BikeCOS’s Take on the 2026 Parks Master Plan – Survey Closes Sept 22
The public comment period for the The City of Colorado Springs has draft 2026 Park System Master Plan (PSMP) a 20 year roadmap for how our parks, trails, and open spaces will grow and be funded, is closing September 22nd. This plan matters to any body riding a bike in Colorado Springs: it will shape trail funding, connectivity, and priorities for the next two decades.
Complete PSMP Survey by Sept 22nd
Last chance to comment on the Colorado Springs Parks System Masterplan
Bike Colorado Springs reviewed the full draft and submitted formal public comment. Here’s what we asked for, and why it matters to you.
Addressing the USAFA Closure: A Backup Route for Northern Colorado Springs
The plan’s signature trail project is “Ring the Springs”, a 50+ mile loop trail circling the city that would connect neighborhoods across Colorado Springs for both recreation and everyday transportation. We strongly support finishing it.
But there’s a catch: roughly seven miles of that loop, the New Santa Fe Regional Trail, runs through the U.S. Air Force Academy has been closed for most of 2026. When that section closes, the north-south connection for the whole city gets severed, with no backup.
Our ask: Formally elevate the Eastern I-25/InterQuest Corridor, already shown on the plan’s own priority map but not yet named as a priority, as a second, redundant north-south connection linking Monument and northern neighborhoods to the Pikes Peak Greenway. And protect the land for it now, in the plan’s first phase (2027–2029), before fast-growing areas like InterQuest get built out and the opportunity disappears for good.
Trails Are Transportation, Not Just Recreation
A lot of the plan treats trails primarily as a recreational amenity. We pushed back on that framing: for a growing number of residents, trails are how they get to work, school, grocery stores, or parks.
Our ask: Make it explicit in the plan that the trail network is part of Colorado Springs’ transportation system and make sure that shows up in how projects get funded and prioritized, not just in the recreation budget.
That also means:
- Safer crossings where trails cross busy roads, so families and commuters aren’t stuck dodging traffic
- Real coordination between Parks and City Transportation so on-street bike lanes actually connect to off-street trails
- Year-round maintenance for the trails people rely on to get somewhere, not just to go for a ride
- Prioritize Multi-modal access to parks and trailheads makeing walking, biking, and transit genuinely attractive alternatives for reaching trails, trailheads, and parks, not just a parking fallback
A Seat at the Table
The high-level PSMP puts a lot of the real details, like maintenance standards, crossing priorities, how different trail users get accommodated on a much needed future Trail System Master Plan. We asked the City to formally include Bike Colorado Springs as well as other active-transportation and trail advocates as stakeholders when that plan gets written, so bike riders have a voice in the decisions that will actually determine what our trail network looks like.
E-Bikes and Low-Power Devices
The draft plan is largely silent on e-bikes, e-scooters, and similar devices. We asked the City to preserve current urban trail access while working out clear, durable rules for the full range of low-power devices, rather than leaving riders in limbo.
One More Thing…
We also noticed bicycling didn’t crack the plan’s “Top 5 Most Participated-In Sports” list on page 41 — despite an estimated 112 million riders nationwide, according to PeopleForBikes. We recommended the City fix that, too. Small detail, but it’s a good reminder of how often cycling gets left out of the numbers that shape planning decisions.
What’s Next
The City will review all submitted public feedback before finalizing the document and presenting it to the Parks Advisory Board and City Council.
- Submit Your Survey Today: The comment window closes tomorrow, September 22nd. Head over to ColoradoSprings.gov/ParkSystemMasterPlan to complete the survey and make your voice heard!
- Read Our Full Comment Letter: Want to read our complete submission to PRCS and city leadership? [Download the Full Bike Colorado Springs Comment Letter (PDF)]
