Cyclist-Motorist Working Group

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

An increase in cycling along Boulder County's scenic, narrow and winding mountain canyon roads has caused tension between cyclists, motorists, and mountain community residents. Some residents and others who use the roads are frustrated by cyclists, while some cyclists feel unwelcome or unsafe on the roads. The Mountain Canyon Cyclist-Motorist Working Group's charge was to develop practical ideas to address these concerns. The group, organized by the Transportation Department and Sheriff's Office, collaborated with residents to make the mountain toads safer and to increase cooperation among users. The group distributed a survery to a growing list of interested cyclists and mountain residents, as well as publicizing the survey on the County's website, as well as in two of the major local daily newspapers. The survery was available online and in print for about two weeks, and nearly 2,500 responses were gathered. Based on the results of the survey, and using data collected from months of phone calls and emails, the working group was able to develop recommendations that wuld lead to practical, inexpensive improvements to the three roads that are most popular with the cyclists and were the scene of the majority of the conflicts.