BikeDenver is reporting that Denver Public Works Manager José Cornejo has committed to constructing a protected bike lane along 15th Street in Downtown Denver.
You may recall that a few weeks ago, the City announced that they would install a long-awaited bike lane on 15th Street—a critical connection for bicycle infrastructure in Downtown Denver—but that it would be only a standard striped bike lane, and not a protected/vertically-separated bike lane that Denver bike advocates and urbanists have been demanding since 2010. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of BikeDenver, the Downtown Denver Partnership, and thousands of Denver citizens who spoke up, this important bicycle facility will become a reality.
The project will be phased in. First, new painted bike lanes, signage, signals, etc., will be installed this year. Then in 2014, after additional design work has been completed, the bollards will go in. Here’s a photo (courtesy BikeDenver) of Manager Cornejo at the recent meeting where he announced the Department’s commitment to the protected bike lane on 15th.
Below is a diagram, courtesy Denver Public Works, showing the proposed design for part of 15th Street. This was released a few weeks ago prior to the announcement of the upgrade to a protected bike lane, so some design change may be in store. Anyway, this gives you a general idea of the new bike lane coming to 15th Street.
Congratulations to Denver Public Works manager Cornejo and his staff for their willingness to continue to push Denver’s bicycle infrastructure forward!
This is great news. Another option would be to have the left most ‘travel’ lane dedicated for parking. Create a real physical barrier to protect cyclists.
Also need a lane on some other street headed west.
Yet another option would be to move the trees out into the “buffer” with landscaped rain gardens. These can be attractive, provide better protection for bikes, bring the trees and their root systems further away from buildings, and can have ecological benefits over traditional urban runoff systems by allowing water to sink down into the water table and water the trees.
Of course, then you would need to do something to protect the trees. I am frequently surprised by how often I see trees taken out by vehicles. Then of course, they never get replaced.