HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/26/2014 - BICYCLE MASTER PLANDATE:
STAFF:
August 26, 2014
Tessa Greegor, FCBikes Program Manager
WORK SESSION ITEM
City Council
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
2014 Bicycle Master Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this work session is to provide City Council with an overview of the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan
process, public outreach and initial Plan recommendations. Staff invites feedback and direction on the Plan
recommendations, including the proposed bicycle network approach and recommended bicycle facility
improvements, bicycle programming approach, implementation and prioritization strategies, and next steps in the
planning process.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
1. What feedback does Council have regarding the 2020 Low-Stress Network?
2. What feedback does Council have regarding incorporating protected bike lanes on select arterials where
critical to connectivity and the Low-Stress Vision?
3. What direction does Council have regarding Staff’s proposed approach of prioritizing select bicycle programs
to achieve the Plan vision and goals?
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
The 2014 Bicycle Master Plan is an implementation item stemming from the City of Fort Collins Transportation
Master Plan and City Plan. Through extensive public outreach and engagement, the planning effort has
developed:
A community-driven vision and goals for bicycling in Fort Collins
A State of Bicycling in Fort Collins existing conditions report (Attachment 1)
A public involvement summary memorandum (Attachment 2)
A bicycle network level of stress analysis (Attachments 1 and 7)
Draft bicycle network maps including a 2020 Low-Stress Network and Full-Build Network (Attachments 4
and 7)
A Bike Share Business Plan (fcgov.com/bikeshare)
In addition to refining the above deliverables based on public input and Council direction, the next phase of the
Bicycle Master Plan development will include:
Identification of high priority areas where bicycle investments are recommended
Wayfinding system recommendations
Bicycle infrastructure design guidelines
Policy and programmatic recommendations
An implementation, funding and phasing plan
Draft and final Plans
August 26, 2014 Page 2
Background
Building on the City’s recent designation as a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community, the 2014 Bicycle Master
Plan will develop a vision and a comprehensive set of recommendations for improving the safety and accessibility
of bicycling for people of all ages and abilities, across the community. The 2014 Bicycle Master Plan is an update
to the City’s 2008 Bike Plan (five year plan) and 2011 Bicycle Safety Education Plan (three year plan). Previous
planning efforts, such as the Transportation Master Plan and City Plan (2011) called for an update to the City’s
Bike Plan, while also recommending an evaluation of the City’s bicycle lane and wayfinding system, a key task of
this project. In addition, the 2013 Paved Recreational Trails Master Plan provides the recommended paved trails
foundation for the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan.
Timeline and phasing
The project was initiated in October 2013 and is led by FC Bikes staff, with support from a multi-departmental
Project Management Team, Technical Advisory Committee and consultant team. A draft plan is anticipated in
September 2014. The following summarizes the key phases for the Bicycle Master Plan process:
Phase 1: Initial Public Outreach (October-December 2013)
Phase 2: Information Gathering (January-March 2014)
Phase 3: Development of Recommendations (March-July 2014)
Phase 4: Plan Development and Completion (July-December 2014)
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins Report (existing conditions)
An existing conditions report was completed in Phase 3 (Attachment 1) and includes: a summary of the City’s
existing bicycle planning and policy framework; an analysis of current ridership and safety data; an assessment of
the City’s transportation and bicycle network (LTS analysis); and, an overview of current bicycle programs and
funding. The State of Bicycling in Fort Collins Report provides the foundation for the development of the Plan
recommendations. In addition, the overarching Plan concepts of low-stress bicycling and bicycle rider typology (-
Interested but Concerned) are described in detail in the State of Bicycling in Fort Collins Report.
Community engagement to date (Attachment 2)
The following public outreach has helped contribute to the draft recommendations (Attachment 2).
FC Rides! Community Bike Audits
Online Survey
Technical Advisory Committee meetings and Stakeholder Visioning Workshop
WikiMap
Public Open Houses (February 20, March 12 and July 30)
Targeted Outreach Events: Lesher Middle School Tour de Fit event, Summer Bike to Work Day, Open
Streets, Climatewise’s Biz Ed Forum and Vida Sana Coalition meeting.
Boards and Commissions: Transportation Board, Bicycle Advisory Committee, Planning and Zoning
Board, Parks and Recreation Board, Air Quality Advisory Board, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown
Business Association.
In addition, Staff has provided general Bicycle Master Plan information at multiple events including the Get
Outdoors Colorado event, Air Quality Forum, French Nest Market, and Trinity Lutheran Bike/Walk/Carpool event.
Staff will continue to conduct outreach to City Boards and Commissions and other organizations over the course
of the next two months.
Triple Bottom Line approach
Staff completed an initial Triple Bottom Line (TBL) analysis with the Project Management Team and will be
conducting a follow-up Triple Bottom Line assessment of the initial Plan recommendations in late-August. Staff
proposes to utilize the Triple Bottom Line to support the prioritization of projects and programs as recommended
in the Plan.
August 26, 2014 Page 3
Bicycle Plan Philosophy, Vision and Goals
The 2014 Bicycle Master Plan is considering the needs, skills and desires of a range of bicyclists, with an
emphasis on people who fall into the Interested but Concerned category. The draft Plan recommendations
propose increased investment in high-quality, low-stress bicycle facilities and a focused investment in bicycle
programming, targeting a select number of programs that have the highest impact in achieving the City’s vision.
The goals and objectives of the Plan were developed by the City, key stakeholders, and the public, within the
context of the Triple Bottom Line analysis.
Vision
“The Bicycle Master Plan envisions Fort Collins as a world-class city for bicycling. It is a city where people
of all ages and abilities have access to a comfortable, safe, and connected network of bicycle facilities,
and where bicycling is an integral part of daily life and the local cultural experience.”
