Cyclists will soon have access to an extended bike lane in downtown Colorado Springs. Work will extend a bike lane along Cascade Avenue from Colorado Avenue to Fountain Boulevard.
The project will add to existing similar cycling lanes further north on Cascade that pass through downtown, Colorado College, and the Old North End neighborhood.
The six-foot wide lane will be separated from vehicle traffic on one side and parking on the other with a two-foot buffer zone on both sides.
Todd Frisbie, the city’s traffic engineer, said the lane width is comparable to other bike lanes in Colorado Springs.
“I think our Cascade corridor carries some of our highest bike volumes in this city,” Frisbie said. “All around it improves our biking infrastructure in the downtown area.”
Right now, this section of Cascade has two lanes for cars. One will be replaced by the bike lane. The project also involves adding an all-way stop and marked crosswalk at the intersection of Cascade and Moreno avenues.
Frisbie said construction really only involves repainting lines on the road, and may take a couple of weeks, but the road won’t close completely during that period. It's possible the area could lose a single parking space, and Frisbie anticipates the lost lane will impact drivers through the Cascade corridor by only a matter of seconds once the project is complete.
Frisbie said they're looking to have work complete by the end of the year.
Parking Survey
Colorado Springs officials are seeking community input about parking and curb management in the downtown and Old Colorado City areas.
The survey asks people about how they use parking in these areas and any issues they may experience while parking. It also asks about which curbside uses respondents would like to see more of, with options including parking, loading and unloading, and bus stops. There could be other uses for the space like outdoor dining and small greenspaces called parklets.
“What we would like is people’s input on what do they hope that downtown provides as far as mobility, parking,” Richard Mulledy, the city’s public works director, said. “Where are deficiencies they see? Are the walkways not wide enough? Would they like to see more streetscape and less lanes?”
The survey closes Aug. 28. Once the survey is complete, Mulledy said officials will gather responses and use input to craft a 1-, 2-, 5-, and 10-year plan for each area.
Some responses are already publicly available. Respondents have commented about a lack of free short-term parking options, a lack of east-west bike routes, and too few pedestrian crosswalks.
“The reason for metered parking is actually to the benefit of business owners,” Mulledy said.
He said if the city didn’t do paid parking, people who live or work in the area would park there all day, and there wouldn’t be enough parking for local business patrons.
Still, Mulledy said he really wants to hear what people think. “We’re truly asking for people's thoughts on what they would like to see downtown from a parking perspective.”
Mulledy said he anticipates both the Old Colorado City and downtown areas to become more pedestrian-centric in coming years.
“People want to use the buses, transit, but they also want to walk, ride bikes, ride scooters, so that demand is going to continue to grow,” Mulledy said.
