SPRING/SUMMER 2 015
what’s inside:
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| By the Numbers
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| 2014 Accomplishments
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| Supporters and Thanks
Connecting Colorado Communities A
nyone will tell you we have a great bicycling community in Colorado. But if you think about it, we don’t have just one cycling community—there are many communities of people in Colorado who bike for fun, transportation and fitness in various parts of the state. And there are also many people who bike in Colorado who may not consider themselves part of a “bicycling community.” Each of these individuals has knowledge that others can benefit from—which is why creating connections was a focus of the Colorado Bicycle Summit in February. At the summit, keynote speaker Gabe Klein spoke about what it takes to bring about multimodal transformation in our communities. He shared successes and challenges that he faced in Chicago and Washington, DC. When it comes to putting money into bike infrastructure, he said, “what really matters is the great return on investment.”
Several Colorado communities are working on protected bike lane projects
That return on investment comes in the form of healthier citizens, cleaner air and a healthier economy. Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce CEO Kelly Brough followed Klein and expanded on why bicycling is good for business at the local level in Denver.
Governor Hickenlooper also spoke at the summit for the fifth straight year, highlighting the economic and health benefits that bicycling can bring to our state. He noted that, “Portland has reduced automobile use by 20%, with $1.1 billion in savings.”
THE BIG STATE PICTURE Prior to his speech at the summit, Governor Hickenlooper mentioned bikes in his State of the State speech, calling for—among other things—a statewide bicycle network stretching across Colorado. This network can and should be a catalyst for local communities to build connections that allow people to safely bike within their community to access the larger, statewide network. In September, the Colorado Department of Transportation endorsed the use of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Street Design Guides, making Colorado only the seventh state to do so. Denver and Boulder are already using the NACTO guides, and as other communities follow suit, road designers will have the opportunity to apply the newest proven bikeway designs to truly advance our communities. Continued on page 3
Building a bicycle-friendly Colorado | bicyclecolorado.org