Plan Goals (specific objectives included in Attachment 4)
Connectivity: Complete a connected network of low-stress bicycle facilities.
Safety: Improve safety for all modes of transportation.
Ridership: Increase the amount of bicycling for all trip purposes.
Community: Foster a strong bicycle community identity while advancing a culture of respect and
responsibility for all transportation system users.
Equity: Provide equal access to bicycling for all members of the community.
Comfort: Increase the level of comfort experienced by people when bicycling.
Health: Increase access to bicycling as essential to a physically active and environmentally healthy
community.
The Plan will include future targets and performance measures that relate to these goals. A selection of draft
targets are shown in Attachment 4.
Proposed bicycle network approach (Attachments 4 and 7)
Proposed 2020 Low-Stress Network
To achieve the goal of creating a comfortable, safe and connected network for people of all ages and abilities, a
low-stress network is proposed for implementation by 2020. The proposed 2020 Low-Stress Network capitalizes
on existing local and collector streets and existing and funded paved trails to create an alternative 1-mile grid to
the existing arterial grid in a cost efficient and timely manner. The plan proposes a number of solutions to
overcome some of the street discontinuities and difficult arterial crossings with the goal of creating a network that
is conducive to inter-neighborhood travel.
2020 Low-Stress Network Design Recommendations Summary
Local and Collector Street Segments: Many of the identified low-stress routes already have bike lanes
and are comfortable riding environments owing to low speeds and traffic volumes. In the 2020 Network,
most local and collector streets do not have recommendations to upgrade the existing facility. Where
needed, the recommended facilities on local and collector streets in the 2020 Network include signed
routes (wayfinding), priority shared lanes, bike lanes and buffered bike lanes where space is available.
Local and Collector Street Intersections: The 2020 Network relies heavily on spot improvements to
overcome the street discontinuities inherent in the existing local and collector street system. Spot
improvements are essential where low-stress routes cross high-traffic, high-speed arterial streets.
Recommended spot improvements at these locations include: two-way sidepaths, median crossings,
traffic signals, rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and two-stage turn boxes (or jughandle left turn
pockets).
August 26, 2014 Page 4
Arterial Street Segments: Where comparable parallel low-stress routes are not available on local and
collector streets, arterials are included in the 2020 Network. These tend to occur in outer areas of Fort
Collins where the street network is disconnected. These arterials are proposed for a heavier level of
investment in infrastructure such as protected bike lanes or sidepaths. Intersection design that
accompanies protected bike lanes will be addressed on a case-by-case basis in the design process for
these facilities, however general design guidance will be provided in the Plan.
Wayfinding: A key element of the proposed 2020 Network is a dedicated wayfinding and branding
system. The proposed wayfinding system would indicate distance and destinations, and in certain cases,
cardinal direction when a destination is not easily recognizable.
Proposed Full-Build Network
The proposed Full-Build Network enhances and extends the 2020 Low-Stress Network resulting in a denser
system of low-stress bicycle facilities throughout the city (Attachments 4 and 7). The following design
recommendations form the foundation of the Full-Build Vision:
Protected bike lanes on select arterials with an emphasis on connecting higher density residential and
commercial areas, and major destinations.
Additional buffered bike lanes on collector and lower-speed arterial streets.
Conversion of some local streets to neighborhood greenways through the addition of traffic calming,
traffic diversion and intersection control reconfigurations.
Signal timing and bicycle detection adjustments.
Bicycle policy
Infrastructure improvements are perhaps the most visible changes that will help make Fort Collins a more bicycle
friendly community and achieve the goals of the Plan, but they are not the only strategies recommended. City
policy underlies and creates the physical bicycling environment. Policies setting speed limit, signal timing, street
connectivity requirements, and street design greatly impact the comfort and operating environment for bicyclists.
The Plan will recommend changes to the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards (LCUASS), Fort Collins
Land Use and Traffic Codes, and other City policies. Preliminary policy concepts are presented in Attachment 4
and will be further refined in the next phase of the Plan development.
Bicycle programs
The City operates a large number of education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation programs, and has
many more in the planning stages (Attachment 5). Many of the City’s education programs are a result of
recommendations in the Bicycle Safety Education Plan (2011).
The Plan will include comprehensive recommendations for programs, focusing on the most effective ones to
achieve a safer and more inviting environment for bicycling. As the City looks to significantly expand bicycling and
improve bicycle safety, it may be more effective to focus resources on implementing infrastructure improvements,
complemented by a select number of bicycle programs to achieve its goals. Other community organizations may
be positioned to assume operations of some existing programs with support from the City. Many bicycle-friendly
communities around the country successfully partner with local bicycle nonprofits to run a wide array of education
and encouragement programs, and very few cities run a substantial number of bicycle programs themselves.
The programs that the City continues to take a lead role on, or adds to its menu of programs, should:
Achieve key goals of the Bicycle Master Plan
Complement the network recommendations and attract Interested but Concerned riders
Be financially sustainable as part of an overall Plan approach
Based on the Plan vision, goals, and public input to date, some initial ideas for a small number of new bicycle
programs are discussed below. The programs identified below are not inclusive of all new programming
recommendations (Attachment 4):
August 26, 2014 Page 5
Reduced speed limit for neighborhood greenways
Expanded bicycle counter program
Safe driving pledge program
Modified driver’s education
Proposed Bicycle Plan implementation approach
Prioritization Approach
The seven Plan goals form the foundation for the proposed implementation plan. The demand analysis
(Attachment 4) will be used to identify infrastructure projects that serve areas of Fort Collins with the highest
bicycle demand and opportunity. The recommended projects and programs will be evaluated based on their
ability to make improvements in the areas of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Community input
on implementation strategies makes up the third major component of prioritizing projects and programs.
The proposed Implementation Plan allows for some flexibility to respond to changing conditions and opportunities.
