Denver is known as a growing, progressive and environmentally conscious city, and yet despite this, the only consistent form of environmentally friendly transportation—biking—is being endangered by the city.
A city that prides itself on making environmental progressions and being ranked as the “8th most sustainable city” is the same city taking away the very protections which encourage sustainable transportation.
Back in January of 2020, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure’s (DOTI) plan was to build 125 miles of bike lanes by the year 2023. This seemed like a promising step in the right direction. After all, safer biking options have the potential to lead to fewer cars and fewer carbon emissions. Clearly, a city ranked 8th in sustainability would want that but apparently not. Unfortunately for the citizens of Denver, DOTI’s promise of 125 miles of bike lanes seems to be an empty one as far too many city promises are.
The problem here isn’t DOTI’s failure to implement the 125 miles of bike lanes, it is their failure to do so in a safe manner. The life of a biker shouldn’t be at risk in a bike lane, and yet with DOTI’s current efforts, all bikers’ lives are at risk. The only difference between the road before the added bike lane is a simple stripe of paint. This stripe of paint tells car drivers where the edge of their lane is. There is nothing to stop drivers from drifting into the bike lane and potentially causing fatal injuries to anyone biking in said lane. Stories like that of Lakewood resident and cycling champion Gwen Inglis are becoming far too common despite the easy fix that the city has the opportunity to implement.
What the citizens want is more protection. According to 5280, citizens of Denver want more bike lanes as 80 percent of Denver citizens claim this when surveyed. More assurance that safety is a top priority and that biking is an encouraged form of transportation is needed by the citizens of Denver. In cities like New York City, protected bike lanes have dropped biker injuries by nearly 40 percent.
To achieve this sense of confidence, DOTI must implement bike lane diverters into their 125 miles of bike lane build-out. Bike lane diverters, also known as buffered bike lanes, are a small portion of raised concrete that is ridged. This causes car drivers to be forced to notice drifting and catch themselves before a potentially fatal incident occurs.
Bikers want to feel safe and protected while riding in the same way that drivers want to feel safe in their cars. It is why traffic laws are in place, stop lights, solid yellow lines, and road signs are all there for the protection of drivers. Bikers deserve this same attention, if not more.
For Denver to preach sustainability and an environmentally friendly agenda, alternative carbon-neutral forms of transportation must be accessible and safe. This alternative form of transportation is biking. Bikers need to know that they matter and their choice to reduce carbon emissions is important to the city. DOTI must do better. Bikers must feel safe engaging in their mode of transportation. DOTI needs to ensure that when bikers embark on a journey, they do not have to wonder if they will make it home in one piece.
