Prepare to pedal, ladies and gentlemen.
The city of Cheyenne has approved the implementation of bicycle paths on Carey and Pioneer Avenues following a study done in 2010 by the Parks and Recreation Department, which showed a need for more bike paths in Cheyenne. According to Jeff Wiggins, trail planner and coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department, the painting of the paths should be started in May.
Carey Avenue will be outfitted with paths from 15th Street to Eighth Avenue, and Pioneer will be outfitted from 15th Street to Second Avenue.
The paths had been approved late last year. However, there was some contention whether the proposed corridors were a beneficial spot for the paths, so the issue had to be reconsidered.
The bike paths were debated heavily in the City Council by residents and councilors alike because of safety concerns, the need for bike education and the conveniences and inconveniences the paths would bring.
Safety concerns were brought up multiple times throughout the course of the planning. According to Councilwoman Annette Williams, the paths run the risk of endangering the safety of bikers because they are closer to the middle of the road, rather than to the side.
“I went out and took pictures of the roads in question. You can see how narrow they would be. If it snowed, the bikers would be even closer to the middle,” she said.
Wiggins disagreed. He said the proposed paths will help to connect the Greenway, giving bikers paths around the entire city. The Greenway is a 10-foot-wide concrete path that “serves as a safe, accessible recreational corridor and a key component of the non-motorized transportation system,” according to the Greenway administration. Currently, the Greenway forms a horseshoe shape around the city. It causes bicyclists to venture onto heavily trafficked roads if they must go somewhere not connected to the Greenway.
This would be better than no paths at all, especially in such a high-traffic area, according to Wiggins. He presented a “gap analysis” at a City Council meeting; the analysis identified the potential and identified corridors along with providing information on outdated signage and the paths the average biker currently takes.
“We do have a city ordinance. It has regulations, traffic ordinances applying to persons riding bicycles, because they are considered a non-motorized vehicle. They have to follow all the same rules. They are just non-motorized,” Williams said.
City ordinance 10.80.010 details the requirements for a bicycle to be on public roadway. It includes obtaining a bicycle license, bicycle inspection, legal parking and riding of a bicycle and the violation penalties. It is “considered a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform” the requirements, according to the ordinance.
“So many people don’t know you need to do those things,” Councilwoman Williams said. “There is a need for an education in what is expected.”
The proposed paths will also require the update of some traffic signals because of the sensors currently installed. “Bicyclists can’t get across these intersections unless there is a car to chaperone them across, just because the signal doesn’t recognize the bike,” Wiggins said.
Williams noted that “there is also no place to park or lock your bike up even if you go downtown to one of the businesses.” Williams said. She added not only is there no bicycle parking, but also the installation of the paths will take away from parking for cars.
Attorney and Carey Avenue resident Deb Killam attended the public City Council meeting on the subject. “If the bike lane is placed near where the cars are parked on the street, I can only imagine drivers opening their doors and smacking the bicyclists going by,” Killam said.
Councilwoman Williams said she believed the parking on the side of the road will have to be taken off completely. Williams also said the installation of the bike lanes will only increase recreational use, rather than professional commutes.
The paths will be painted by a Colorado-based agency beginning in May.
The city of Cheyenne has approved the implementation of bicycle paths on Carey and Pioneer Avenues following a study done in 2010 by the Parks and Recreation Department, which showed a need for more bike paths in Cheyenne. According to Jeff Wiggins, trail planner and coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department, the painting of the paths should be started in May.
Carey Avenue will be outfitted with paths from 15th Street to Eighth Avenue, and Pioneer will be outfitted from 15th Street to Second Avenue.
The paths had been approved late last year. However, there was some contention whether the proposed corridors were a beneficial spot for the paths, so the issue had to be reconsidered.
The bike paths were debated heavily in the City Council by residents and councilors alike because of safety concerns, the need for bike education and the conveniences and inconveniences the paths would bring.
Safety concerns were brought up multiple times throughout the course of the planning. According to Councilwoman Annette Williams, the paths run the risk of endangering the safety of bikers because they are closer to the middle of the road, rather than to the side.
“I went out and took pictures of the roads in question. You can see how narrow they would be. If it snowed, the bikers would be even closer to the middle,” she said.
Wiggins disagreed. He said the proposed paths will help to connect the Greenway, giving bikers paths around the entire city. The Greenway is a 10-foot-wide concrete path that “serves as a safe, accessible recreational corridor and a key component of the non-motorized transportation system,” according to the Greenway administration. Currently, the Greenway forms a horseshoe shape around the city. It causes bicyclists to venture onto heavily trafficked roads if they must go somewhere not connected to the Greenway.
This would be better than no paths at all, especially in such a high-traffic area, according to Wiggins. He presented a “gap analysis” at a City Council meeting; the analysis identified the potential and identified corridors along with providing information on outdated signage and the paths the average biker currently takes.
“We do have a city ordinance. It has regulations, traffic ordinances applying to persons riding bicycles, because they are considered a non-motorized vehicle. They have to follow all the same rules. They are just non-motorized,” Williams said.
City ordinance 10.80.010 details the requirements for a bicycle to be on public roadway. It includes obtaining a bicycle license, bicycle inspection, legal parking and riding of a bicycle and the violation penalties. It is “considered a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform” the requirements, according to the ordinance.
“So many people don’t know you need to do those things,” Councilwoman Williams said. “There is a need for an education in what is expected.”
The proposed paths will also require the update of some traffic signals because of the sensors currently installed. “Bicyclists can’t get across these intersections unless there is a car to chaperone them across, just because the signal doesn’t recognize the bike,” Wiggins said.
Williams noted that “there is also no place to park or lock your bike up even if you go downtown to one of the businesses.” Williams said. She added not only is there no bicycle parking, but also the installation of the paths will take away from parking for cars.
Attorney and Carey Avenue resident Deb Killam attended the public City Council meeting on the subject. “If the bike lane is placed near where the cars are parked on the street, I can only imagine drivers opening their doors and smacking the bicyclists going by,” Killam said.
Councilwoman Williams said she believed the parking on the side of the road will have to be taken off completely. Williams also said the installation of the bike lanes will only increase recreational use, rather than professional commutes.
The paths will be painted by a Colorado-based agency beginning in May.