Other considerations that will be addressed in developing the implementation plan include:
Geographic equity
Project cost and ease of implementation
Opportunities for quick implementation leveraging ongoing maintenance projects or capital projects
Priority Strategies
At the July 30 Open House, participants were asked to choose two implementation strategies most appropriate for
the next 5 to 10 years. Participants were given nine choices (Attachment 4). While each strategy received at least
three “votes,” the following five strategies stood out as being priorities to the community (numbers reflect the
number of votes received at the Open House):
Create a citywide low-stress bike network - focus on non-arterial bike routes, neighborhood greenways
and critical crossing improvements (28)
Encourage safer conditions for biking by enforcing traffic laws (16)
Expand coverage of bike network - adding new bicycle facilities where none exist today (12)
Improve existing bikeways - reduce the stress level of existing bike facilities (10)
Focus on high-visibility, high-use projects - such as protected bikeways on major corridors (9)
The results of the prioritization exercise outlined above will be considered within the context of other public input
and analysis, including the following results from the March 12 Open House prioritization exercise, where
participants were asked to vote on the categories of infrastructure and programs most impactful (numbers reflect
the number of votes received at the Open House):
1. Protected Bike Lanes (222)
2. Improving Existing Bike Lanes (197)
3. Improving Intersections (160)
4. Education Programs (119)
5. Enforcement Programs (70)
6. Encouragement Programs (49)
7. Neighborhood Greenways (47)
Priority Corridors
Identification of priority corridors for infrastructure improvements will be based on public feedback gathered
through a number of means, as well as the demand analysis. Participants at the July 30 Open House were asked
a series of questions related to the draft network recommendations. Participants were asked to identify network
corridors/bike facilities that are most critical for near term implementation. Based on the survey results, four north-
south and four east-west routes stood out as being the highest priority for implementation of low-stress bike
facilities:
North-South Routes:
Shields Street
August 26, 2014 Page 6
Lemay Ave.
College Ave.
Power Trail
East-West Routes:
Drake Road
Harmony Road
Pitkin Street
Swallow Road
Planning-level Cost Estimates
Attachment 4 summarizes the estimated cost ranges for several project types that are recommended in the Bike
Plan. These costs do not include additional engineering, design, permitting, or right-of-way acquisition costs. The
next phase of the Plan development will include cost estimates of implementing the 2020 Low-Stress Network
and Full-Build Vision as well as phasing recommendations based on expected City budgeting for bicycle
infrastructure in future years and other anticipated funding sources. It is assumed that the Plan would be
implemented through a variety of ways, including private development, the City’s ongoing Street Maintenance
Program, Capital Projects, as well as smaller stand-alone bicycle projects. Also, where recommendations exist
along County and State facilities, it is assumed that City staff would work with these jurisdictions to implement
recommendations.
Next steps in the planning process
The Plan is scheduled to be considered for adoption by City Council on December 2, 2014. To proceed from draft
recommendations to Plan adoption, Staff will take the following steps:
1. Revise recommendations based on input from community organizations, Boards and Commissions and
City Council
3. Refine network and design recommendations
4. Refine program and policy recommendations
5. Develop an implementation plan including cost estimates and phasing
6. Develop a comprehensive Draft Plan document
7. Present the Draft Plan to the project Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the public in October
9. Develop a Final Plan document for consideration of City Council adoption
ATTACHMENTS
1. State of Bicycling in Fort Collins Report (PDF)
2. Summary of Public Engagement (PDF)
3. Bike Facilities Toolkit (PDF)
4. Draft Bicycle Plan Recommendations Memo (PDF)
5. Existing and Proposed Bicycle Programs Summary (PDF)
6. Work Session Summary, April 8, 2014 (PDF)
7. Level of Traffic Stress and Proposed Network Maps (PDF)
8. Powerpoint presentation (PDF)
State of
Bicycling in
Fort Collins
AUGUST 2014
ATTACHMENT 1
Acknowledgements
Lead Agency:
City of Fort Collins FC Moves
FC Bikes Program
Final Report
August 12, 2014
Consultant Team:
Toole Design Group
Felsburg Holt & Ullevig
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins i Draft May 2014
Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1
History ............................................................................................................... 1
Existing Related Plans .......................................................................................... 2
Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan ................................................................... 2
NFR MPO Regional Bicycle Plan............................................................................. 3
City Plan & Transportation Master Plan ................................................................... 3
2008 Bicycle Plan ............................................................................................. 4
Land Use and Character ........................................................................................ 1
Ridership & Safety ................................................................................................. 3
Ridership .......................................................................................................... 3
Bicycle Counts................................................................................................. 5
Bicycle Rider Typology ....................................................................................... 7
Safety ............................................................................................................. 8
Typical Crash Types .......................................................................................... 8
Sidewalk Riding ............................................................................................. 10
Crash Locations ............................................................................................. 10
Bicycle Network and Infrastructure ........................................................................... 14
Existing Facilities .............................................................................................. 17
Bicycle Network............................................................................................. 17
Additional Bicycle Infrastructure ........................................................................ 24
Status of 2008 Bicycle Plan Engineering Recommendations ......................................... 29
Bicycle Comfort................................................................................................ 30
Bicycle Network Stress Assessment Methodology ...................................................... 30
Stress Assessment Results ................................................................................. 31
Stress Island Effect ......................................................................................... 37
Programs and Policies ........................................................................................... 39
Standards and Policies ........................................................................................ 39
Design Standards ............................................................................................ 39
Bicycle Parking Policy ...................................................................................... 41
Bicycling Programs ............................................................................................ 41
Community Bicycle Organizations ....................................................................... 42
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins ii Draft May 2014
Education .................................................................................................... 42
Encouragement ............................................................................................. 44
Enforcement ................................................................................................. 47
