Govt. Agencies

There a re many local, regional, state and federal agencies that have jurisdiction over lands that bicyclists use for recreation, competition or commuting. A few of the key agencies and their contact information are listed below. As a cyclist, you can contact the agencies or visit their web sites for further information. But we also encourage you to get involved in advocating for better cycling opportunities in the Pikes Peak region.

Local Agencies

The Public Works Department develops and maintains paved bicycled infrastructure on City maintained streets and rights-of-ways. There are several important City Boards and Committees that have a broad influence on cycling. Unless otherwise noted on their respective public notice pages, all meetings are open to the general public.

  • Citizens’ Transportation Advisory Board – The Citizens’ Transportation Advisory Board was formed in June 2002 to advise City Council on matters relating to the City’s multi-modal transportation system. The Board consists of 11 members and one non-voting alternate who represent the City Council Districts and serve three-year staggered terms.Members may serve two consecutive terms and should have an interest or expertise in transportation and transportation-related concerns and issues such as trails, bicycling, pedestrians, neighborhoods, trucking and freight movement, public transit, business, land development and construction.  In November 2003, CTAB’s duties were expanded to advise City Council on drainage matters as directed by resolution.The Board has two subcommittees:  The Active Transportation Advisory Committee and the Trucking Issues Subcommittee.Meetings are scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the Large Conference room at the Transit Administration Building located at 1015 Transit Drive.
  •  Active Transportation Advisory Committee – The Active Transportation Advisory Committee is a sub-committee to the Citizens Transportation Advisory Board. ATAC are residents from the city of Colorado Springs who serve as advocates and an advisory committee on cycling, running and other forms of active lifestyles within the city limits.
  • Colorado Springs Bikes – The City maintains a web page specifically devoted to cycling issues. This p!age includes public notices of interest to cyclists, updates on infrastructure improvements, as well as long range proposals and programs to support cycling.

The Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department oversees all of the neighborhood parks, open spaces and cultural resources within the City limits and miles of paved and natural surface trails. They also coordinate with many “Friends” groups of volunteers who assist Park staff in maintenance activities at each of the Parks. There are two boards/committees that cyclists should follow:

  • Parks and Recreation Advisory Board – As an advisory body to the City Council on parks and recreation resources within the City, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board holds a public meeting monthly to review matters pertaining to the planning, development, improvement, beautification, and maintenance of the public parks, playgrounds, programs, urban forest, recreation facilities and resources.
  • TOPS Working Committee – The TOPS (Trails, Open Space and Parks) tax of one tenth of one percent (0.10%) was established by a vote of the people in 1997 in order to encourage, foster and promote public-private partnerships in the preservation of open space lands, trails and parks. In 2003 voters renewed TOPS until 2025.  Read the Ordinance here.The TOPS Working Committee was formed by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to manage the revenue and expenditures for the TOPS fund.

The City of Manitou Springs borders Colorado Springs on the north. A number of mountain bike trails originate or end in Manitou Springs. Manitou Springs web site offers trail maps to and from local destinations such as Red Rocks Open Space and Garden of the Gods.

Regional Agencies

The Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) is a collaborative effort among five regional governments to improve and maintain roads and support public transit. The members of PPRTA are the cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, El Paso County, and the towns of Green Mountain Falls and Ramah. The PPRTA administers regional transit taxes and Federal Highway funds which may includes money for trails.

The mission of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments  (PPACG) is to provide a forum for local governments to discuss issues that cross their political boundaries, identify shared opportunities and challenges, and develop collaborative strategies for action.

PPACG is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Colorado Springs metro area. In this capacity, PPACG must maintain a long-range (25+ years) regional transportation plan (RTP) and a short-range (four-year) transportation improvement program (TIP) to set investment priorities for billions of dollars in federal, state, and local funds.

The RTP describes transportation needs and investment priorities for federal, state, and local funds. This plan anticipates regional needs over the next 25 years and provides a framework to deal with anticipated growth. Our current RTP is called the Moving Forward 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, which was approved by the PPACG Board of Directors in November 2015.

The TIP implements the region’s long-range RTP. This plan contains the region’s list of transportation and transit projects for which federal, state, and local funding are identified and programmed. In other words, these projects were identified in the current RTP and work has begun on them.

The PPACG’s Walk-Bike-Connect program is home to a number of reports and publications detailing regional plans for bicycle and pedestrian facilities as well as economic studies on the importance of active transportation alternatives in the region.

El Paso County’s Park Operations Division manages 8,000 acres of park land and open space, 105 miles of trails, and a variety of recreation facilities.

  • Park Advisory Board – The Park Advisory Board advises the Board of County Commissioners and the County Parks Department in matters involving policy and philosophy, related to the County Parks Department operations and activities. Park Advisory Board members are volunteers appointed by the Commissioners.

State Agencies

The mission of Colorado Parks and Wildlife is to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state, to provide a quality state parks system, and to provide enjoyable and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as active stewards of Colorado’s natural resources.