With more than 300 miles of bikeway in the Boulder Valley, the area is home to thousands of cyclists and, in the summer months, draws in even more riders. Although there are several off-road paths, some rides require the use of a bike lane on heavily vehicle-trafficked roads such as US 36.
The city and county of Boulder are working to improve bicycle safety for visitors and residents by building out a bicycle network, but one local organization has been at it since 2013 before officially becoming a 503(c) nonprofit in 2015.
Cyclists 4 Community, or C4C, aims to make roads friendlier by improving the relationship between cyclists and motorists in Boulder County. C4C is a home-grown organization led by area cyclists, including Ed Kuh, who serves as the nonprofit’s president.
“The cyclists always lose when it comes to any kind of an incident with a car or truck,” Ed says. “So whatever we could do — if we can partner with the communities and get them to recognize that cyclists are not freeloaders on the roads, that they pay taxes, they participate in the community — just makes it a little more friendly and lowers stress for everybody.”
Creating awareness is key, Ed says. C4C does this by partnering with Boulder County organizations, businesses and government entities to improve policy, receive grants and more.
The nonprofit donated $30,000 to Boulder County to help them receive a federal grant to conduct a feasibility study for a separated bikeway between Boulder and Lyons. Ed says this stretch of US 36 is the busiest highway in the state in terms of the number of motorists and cyclists.
The feasibility study is underway and expected to be complete by the end of the year, but that’s not all C4C is working on. The organization has numerous infrastructure projects in the works and wants to conduct a similar study along several other popular roadways, including CO-66 from Lyons to Longmont and US 287 from Longmont to Louisville/Lafayette.
Not all work is done behind the scenes, however. C4C worked with cyclists and business owners to place porta potties in areas where cyclists typically ride. This amenity, which can be found at The Mercantile in Jamestown, helps keep the community clean and builds a good relationship between cyclists, business owners and the community.
“We just started looking around and we’ve identified some key areas [where more porta potties could go] and we just expanding it out,” Ed says. “It wasn’t a grand strategy. It was a need and we’re just doing it, and it makes everybody feel better.”
C4C was also critical in implementing signs on county roads reminding drivers when and how to pass cyclists on the road. These “3 feet to pass” signs can be seen throughout the county and on a lit-up variable messaging sign along US 36.
When asked about expanding beyond Boulder County, Ed says C4C wanted to focus on an area it could make a difference.
“We think we’ve had a good pretty good impact,” Ed says. “We’ve got so much more work to do but we’ve been fortunate that we have supportive elected officials and transportation officials as well. … If we do this other places, we’d be fighting an uphill battle.”
While most C4C events have already taken place this year, Ed says to keep an eye on the organization’s website for summer group rides. He added the C4C is always looking for volunteers, donations and community input, especially to help identify other Boulder County areas ripe for cyclist improvement.
Cyclists 4 Community
www.c4community.org
Sidebar: Roadway Safety Tips
For cyclists:
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Always use tail lights and headlights, even during the day.
- Be mindful of cars pilling up behind you and move over when you can.
For motorists:
- Don’t drive distracted and stay off your cell phones.
- When passing cyclists, give them three feet of space between the shoulder and the side mirror.
- Slow down when passing cyclists.