Evaluation and Planning ................................................................................... 48
Investment ........................................................................................................ 49
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) ............................. 49
Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) ............................................................ 49
Building on Basics (BOB) ................................................................................... 49
Keep Fort Collins Great (KFCG) .......................................................................... 49
Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO) Process ................................................................. 50
Kaiser Permanente Grant ................................................................................. 50
Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Funds ............................................................. 50
Multimodal Roadway Improvement Projects ........................................................... 50
Street Oversizing (SOS) Fees .............................................................................. 50
Trails Funding ............................................................................................... 50
Next Steps ......................................................................................................... 51
Appendices ........................................................................................................ 52
Appendix A: Level of Traffic Stress Memorandum
Appendix B: Bicycle Safety Education Plan Progress
Appendix C: 2008 Bicycle Plan Progress
List of Figures
Figure 1: Corner of Walnut and Pine, 1890 .................................................................... 1
Figure 2: Bike Library Bikes at the Best Western University Inn ........................................... 2
Figure 3: Planned Bikeway Network from 2008 Plan ......................................................... 4
Figure 4: Proposed Trail-Street Connections from 2013 Trails Plan ....................................... 2
Figure 5: Bicycle Commute Mode Share, 2000-2012 .......................................................... 4
Figure 6: Estimated Daily Bicycle Counts ................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 7: Typical Bicyclist Typology ............................................................................ 7
Figure 8: Bicycle-Automobile Crashes Relative to Bicyclist Counts and Population, 2000-2013 ...... 9
Figure 9: Sidewalk Dismount Zone on College Avenue in Downtown .................................... 11
Figure 10: Northwest Fort Collins Bicycle Crash Locations, 2009-2013 ................................. 13
Figure 11: Northeast Fort Collins Bicycle Crash Locations, 2009-2013 .................................. 14
Figure 12: Southwest Fort Collins Bicycle Crash Locations, 2009-2013 ................................. 15
Figure 13: Southeast Fort Collins Bicycle Crash Locations, 2009-2013 .................................. 16
Figure 14: Existing Bicycle Facilities by Road Type ........................................................ 17
Figure 15: Northern Fort Collins Bicycle Facilities .......................................................... 18
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins iii Draft May 2014
Figure 16: Southern Fort Collins Bicycle Facilities .......................................................... 18
Figure 17: Harmony Road Green Bike Lane .................................................................. 20
Figure 18: Gutter Seam within Bike Lane on West Laurel Street at Loomis Avenue .................. 21
Figure 19: Gutter on Edge of Bike Lane on Elizabeth Street .............................................. 21
Figure 20: Sharrow on Mountain Avenue ..................................................................... 21
Figure 21: College Avenue Share the Road Sign ............................................................. 21
Figure 22: Bicycle Route Sign .................................................................................. 22
Figure 23: Trails in Fort Collins ................................................................................ 23
Figure 24: Bike Box at Plum Street and Shields Street ..................................................... 24
Figure 25: On-Street Bicycle Corral ........................................................................... 25
Figure 26: Coordination Zones and Progression Priority Implemented from the 2010 Citywide
Traffic Signal Timing Project ................................................................................... 26
Figure 27: Example screen display showing detection zones provided with video detection
equipment ......................................................................................................... 27
Figure 28: The detection confirmation light is located beneath the pedestrian signal head. ....... 27
Figure 29: Citywide Video Detection Locations ............................................................. 28
Figure 30: Graphical representation of LTS scores by bikeway type .................................... 32
Figure 31: Northeast Fort Collins - Existing Bicycle Level of Comfort Map ............................. 33
Figure 32: Northwest Fort Collins - Existing Bicycle Level of Comfort Map ............................ 34
Figure 33: Southeastern Fort Collins – Existing Bicycle Level of Comfort Map ......................... 35
Figure 34: Southwestern Fort Collins – Existing Bicycle Level of Comfort Map ........................ 36
Figure 33: Stress Island Snapshot - Spring Creek Trail ..................................................... 37
Figure 34: Existing Low-Stress (LTS 1) Street and Trail Map .............................................. 38
Figure 35: Wide Neighborhood Street (Stover Street) ..................................................... 39
Figure 36: BAP Neighborhood Open Garage .................................................................. 43
Figure 37: SRTS In Action ....................................................................................... 43
Figure 38: Fort Collins Bike Library ........................................................................... 44
List of Tables
Table 1: Summary of Recommendations from the 2008 Bicycle Plan ..................................... 1
Table 2: Bicyclist Typology Definitions ......................................................................... 7
Table 3: Most Common Bicycle Crash Types, 2009-2013..................................................... 9
Table 4: Top 10 Crash Corridors, 2008-2013 ................................................................. 10
Table 5: Top Intersection Crash Locations, 2008-2013 .................................................... 11
Table 6: Percent of Roadway Types with Bike Lanes....................................................... 20
Table 7: Progress on 2008 Plan ................................................................................ 29
Table 8: Level of Traffic Stress Definition ................................................................... 31
Table 9: Fort Collins LTS Results by Roadway Type ........................................................ 31
Table 10: Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards - Facility Widths by Street Type ........... 40
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 1 Draft May 2014
Introduction
Fort Collins is a shining example of how to “do
it right” in virtually all aspects of cycling.
- League of American Bicyclists1
Fort Collins is one of the best places in the
country to ride a bicycle. Because of the
exemplary bicycle-related education,
enforcement and encouragement programs,
and the substantial amount of bicycle
infrastructure, it was awarded the Platinum
Bicycle Friendly Community designation by the
League of American of Bicyclists (LAB) in 2013,
joining only three other cities in the United
States.
The 2008 Bicycle Plan (2008 Plan), 2011 Bicycle
Safety Education Plan (BSEP), and 2013 Paved
Recreational Trail Master Plan (2013 Trails
Plan) helped lay the groundwork for the current
bicycling environment. The City is building on
those previous efforts by developing the 2014
Bicycle Master Plan. The 2014 Master Plan
starts from a place of strength, yet seeks to
create an even safer and more inviting
bicycling environment in Fort Collins—where
people of all ages and abilities can safely and
comfortably ride a bicycle.
