Previously, pedaling along 30th had been a bit difficult and awkward, especially from about Pearl to Arapahoe, at which point cyclists had to decide to either move up onto the sidewalk (which is what I think they were technically supposed to do, but this still requires weaving around parking lot entrances and risk getting hit by cars at every one of them) or all-out sprinting to try and keep up with the car traffic and to avoid being run down from behind. The new stretch of bike lane has solved all these dilemmas, and here's some pics of it:
With this addition, there is now continuous bike lane along 30th for at least as far as Iris to Baseline. This really opens up options for north/south traveling cyclists, and we can now ride pretty much the whole length of Boulder on either Folsom (a couple blocks west of the main thoroughfare of 28th) or 30th (a couple blocks east of 28th).
And, of course, any improvement to bicycle infrastructure is much appreciated and exciting to see. By adding new bike lanes, the city encourages the regular and daily use of bicycles and simultaneously makes doing so more possible in a safe, efficient way. While there is still a lot of room for improvement and communication between cyclists and motorists, providing the basic infrastructure for both modes of transportation makes a huge difference in making it possible for people to effectively move throughout the city. Now that they're here, we just have to be sure to fill up and use these new bike lanes!
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