Boulder Considers More Mountain Bike Access Boulder, Colo. – Although this western city has an incredibly high concentration of cyclists, Boulder’s surrounding open space and mountain parks have been notoriously inaccessible to mountain bikers. But that could soon change. In a move possibly influenced by public input from local advocacy groups like the Boulder Off-Road Alliance (BOA), the Boulder City Council approved on April 12 its new Visitor Master Plan, which dictates future uses and policies for Boulder parks. Despite the plan’s new restrictions for hikers, dog-walkers and equestrians, it contains optimistically positive language concerning mountain bike uses. On its website, BOA points out that it’s not necessarily time to celebrate. The burden is now on the cycling community to make sure the plan gets implemented as intended. The BOA has an extensive wish list for trail projects with an overall goal of opening new trails connecting existing trail systems to the community so cyclists are not forced to drive to trailheads. Some of the proposed projects would include the following: • Southeast: Boulder to Superior • East Boulder Trail: Baseline Reservoir to Teller Farms
• Lefthand Trail to Boulder Reservoir and Feeder Canal Trail (Axelson Trail) • North Foothills Trail to Heil Valley Ranch • Mesa Trail to South Boulder Creek West Trailhead For more information on how you can help, go to www.boa-mtb.org.—B. Riepe
Safer Colorado Roads in the Works A bill that would significantly improve cycling safety on Colorado roads was heading to the Governor’s desk in late May. The Bicycle Safety Bill gives cyclists the legal backing for using common sense riding techniques. Gov. Bill Owens is expected to sign the bill in June and the law will go into effect July 1. “This bill was made possible by our grassroots support from cyclists around the state,” said Dan Grunig, director of Bicycle Colorado. “Changing laws is a challenging and slow process, but cyclists are building political power at the statehouse.” The bill received strong bipartisan support evident by the lead sponsors. Rep. Greg Brophy (R-Wray) rides year-round and enters an occasional road race. Sen. Ron Tupa (D-Boulder) loves to bike and his sister Shannon is a professional mountain bike racer.
House Bill 1218 improves the rights of cyclists on roadways while riding side by side, riding in crosswalks and signaling a right-hand turn. Current state law in these three areas assigns automatic fault to a bicyclist hit by a car, even if the driver is out of control. The bill gives cops and the legal system the power to cite the person, motorist or cyclists, who behaves unsafely. If signed, the bill would allow cyclists to ride side-by-side as long as they are not impeding the normal flow of traffic. But Grunig also stresses, “On roads with no shoulder, please be alert and ride single file when cars want to pass.” The bill also improves the safety of cyclists crossing streets. Most kids ride bikes on sidewalks and bike paths. Under current law, if they ride across a street in a safety crosswalk, and a car hits them, the child is at fault and the parents pay the medical bills. The bill takes away some of this potential liability. Finally, the bill would make it legal to signal a right turn either by pointing to the right or with the traditional bent left arm. Bicycle Colorado, our statewide cycling advocacy group that created the bill, said bicycling tourists bring in more than $250 million dollars of revenue to Colorado each year. Find the latest status of the bill at www.BicycleColorado.org.—C.S.