One of the first steps of the 2014 Bicycle
Master Plan is to establish a baseline
understanding of the current state of bicycling
in Fort Collins, which will directly inform
recommendations for the Plan.
This report includes information, data, and
analysis about the following:
History of bicycling in Fort Collins
Ridership and safety
Existing bicycle infrastructure/facilities
Bicycle-related programs and policies
Investments in bicycling
1 League of American Bicyclists, Fort Collins, CO
Bicycle Friendly Community Feedback Report,
2013.
History
Bicycling in Fort Collins has evolved over the
past several decades. The City began to plan
for and build its infrastructure in the 1970s,
when social awareness caused the City to stripe
its first bike lane and to plan for a paved trail
system. The Transportation Master Plan of
1980, along with subsequent updates,
identified bicycle improvements, and in 1995,
the City developed its first comprehensive
bicycle plan. Since then, the City has
consistently worked to improve its bicycling
environment.
Fort Collins’ environmental awareness,
progressive land use and transportation
leadership, and expanding bicycle
infrastructure and supportive programs have
contributed to the steady growth of bicycling in
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 2 Draft May 2014
Since the early 2000s, the City has made great
strides in adding infrastructure and, most
notably, developing bicycle-related programs.
The City first focused on encouragement
programs, such as citywide events, media
outreach, and partnerships with local
businesses. These efforts led to Fort Collins
now having 15 LAB Bicycle Friendly Businesses,
including New Belgium Brewing Company,
which was awarded the program’s highest
designation of Platinum in 2009.3 The City
invested in education and safety with the
adoption and early implementation of the
Bicycle Safety Education Plan, the creation of
the Bicycle Ambassador Program, and the Safe
Routes to School position within the City’s FC
Moves department.
The City also added infrastructure during the
2000s, including paving many of the trails and
installing on-street bicycle parking, bike lanes,
underpasses, and a bike box at the Shields and
Plum Streets intersection. Another important
element of the City’s bicycle culture, the Fort
Collins Bike Library, was created in 2008 and
remains an important source of community
pride and a catalyst for increasing bicycling.4
FIGURE 2: BIKE LIBRARY BIKES AT THE BEST
WESTERN UNIVERSITY INN
3 www.bikeleague.org/bfa#business (visited April
2014). The City, one of the largest employers
with 1,500 employees, was awarded Gold in 2011.
4 Kemp, Dave, Personal Interview, April 7 2014.
Partnerships with organizations such as Bike
Fort Collins, the Bicycle Advisory Committee,
the Fort Collins Bicycle Co-Op, Colorado State
University (CSU), ClimateWise, Bicycle and
Pedestrian Education Coalition (BPEC), and
Bicycle Colorado, among others, have been a
major part of the City’s success.
Finally, the City was able to develop a high-
quality bicycle environment because it and its
partners were strategic in obtaining and
leveraging federal grants and local funding such
as Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality
Improvement (CMAQ) funds. This is discussed in
more detail in the Investment section of this
report.
The City’s deliberate efforts to create a strong
bicycle culture in Fort Collins have been
nationally recognized. In 2003, the LAB
recognized the City as a Silver Bicycle Friendly
Community, and in 2008, as Gold. In 2013, LAB
awarded Fort Collins Platinum-level
designation, joining only three other cities in
the United States.
Existing Related Plans
The state, region, and City have adopted
numerous plans that have helped create and
support the current bicycling environment. The
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 3 Draft May 2014
Improve the environment, air quality, and
fossil fuel dependence
Provide transportation equity
Maximize transportation investments
Improve statewide and regional economy
The Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
focuses on what CDOT has jurisdiction over and
therefore, does not make specific
recommendations for facilities or programs in
Fort Collins. The Statewide Bicycle and
Pedestrian Plan includes several action items
for CDOT including adopting appropriate
multimodal level of service (LOS) targets and
studying statewide bicycle and pedestrian
crashes.
NFR MPO Regional Bicycle Plan
The North Front Range Metropolitan Planning
Organization (NFRMPO), which includes the City
of Fort Collins, completed a bicycle plan in
2013. The NFR MPO Regional Bicycle Plan
identifies several regional bicycle corridors that
comprise a network. Corridors that connect to
or travel through Fort Collins include: Poudre
River Trail, Front Range Trail (West), and BNSF
Fort Collins/Berthoud. The NFR MPO Regional
Bicycle Plan documents the following planned
or future on-street bicycle projects associated
with these corridors:
Bike lanes along Harmony Road connecting
to Harmony Park and Ride
Connection along East Prospect Road from
Timnath to Fort Collins
Local connection from Front Range Trail
(West) to BNSF Corridor (Mason Trail)
The NFR MPO Regional Bicycle Plan also makes
programmatic recommendations that relate to
Fort Collins. These include the placement of
temporary or permanent bicycle counters (at
Taft/Shields between Fort Collins and Loveland
along the Front Range Trail (West) and BNSF
Fort Collins/Berthoud (Mason Trail), and on the
Poudre River crossing of I-25) and the
exploration of bike sharing locations.
City Plan & Transportation Master Plan
City Plan, Fort Collins’ comprehensive plan,
was updated in 2011, concurrent with the last
Transportation Master Plan (TMP) update. City
Plan is built on a community vision with three
themes: innovate, sustain, and connect; these
themes relate to bicycling in various ways. City
Plan, by its nature, provides broad goals to
support and shape specific recommendations
typically contained in other planning
documents.
