Denver city planners have an opportunity to make the city’s North Side cleaner and more equitable by installing protected bike lanes on Tejon Street. Bike lanes on Tejon Street from 32th to 46th avenues would provide a critical north-south corridor for Denver bicyclists — offering a safe, efficient and pollution-free transportation alternative for Highland, Sunnyside and Chaffee Park neighbors.
But this opportunity is at risk of slipping away. Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, the agency in charge of the city’s bikeways, recently announced it is putting the brakes on the proposal due to pushback from local businesses and homeowners. The department over the summer plans to evaluate alternative routes on Shoshone and Quivas streets for a “neighborhood bikeway,” which would fall short of making Denver a truly bikeable city.
Since moving to Sunnyside in 2015, I have biked Tejon Street nearly every day to school at the University of Colorado Denver and my job downtown. To cut costs in an expensive city, my wife and I share one car. For our family, having a safe, efficient and affordable bike route to school and work has been an economic lifeline.
It is hard to overstate the importance of Tejon Street bike lanes to Denver bicyclists. In Sunnyside, there is currently not a single north-south bike lane. Bicyclists do have an off-street bike path on Inca Street on the neighborhood’s far east side. DOTI will soon install a bike lane on a short segment of Zuni Street north of 46th Avenue, and will designate Clay Street as a neighborhood bikeway, enhancing bicyclist safety by reducing vehicle speeds. While these are important first steps, bike lanes on Tejon Street would help fill a critical safety gap. Tejon Street offers the most direct route for bicyclists to access the 16th Street Highland Pedestrian Bridge, which is one of the few safe ways for North Side pedestrians, bicyclists and scooter riders to cross I-25 into downtown.
Currently, 73 percent of Denver commuters travel alone[1]. Mayor Michael Hancock in 2017 announced a city-wide goal to reduce single-occupancy vehicle commutes to 50 percent by 2030. This goal is grounded in science and concerns for our air quality. Statewide, transportation became Colorado’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, according to the state’s Department of Public Health & Environment[2]. On the Front Range, transportation is the top source of nitrogen oxides and the third largest source of volatile organic compounds, each of which are responsible for ground-level ozone pollution (the primary ingredient in “smog”). For Denver to achieve its air-quality goals, we need more people to car-pool, use mass transit, walk, ride scooters or bike to work. Getting more people on bikes would be a small, but meaningful, step towards making Denver a cleaner and healthier city.
For more people to use bikes, Denver needs to provide safe and convenient places to ride. Tejon Street is currently designated as a “sharrow,” which means bicyclists and motorists share one lane. This forces bicyclists to ride dangerously close to parked cars, risking injury or death if someone opens a door. When drivers encounter a bicyclist on Tejon, they must slow down and wait for an opportunity to pass. This is a stressful situation for drivers and bicyclists alike. Protected bike lanes are designed to provide space to each user to minimize conflicts. Thus, these bike lanes would improve the quality of the ride for everyone who uses the road.
Opposition to Tejon Street bike lanes from businesses and homeowners is not without merit. The city’s original proposal would require the removal of most parking on Tejon from 34th to 46th avenues, while preserving disability parking spots as well as RTD bus stops. I sympathize with those who are concerned over the removal of parking, as this can be a difficult transition for small and family-owned businesses whose customers expect convenient access to these establishments. Patrons of these businesses do have off-street and side-street parking options, and most residents along Tejon Street have off-street parking alternatives. Reducing Denver’s dependency on cars will require some sacrifices. On balance, protected bike lanes on Tejon Street will bring more good than harm to the broader North Side community.
The good news is that the Tejon Street bike lane proposal is “definitely not off the table,” city transportation officials told Sunnyside residents at a neighborhood meeting last month. Now is the time for North Side residents to contact city leaders to show their support for a bikeable Tejon Street.
More information on the Tejon Street bike lanes and other Northwest Denver bike projects can be found here: https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Departments/Department-of-Transportation-and-Infrastructure/Programs-Services/Bicycles/Networks#section-3
Philip Taylor is a Sunnyside Resident
[1] https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Departments/Mayors-Office/Programs-and-Initiatives/Mobility-Action-Plan
[2] https://smartcommutemetronorth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Employee-Traffic-Reduction-Program-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Bike lanes might be nice, but if Denver really wants to reduce the number of single person cars on the road and meet its climate goals, it needs to pursue an overhaul of public transportation. While bike advocates may be vocal, this is still a niche issue that should not supersede the needs of businesses and residents in the neighborhoods where bike lanes are proposed. Removing parking in neighborhoods where many of the houses were not built with useable garages favors those with enough disposable income to build new garages or move. It also disadvantages older residents that may not be handicapped, but would still struggle to walk increased distances should parking out front of their homes be removed. The people who want to bike in Denver already do. These bike lanes might make their lives more convenient, but would not likely increase the number of people using bikes as their primary form of transportation. Denver needs a fast, clean, frequent bus network and an expanded light rail system in order to support growth while achieving its Climate Action Plan goals.
What Alaine commented isn’t actually the case. The most glaring recent example was David Martinez who rode to work and was killed on his commute. David rode in part because he could not afford a car. Had there been protected lanes he may have been safe.
Using the elderly or the few without garages as a false narrative is a tried and true pushback against bike lanes but it’s tired and I hope people begin to see it for what it is.
A recent study from CU Denver proves that protected lanes do in fact make it safer for riders and induces more bicycle travel. To state otherwise is disingenuous and the data doesn’t back it up.
Pitting bikes against transit is also a pretty worn out trope. The two are not adversaries, they are compliments. You will notice that city busses have bike racks on the front, as well as there being space on out trains and light rail for bikes. This is for a good reason. Riding transit to your stop then completing the journey on a bike is an important connection that should be made safer.
Our street grid has lots of space the problem is it is all designated for personal vehicles. This needs to change even at the expense of parking. This means bus lanes, pedestrian improvements, and yes, bike lanes.
You personally don’t have to ride but you may not get in the way of street changes that protect and encourage others who do.
Tejon is a great choice. It doesn’t connect to I70 or I25 for cars, so there is minimal impact for those who are concerned with effects on car traffic.
As for affecting parking for those who have a need or preference to park directly in front of their home, Tejon has relatively few homes located directly on the street. Tejon has much more parks, businesses, and newer apartments that have built-in parking when compared to the rest of the neighborhood.