Comments on: Contra-flow Bike Lane – Boulder, CO

By: mattotoole

mattotoole — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:48:58 +0000

This film features a lot of expensive hardscape/infrastructure. But simpler solutions can work well too, such as the a double yellow line marking the contra-flow bike lane on Back Bay Dr. in Newport Beach, CA, pictured in the photo at the top of this blog: http://www.cyclingdude.com/

By: bbtouring

bbtouring — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:52:01 +0000

This is fantastic. I too would like to see designated bike "boulevards" built into city plans. It's safer for everyone and doesn't irk drivers.

Thanks Boulder!

By: Abhishek

Abhishek — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:28:34 +0000

Great stuff. I like it and would like to see something similar in my side of the country. One question though, why is everyone wearing a helmet? The routes seem very safe and the cyclists have safety in numbers!

By: Evan Ravitz

Evan Ravitz — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:47:25 +0000

PS: we have 1 other contraflow lane on a narrow 1-way street (Pleasant St. on the CU campus), but it just has a white line separating it.

By: Evan Ravitz

Evan Ravitz — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:43:54 +0000

Scott, I'm the guy who spearheaded the 2-year battle to get the contraflow lane here in Boulder built. You're about right: It's on 13th St. which is a one-way going N. for cars -and bikes. So the "contraflow" for bikes goes S. only. It's too narrow for 2 bike lanes AND the parking on one side.

We really wanted them to close the street entirely to cars, and make a 2-way bikeway with wide pedestrian walks -which would expand our pedestrian Pearl St. Mall (which 13th bisects) into a cross-shaped Mall. That was the original plan for expanding the Mall, which the City abandoned due to opposition by businesspeople -including some of the people who had the original vision for the Mall, but grew old and crotchety when we wanted to expand on their idea. This way, they lost 30 parking spots instead of 60 which the expanded Mall would have covered.

These same businesspeople have often used the contraflow lane to park trucks while loading, and to pile up snow removed from the road. I think they hoped to tear it out due to disuse which this would encourage. But now with the price of gas, cycling is finally increasing in Boulder after plateauing for 15 years.

You can email me: evan@vote.org

By: Alek F

Alek F — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:12:54 +0000

Separated Bike Boulevards are great!!
This is what they have all over Europe;
in fact, this video reminded me of my recent trip to Amsterdam...
very similar bike routes.
Los Angeles needs some of those safe, separated bike boulevards, on many of its streets as well.
The success in Boulder, CO is obvious.
So, it's time to implement such invention in the rest of the country

By: Scott for npGREENWAY

Scott for npGREENWAY — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:10:52 +0000

so.... I just watched it again. Is the contra-flow setup in effect, a compromise where there is not room for physically separated bike lanes in both directions? --thus the sharrows in main traffic lane for bikes and motor vehicles? What drove the implementation of the contra-flow idea? Are there other examples of this in the world?

By: Scott for npGREENWAY

Scott for npGREENWAY — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:05:22 +0000

That looks like a great project. From what I saw, the "Contra-flow" part doesn't really seem to be the essential aspect. The physically separated bike lane. (with beautiful landscaping, I noticed)

Was there something intrinsic about contra-flow that I missed here?

That being said, great work, Boulder! I would LOVE to see something like that along the top of the bluff on Willamette Blvd here in Portland.

By: David Hembrow

David Hembrow — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:12:45 +0000

This looks pretty good. It's precisely the sort of think that increases subjective safety of cyclists and leads to more cycling.