One of the major goals of City Plan is
community and neighborhood livability. The
goals and principles related to bicycling include
a “complete streets” approach to commercial
districts and the promotion of bicycling along
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 4 Draft May 2014
City Plan and the TMP include the following
action items that relate to bicycling.7
Achievements of these actions are noted,
where applicable.
Near-Term Actions:
Evaluate the existing on-street bicycle
system and update the LOS criteria
Implement additional pedestrian and
bicycle safety education programs
(Addressed with early implementation of
BSEP)
Update the Master Street Plan
Classifications and Larimer County Urban
Area Street Standards to address needs for
context-sensitive elements
Update bicycle/pedestrian trail design
standards to address use of trails for
commuting/transportation purposes
(Addressed with 2013 Trails Plan)
Evaluate/improve bicycle wayfinding (In
progress)
Plan for and design a “green street”
demonstration project (Currently being
addressed for the Remington Corridor)
The only longer-term action that specifically
relates to bicycling is to update the bicycle
plan.
The City’s ultimate goal with City Plan is to
create a world-class city. One of the ways to do
that is to maintain Fort Collins’ high-
performing government and its processes such
as the triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability
approach and the budgeting for outcomes
(BFOs) process. The 2015/2016 BFO process
includes an interdisciplinary process to allocate
project funds based on desired goals and
outcomes.
7 City of Fort Collins, City Plan, 2011, Pages 144,
146, and 153.
2008 Bicycle Plan
The 2008 Plan presents a broad set of
recommendations for on-street engineering
improvements, expanding already-strong
bicycling programs, strengthening the
community’s tie to bicycling, and increasing
connections with other modes of travel.
The primary goals of the 2008 Bicycle Plan
were to:
Create a community wherein choosing
bicycling as transportation is an easy
choice.
Expand opportunities for the residents and
visitors to Fort Collins to incorporate
bicycling into their daily lives.
The recommendations of the 2008 Plan are
summarized in Table 1. Many of the
recommended actions have since been taken,
resulting in considerable improvement in the
City’s bicycling environment.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 1 Draft May 2014
TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE 2008 BICYCLE PLAN
Engineering
and the
Proposed
Bikeway
Network
Continued implementation of projects identified on Hot List I
Pursue implementation of projects identified on Hot List II
Identify and implement interim solutions
Continued implementation of the Transportation Master Plan and the Master Street Plan
Continue and improve maintenance of Priority Commuter Routes
Improve signal detection loops
Examine innovative bicycle traffic solutions such as bike boxes and bike boulevards
Promoting
Bicycling
through
Education,
Encouragement
Maintain existing education and encouragement programs and solicit more participation
Continue to develop and implement innovative education and encouragement programs,
campaigns, and events
Continue to foster relationships between non-profits, advocacy, and community groups
and build public-private partnerships
Consider the implementation of car-free events
Reinforce yield and safety education programs pertaining to bicyclists and other bike lane
and trail users
Enforcement
Work closely with local enforcement agencies to create innovative, proactive,
educational campaigns
Bridge the gap of understanding between bicyclists and local enforcement agencies by
providing current and consistent information
Coordinate training sessions to ensure knowledge on current local, regional, and national
bicycle policies and ordinances
Establish enforcement techniques for handling special events and protests
Explore the creation of a Share the Road Safety Class
Establish “sting” operations in coordination with local enforcement agencies to address
bicycle theft and traffic-law evasion by bicyclists
Recognizing
Economic,
Environmental
and
Community
Benefits
Continue to support and encourage infrastructure development, bicycle sporting events,
recreational biking, and bicycle facilities
Use the local bicycle culture to attract employers, new residents, business, and visitors
Encourage bicycle-related businesses and manufacturers
Establish measurement methods for environmental benefits
Coordinate with other City initiatives to measure environmental benefits
Pursue the formation of a Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)
Pursue the Platinum Level designation with the League of American Bicyclists
Establish performance measures for bicycle programs and facilities
Maintain support for existing programs
Foster communication amongst the public, non-profit, and private sectors to implement
the recommendations in the 2008 Bicycle Plan
Multimodal
Connectivity
Expand opportunities for bicycle–transit/bicycle-pedestrian/bicycle-car auto linkage
Incorporate bicycle parking at transit stops and stations
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 1 Draft May 2014
Though BSEP was a separate effort completed
in 2011, it is considered an additional element
of the 2008 Plan. The BSEP recommends
specific programmatic actions to address safety
and educational needs for the following
entities: youth, college students, commuters,
motorists, and law enforcement. It makes
numerous policy, programmatic, and bike
facility recommendations related to education
and safety improvements. The City’s progress
on implementing BSEP is discussed in the
Policies and Programs Section of this report.
Finally, the 2013 Trails Plan made
recommendations for enhancements to the
City’s paved trail system, including connections
between trails and on-street bicycle facilities
(see Figure 4). Although the focus of that plan
was on recreational trails, it recognized that
those trails are used by a large number of
commuters and for many utilitarian bicyclist
trips. Although the focus of the 2014 Bicycle
Master Plan is on-street bicycle facilities, the
new Plan will incorporate and build upon the
recommendations from the 2013 Trails Plan
regarding trails and trail connections.
Land Use and Character
Fort Collins has a relatively dense grid of
streets in Old Town and the surrounding
neighborhoods. Similarly, the land uses,
population, and employment in this central
part of the city are also dense and mixed use.
In the majority of the city, however, the street
network is sometimes curvilinear and not well
connected, and the land uses have been
developed at a suburban scale. The suburban
nature of much of Fort Collins is reflected in
many of the current transportation issues and
policies, impacting how well the bicycle
facilities function.
However, the city’s transportation and land use
landscape is changing. The introduction of
Colorado’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) service,
MAX, in May of 2014 is anticipated to spur
compact development around stations.
