There have been recent modifications made to some of the downtown bike lanes by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure of Denver. These modifications have caused some people to be concerned for two reasons: safety and the fact that the project cost $200,000 to complete.
There is a lack of comprehension among June Churchill. Despite the fact that she is an avid biker herself and serves as the budget chair for the advisory board of DOTI, she finds the changes that the city has made to be disheartening.
It’s just that when I look at this, I can’t help but wonder where the logic is. According to her.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) has recently made the decision to remove flex posts along Blake Street and Market Street in favor of dividers known as zippers. DOTI will only leave posts in areas that have greater visibility, such as street corners. According to the officials, the purpose of this is to open up sight lines and clear up the visual clutter that the Department of Transportation (DOTI) claims people have complained about.
The lanes, according to Churchill, are only made more hazardous as a result of this.
“Since these flex posts were removed, we have already witnessed this, and cars are now significantly more comfortable simply by hopping over the zippers,” she stated.
In particular, DOTI claims that it removed posts in front of STK Steakhouse on Market in order to assist in clearing up their valet parking lane. Churchill is irritated by this news because cars are now able to easily block the bike lane with their vehicles.
It is true that the person who is riding a bicycle is compelled to enter traffic each and every time there is someone parked in the bike lane. Or forced onto the sidewalk, both of which are possibilities that we do not wish to see,” Churchill stated.
Not only is she concerned about her own safety. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) claims that it spent $200,000 on these modifications, using funds that they claim are designated for “neighborhood transportation and traffic calming.” Churchill asserts that the fund’s primary objective is to provide bike lanes, despite the fact that DOTI claims that this does not only refer to bike lanes.
The money that was supposed to be used for improving bikeways was instead used to improve a bikeway, according to what she said.
In general, Churchill mentions that the decisions made by DOTI are a source of concern for her regarding the future of bicycle safety in Denver.
“We are taking money out of the wrong fund to do the wrong thing for the wrong reasons,” she said. “We are doing this for improper reasons.”
