One opinion writer thinks Denver is getting more credit than it deserves as a bike friendly city, but to be fair, a lot of cities have gotten good at overselling their bike friendliness.
Thierry Backes writes an opinion piece for The Denver Post that pokes holes in the city of Denver's reputation as a bike friendly city.
After noting that several national rankings put Denver near the top of bike-friendly rankings, and the city of Denver's website praises the city as a paradise for bikers, Backes announces the following: "I think it is not. After one month of commuting, I think that Denver is at the very best an OK city to bike in. Biking here feels uncomfortable, annoying even. It can be slow and sometimes downright unsafe."
After listing some of the vital statistics of the Denver bike infrastructure network, Backes also reports that the city has a new Mobility Action Plan that will invest $2 billion over 12 years with the following major goals: "reduce single-occupant vehicle commuters from 73 percent to 50 percent by 2030; increase the percentage of transit commuters to 15 percent; and raise the bike or pedestrian commuters to 15 percent as well." A $937 million general obligation bond, expected to be before voters in November, will include $30 million for bicycle infrastructure.
Still, Backes is skeptical that initiative will be enough to convince motorists that more lane space and signal priorities should be given to bikers, the opinion piece includes plenty of anecdotes to build that case.
FULL STORY: Denver is inconvenient, annoying, slow and unsafe for cyclists
Less Paint, More Barriers, Make for Better Urban Cycling
New research from the University of Colorado Denver and the University of New Mexico sheds light on how to make cities safer for cyclists and other road users and refutes some assumptions about bike safety, such as "safety-in-numbers."
NACTO to Help Five Cities Design and Build Low-Carbon Transportation Infrastructure
Five cities will help the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) prove that urban streets can provide the location for a drastic shift in the carbon emissions status quo.
Analysis: Denver's 20-Year Vision for Not-Quite-Complete Streets
The Denveright plan puts pedestrians first, but could do more for public transportation and bikes, says a critique from Streetsblog Denver.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.