Additionally, MAX and the city’s bicycle
network are intended to work together to
encourage multimodal travel throughout Fort
Collins.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 2 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 4: PROPOSED TRAIL-STREET CONNECTIONS FROM 2013 TRAILS PLAN
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 3 Draft May 2014
Ridership & Safety
In a recent community survey, 83 percent of
Fort Collins residents reported that the ease of
traveling by bicycle is good or very good,
making it the mode of travel with which
residents are most satisfied. Only 20 percent of
residents rated the city’s level of traffic
congestion as good or very good. Forty-nine of
the survey’s write-in responses were related to
bicycle travel or infrastructure.8 City residents
clearly have bicycling on their minds.
Ridership
Bicycling in Fort Collins has increased over the
past ten years. Anecdotally, residents and
visitors see more riders on the streets and
trails, including a variety of types of bicyclists
from daily commuters to families. Government-
collected data back up these observations. As
shown in Figure 5, data collected by the United
States Census Bureau (Census Bureau) shows an
increase in commute mode share over the past
decade. Using the Census Bureau three-year
estimates, the 2012 bicycle commute mode
share was 6.4 percent. The 2012 Census Bureau
one-year estimates report a 7.9 percent bicycle
commute mode share; however, the data has a
margin of error of +/-1.7. Three-year estimates
are used in this report instead of one-year,
because they typically have a smaller margin of
error. Bicycle commute share was higher for
males than females, which is typical of
American cities.
This data only pertains to work trips and does
not capture other types of trips; therefore,
these numbers may underrepresent the amount
of bicycle trips taken in Fort Collins.
8 City of Fort Collins, Citizen Survey Report of
Results, December 2013, Pages 18 and 64-90. The
survey was completed by 535 people.
All bicycle trips, including non-commute trips,
are evaluated as part of the Household Survey
conducted decennially by the North Front
Range Metropolitan Planning Organization
(NFRMPO). The 2009 survey indicates that 6.7
percent of all trips in Fort Collins were taken
by bicycle, up from 4.4 percent in the 2000.
The average length of these trips was 18
minutes, or about four miles at the speed of a
typical rider. The same survey found that 13.3
percent of commute trips in Fort Collins were
taken by bicycle, which is a much higher rate
than reported in the Census Bureau data.9
According to the 2009 NFRMPO survey,
households in Fort Collins have higher-than-
average bicycle ownership compared with the
rest of the region, with an average of 2.18
bicycles per household. The average household
size is 2.52 people.
Colorado State University (CSU) recently
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 4 Draft May 2014
based on the availability of resources. Since
2007, these surveys have shown that an
estimated 9 percent of elementary and middle
school students bicycle to school.
FIGURE 5: BICYCLE COMMUTE MODE SHARE, 2000-2012
Note: Data for 2000 is from the Decennial Census, and a breakdown by gender was not available. All other data points
are from the American Community Survey: from 2005-2006 are one-year estimates, and from 2007-2012 are three-year
estimates. All estimates have a margin of error; the 2009 estimate’s is +/- 1.8.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 5 Draft May 2014
Bicycle Counts
Fort Collins’ bicycle count data comes from two
sources: the Traffic Department and FC Moves.
The Traffic Department collects bicycle counts
as part of their Intersection Turning Movement
Report program. These counts are done
regularly for all 180 of the city’s signalized
intersections. As part of these counts, the
department notes bicyclists riding on the
sidewalk and whether they traveling with or
against traffic flow as they enter intersection
crosswalks. The department does not currently
count bicyclists riding against traffic flow
within the street, but may begin to do so in the
future.
A review of this data from July 2010 and
November 2013 finds 74.1 percent of bicyclists
were riding in the road compared with 25.9
percent riding on sidewalks.11 Of the 25.9
percent riding on sidewalks, 59 percent are
riding in the same direction as traffic with 41
percent riding in the opposite direction as
traffic. Due to the overrepresentation of
sidewalk riding in crashes, it is a focus area of
this plan, as discussed in the Safety section of
this report. Sidewalk riding indicates a lack of
comfort with the on-road accommodation or
intersection treatment or a need for education
outreach to modify the behavior.
The City started collecting trail counts in 2012.
FC Moves began conducting manual bicycle
counts in 2013, following the methods of the
National Pedestrian and Bicycle Documentation
Project (NPBDP). These counts are organized by
FC Moves and conducted by trained volunteers.
The count locations were distributed at
intersections throughout the city, specifically
at sites of upcoming projects and important
bicycle corridors. The first counts were
11 A number of intersections with high
percentages of sidewalk riding were located on
the sections of College Avenue where bicycles are
prohibited from riding in the roadway, which may
skew the percentages.
conducted on Saturday, September 21 and
Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 10 locations
throughout the city.12
The September counts identified a 65 percent
male to 35 percent female ratio, with 40
percent of riders observed wearing helmets.13
In the United States, it is typical to see a ratio
of 2 or 3 male per female bicyclists—and Fort
Collins is no exception—while in the
Netherlands the ratio is close to 1 to 1.14 A
balance of male to female bicyclists is an
indicator of a bicycle friendly community.
Using the trail counts and the counts conducted
by FC Moves, the consultant team applied
procedures recommended by the NPBDP to
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 6 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 6: ESTIMATED DAILY BICYCLE COUNTS
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 7 Draft May 2014
Bicycle Rider Typology
Generally, bicycle planning professionals
accept that there is a large percentage of the
American population that is interested in
cycling for transportation purposes but do not
currently cycle for a variety of reasons. People
typically have positive memories of bicycling in
their youth and associate bicycling with
expanded personal freedom and adventure.
But as they have grown older, most have come
to consider bicycling to be a recreational
activity that is safest on trails, or to perceive
riding on the streets as unsafe and
unappealing.
A number of research studies have shown that a
bicyclist’s perception of their personal safety
riding on a roadway is greatly influenced by
their proximity to and interaction with
motorized traffic. At low volumes and speeds
of traffic, many people feel safe and
comfortable sharing the roadway with traffic.
