After ending off a series of reviewing Shared Streets for the Denver Bicycle Lobby, it seemed like time to get back to my roots. When I started in Denver, I almost exclusive took the Regional Transit District (RTD) to my job at the time. As I have moved closer to the urban core, I have used the system less. However, as the world opens back up and hoping that hesitation to using RTD decreases, I wanted to find out how stations compared in regards to bike-ability as a regular bicycle rider.
The Methodology
Given that the system is over 113 miles long, I want to divide it into smaller parts. Starting in LoDo, I plan on expanding outward towards the inner suburbs of Denver, finally making my way out to stations in adjacent counties. In regards to my criteria when it comes to bike-ability, I will consider a few aspects.
- Nearby existing infrastructure
Think the normal things that you associate with bikes: bike lanes, separated paths, raised paths, etc. I want to know what exists to separate me from motorists.
2. Low stress streets.
While many stations have large parking lots that are adjacent to major streets, I will be looking on a spectrum of how “safe” I feel going on a street that is nearby.
3. Station Layout
Though most stations in RTD have a few similar components, I want to see which ones are the most navigable by bike to both enter and exit the station, and what resources are available for security when it comes to locking a bike up.
Final Thoughts
I hope that this series will be viewed as a way to both help bicycle riders to navigate stations around the metro area. Along with this, I am anticipating using this as a way to give constructive feedback both to the cities around the metro area and RTD in making their stations more accessible. Stay tuned, with the first blog expected Thursday of next week.
*Featured Image is the Author’s Bike At the DU Light Rail Station*
Life on Denver Transit 