Positive letters are making a difference

We have received word from city staff that positive letters to City Council and the Mayor are truly making a difference. We would encourage you to write to the city and let them know what you think of the new bike infrastructure from both drivers and bicyclists perspectives. Additionally, two residents spoke in front of City Council in support of the our city’s new infrastructure, any positive messages will go a long way to ensure that safer bike infrastructure will be built throughout our city.

No matter what neighborhood you live in, the city needs to hear from you, but since the majority of new bike infrastructure has been installed in Downtown and the Old North End most supportive letters have been from residents of these neighborhoods. If you live outside of the neighborhoods surrounding downtown and want infrastructure like this in your neighborhood or use our new infrastructure your voice is vital in demonstrating strong support throughout our city.

allCouncil@springsgov.com – All City Council

If you want to contact your City Council representative directly you can find their information at this link

jsuthers@springsgov.com – Mayor John Suthers

TrafficEng@springsgov.com – Traffic Engineering

Below is an example of a letter from a resident with his first hand assessment of our new infrastructure and the improvements that he has experienced.

Thank you for putting in the new bike lanes on Cascade. The new bike lanes have and are making a positive safety improvement in the Old North End.
1. As a daily bike commuter, from Penrose Hospital to Boulder & Cascade, I value the new bike lanes since it improves safety for drivers and bike riders (commuters and families).
2. Traffic flows smoothly the entire length of Cascade on both sides throughout the day. I have not seen any backups of traffic and I commute during peak travel times.
3. Traffic speeds are much more aligned with the 30 mph speed limit the length of Cascade. Before the bike lanes were installed vehicles especially north of Uintah often traveled very fast, weaving in and out of the 2 lanes with speeds in excess of 40-50 mph.
4. Families with children are now biking on Cascade which was a rare event before the installation of the bike lanes.
4. The Old North End along Cascade has much more of a neighborhood feel with the lowered speeds of the vehicles.
5. College students, stop and look before crossing Cascade.
6. With the reduction in the number of student cross walks and the flashing yellow lights – vehicles have fewer stops to allow students to cross. This actually improves the flow of traffic.
7. My 3rd floor office overlooks Cascade – the number of cyclists of all ages and abilities has substantially increased throughout the day.
8. The increase in cyclists on Cascade is not just limited to the “spandex” bikers, but I see all types of cyclists now using N. Cascade.
9. The new vehicle and bike lanes are very well done – easy to understand and navigate. Great job by Ms. Krager and the street department!
10. The overall sense of personal safety is up substantially with the separation of vehicles and cyclists. Having biked to work for nearly 4 years – having to ride a bike and share traffic lanes is much more risky (especially for me on a bike) – so THANK YOU for your work installing bike lanes on selected streets help to keep me, other cyclists, families, and vehicles drivers from having accidental collisions on Cascade.
11, Colorado Springs has some great bike trails, but trails are not linked to destinations. Connections from our great trails to bike lanes are needed to link bicyclists to shops, restaurants and other destinations in our community.
12. The needed improvements on N. Cascade (safety for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians), traffic calming and improved traffic flow are being achieved with the new bike lanes – without allocating more police to enforce speed limits, without multi-million dollar tunnels or bridges.

The implementation of the bike lanes on Cascade has improved safety and improved traffic flow. Please keep the bike lanes on Cascade.

A family safely rides on the Cascade bike lane