Cyclists 4 Community communicates its program services on an ongoing basis and in summary form at least a couple times a year. There are three components to C4C’s work; infrastructure, outreach, and policy. Here’s a summary of C4C’s work in 2022 and a look forward to 2023.
2023 Program Service Goals
For 2023, C4C’s main goal is to raise and then donate $15,000 as a contribution towards the local match on federal and state grants whose awards would total $2,645,000 to build the Jay Rd. segment of the LoBo Trail and to do a bikeway/hard-surface path feasibility study for a Boulder – Lafayette path and a path from the City of Boulder to the Jefferson County line where a path in JeffCo would connect to Golden.
C4C’s commitment to contribute these funds to Boulder County makes their application for the funds score objectively higher on the grant application due to an entity other than the local government paying at least a portion of the local match. C4C puts more money on the table in order to take a lot more off the table for the benefit of Boulder County residents.
These three projects would separate cyclists of all abilities from autos by putting them on dedicated infrastructure and, thus, reducing serious injury and fatality rates to effectively zero in each location.
Addressing safety is half of the equation. The other half is investing in opportunity. Each of these projects is a piece that adds up to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts across the county. The hard surface paths would accommodate growing e-bike use. The SH 93 path would link to the impressive Peaks to Plains Trail. Every funded and constructed “multi-modal” part of the County’s plan makes Boulder County a great place to live.
Secondary to the above primary 2023 goals are C4C’s outreach goals. These goals are still in development but consist of things like an expansion of C4C’s porta-potty program. Buy paying for porta-potty rental in cycling destinations across Boulder County, C4C improves relations between local communities and cyclists. The program has been a success for years in Jamestown. C4C is exploring other and similar outreach programs as well. Details will follow.
The miracle of porta-potties. Make budgeting for a small town easier, give folks a place to pee, and everyone seems happier. Drivers and cyclists included.
Regarding policy, C4C’s advocacy is ongoing and links back to C4C’s 2022 work.
- The feasibility study for a Boulder – Lyons North Foothills Path is scheduled to take place in 2023 thanks to C4C and Boulder County’s successful application for funding for this study. Once the contractor is determined by a formal government review, C4C will be able to look at the plan for the study and, at least, comment on it. Your support for C4C makes this $400,000 project possible and should lead to safe cycling on one of the most dangerous roads in the state.
- C4C has spent years advocating for improvements to road signage. South Saint Vrain Canyon / SH 7, a CDOT road, and Lee Hill Drive and Olde Stage Road, Boulder County roads, have been test cases for C4C. In each case, there’s been no real progress. C4C’s position is that indications from the Bicycle Advisory Committee to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices should influence a standard for signage on roads in Boulder County where cycling use is very high, especially on old, mountain roads with narrow rights of way that resist engineering fixes.
- C4C explored an annual donor system and it did not work. Trial and error, it’s time to try something different.
- C4C is working on group edited language to update the summary cycling traffic law on Boulder County’s website(s). This got pushed to the back in 2022 but should get done in 2023. Typical in some other states, it puts traffic and cycling statutes in an easy to find place on a site that carries the authority of the government.
- November 2022 Boulder County Ballot Measure 1C. We did it! It passed by a leading 81%, that’s a lot. Thanks! This extends the mechanism to fund Boulder County Transportation’s “baseline” funding category. The result is incremental improvements around the County for years and decades to come.
We all give a little and together we get a lot thanks to 1C
- Here’s a big one and thanks to you, supporters of C4C, this promises real change. C4C gave $27,000 to Bicycle Colorado’s SHIFT Driving program which is creating digitized content regarding the laws for sharing the roads. The content is in beta form. The real potential is to persist with the program and its ability to be adapted and scaled to reach 4 million licensed drivers in Colorado. Like virtually any other certification one holds, driving can have better instruction and periodic updates that save lives and make our roads a place with civil and informed regard for life and property.
- Statewide path connectivity? The bad news is this resisted an easy solution. The good news is that it’s kind of happening anyways. Greeley connects to Fort Collins and Fort Collins is connecting to Berthoud. Boulder County is slowly planning connections between cities in Boulder County. Jefferson County is studying a path from Golden to the Boulder County line. The Peaks to Plains Trail got more federal funding for what is an amazing project. Someday, it will be great riding across the state.
- Don’t forget, Boulder County has spent years and lots of effort planning and securing funding for a SH 119 Boulder – Longmont bikeway that is a role model project. It will be built to above standard engineering specifications including wider than normal in segments, increased turn radii, greater sight distances, and several grade separated crossings (underpasses). This is the emerging standard and it’s coming from hard work at the County.
- C4C works with law enforcement and legislators on ways to improve things. This is a tedious subject. Thank you to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office for extending a professional relationship to C4C, one that both listens to C4C’s concerns but also asks C4C to help with accountable behavior from cyclists.
- Thanks to Boulder County who now leads County-wide Vision Zero meetings, the standards and practices behind safe infrastructure and planning is becoming more widespread. C4C participates in these meetings. They’re a great step in the right direction.
It’s actually working. The cycling community is making cycling safer and life for everyone better in Boulder County. Thank you. And thanks to C4C’s founders and board who insisted from the beginning on partnering towards solutions.
