this past weekend–might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there are elements of the experience that I’d argue are broadly instructive for a city or town considering how it wants to become more “vibrant” (vibrance being the theme of Denver’s latest bond measure, a controversial plan to leverage debt to build up the city’s infrastructure).

For one, it’s remarkable and laudable that I was able to make my way without a car from one side of the city to another, in my case, by biking on primarily protected on-street lanes or off-street paths. The final leg of my journey to South Broadway included the relatively new Broadway two-way bike lane, which gave me and many others traveling by bike, scooter, or other mobility devices a level of safety and convenience that was impossible before.

In a scene that, at least to me, vindicates the bike lane advocate’s hope that “if you build it, they will come,” the bike lane was teeming with people rolling, and bike racks and sign poles were packed with bicycles and scooters of all types for the duration of the weekend.

There were, however, a few connectivity gaps on my trip to South Broadway, especially the abrupt end to the Broadway bike lane at Speer Boulevard. And notably, elsewhere on my ride, I passed within three blocks of where a bike rider was killed earlier this month on a street where bike infrastructure improvements have been forestalled, largely due to concerns over parking.

In my idea of a vibrant city or town, everyone, regardless of how they get around, deserves to feel safe and have their experience of the street taken into account. Denver has made progress, and it still has a way to go.

And not only did my experience of getting around the city make an impression on me, but also who and what was there made an impression on me as well.

UMS is the kind of event that brings people together and, just through its nature, connects people.

I ran into people I knew whom I hadn’t seen in months. I met up with old friends from high school. I caught glimpses of people I recognized from previous jobs, including former customers and coworkers. I saw radio hosts whom I recognized by their voices. I met new people, tried new food, and tasted new beer. I saw people who looked and dressed differently from me. I spent money at businesses I had never patronized before. I heard music sung in languages I don’t speak. I listened to songs I recognized while standing on ground normally reserved for parked cars. I danced with people that I have known for a long time and with people I just met.

To me, experiences like that feel way better for the body and soul than sitting at home scrolling on my phone or streaming the same TV show or sports broadcast or Door-Dashing from the same restaurant or shopping at the same online retailer or listening to the same algorithmically selected playlist. Experiences like UMS spark a degree of novelty and camaraderie (dare I say, vibrance!) that depart from the often mundane and lonely cadence of our largely internet-mediated lives.

I’d love to see more places work to get people outside, bring people together, keep people safe, and support the people, businesses, and communities that keep a city or town humming along.

In the case of Denver, rather than narrowly concentrating on automobile infrastructure, possibly aimed at placating one particular business interest, this city should be looking at ways to cultivate and support things like UMS and the streets that make them possible. In my opinion, much of the Denver Bond measure, in its currently proposed form, misses the mark.

For anyone interested in weighing in on the Denver Bond measure (before August 4th!) as it relates to bike infrastructure, check out this comment guide and comment form from our friends at the Denver Streets Partnership. Additionally, Bicycle Colorado Executive Director Pete Piccolo spoke during the July 28 public hearing.