As traffic speed and volumes increase, a
bicyclist’s perceived safety degrades
significantly, resulting in a feeling of increased
stress and discomfort on the roadway.
A seminal 2012 survey in Portland, Oregon
questioned residents about their level of
comfort riding on various street types with and
without bicycle facilities.15 Respondents were
sorted into four categories, shown in Figure 7
and Table 2, based upon their stated comfort
level riding on various street types and on their
safety concerns. The study found that nearly 60
percent of the population is interested in
bicycling, but concerned for their safety.
The 2014 Bicycle Master Plan is considering the
needs, skills, and desires of a range of
bicyclists, with an emphasis on people who fall
into the Interested but Concerned – those who
15 Dill, Jennifer and McNeil, Nathan, “Four Types
of Cyclists? Examining a Typology to Better
Understand Bicycling Behavior and Potential”
(Transportation Research Board, January 2013).
are concerned about safety and have a low
tolerance for stressful street conditions.
FIGURE 7: TYPICAL BICYCLIST TYPOLOGY
TABLE 2: BICYCLIST TYPOLOGY DEFINITIONS
Bicyclist Definition
No Way, No
How
Not interested in riding for
transportation.
Interested
but
Concerned
Little tolerance for traffic stress
with major concerns for safety.
Prefer separation from traffic on
arterials with protected bike
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 8 Draft May 2014
Safety
Safety is a priority of the City and a focus of
the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan. Figure 8 shows
the bicycle-automobile crash trends for a 13-
year period —overlaid with the rates per
bicyclist and rates per 10,000 people—, using
data obtained from the Traffic Operations
Department.
To gain a detailed understanding of the current
safety environment with respect to bicycling,
crash data for the past five years were
analyzed. The data discussed in this section are
from police-reported crashes from 2009 to
2013. These reports are generated from two
sources: officer reports at the site of the crash
and reports filed by citizens after crashes occur
(counter reports). Police reports are entered
into a database by Traffic Operations staff and
reviewed at the time of entry for accuracy and
consistency. For example, a staff member may
amend the data if s/he reads the crash
narrative and concludes that the incorrect code
was used to catalog a harmful event sequence.
The overall number of bicycle-related crashes
per year in Fort Collins has risen 13 percent
over the past five years, compared to an
approximately 11 percent increase in
population over the same time. There were 178
reported bicycle crashes in 2013 compared to
151 in 2009. The number of bicyclists has also
been increasing; depending on the location, it
is likely that the overall crash rate is
decreasing. Rates are difficult to assess since
each corridor and intersection is a unique case,
and consistent count data is not available for
every location.
The bicyclists involved in crashes are not
evenly distributed throughout the population.
They are more likely to be male (69.9 percent)
and between the ages of 20 and 24 (30.3
percent).16 This suggests that a significant
portion of the crashes may involve CSU
students.
While crash data provides critical insight into
bicycle safety, it is also important to note that
many crashes go unreported and that many
near-misses do not result in a crash. These
circumstances also represent an important
safety issue.
Crash data is also compiled by local hospitals
when a bicyclist receives treatment for
injuries. These incidents may be solo crashes or
they may involve additional parties such as an
automobile. Counting bicycle crashes at the
hospital level results in a higher total number
than police reported crashes, in some years as
much as three times as many. This data set is
not currently coordinated with Fort Collins
Police Services data, but there is an effort
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 9 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 8: BICYCLE-AUTOMOBILE CRASHES RELATIVE TO BICYCLIST COUNTS AND POPULATION, 2000-2013
Source: TDG, with data obtained from the City of Fort Collins Traffic Department. Bicyclist count data is from the
Census Bureau commute mode share estimates.
TABLE 3: MOST COMMON BICYCLE CRASH TYPES, 2009-2013
Crash Type Car Movement – Bicycle Location
Percent of
Total Crashes
1
Bicyclist riding against traffic on sidewalk/right-turning automobile
arriving at right angle
15.0%
2
Bicyclist riding in street with traffic/left-turning automobile
arriving in opposite direction (Left hook)
10.0%
3
Bicyclist riding in street with traffic/right-turning automobile
arriving in same direction (Right hook)
9.0%
4
Bicyclist riding against traffic in street/right turning automobile
arriving at right angle
6.4%
Total 40.4%
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 10 Draft May 2014
Nearly all (98%) of these most prevalent crash
types occurred at intersections or driveways.
Overall, 87.5% of crashes occurred at
intersections or driveways.
The first most common type of crash (Type 1)
involved a bicyclist riding against traffic on the
sidewalk, and being struck by a right-turning
vehicle while in the crosswalk. In the second
most common type of crash (Type 2), a
bicyclist riding with traffic in the roadway was
struck by an oncoming left-turning vehicle.
Type 3 crashes occurred when a bicyclist rode
with traffic in the roadway, and a vehicle
traveling in the same direction turned right
into the bicyclist’s path of travel. Type 4
crashes were similar to Type 1 except that the
bicyclist was riding in the roadway against
traffic rather than on the sidewalk.
For the entire set of crashes, bicyclists made
errors in 49 percent of crashes and motorists in
68 percent.18 These numbers total to more than
100 percent because a bicyclist and driver can
both be at fault in a crash.
Sidewalk Riding
Bicyclists commonly ride on the sidewalk
throughout Fort Collins. Sidewalk riding is
prohibited in downtown and within the CSU
campus, but it is legal throughout the rest of
the city. Approximately 32 percent of all
crashes involve sidewalk riding. Of the
sidewalk-riding crashes:
2/3 involved a bicyclist riding against
traffic relative to the to the direction of
the turning motorist
2/3 included right-turning motor vehicles
o 80 percent of those involved a
vehicle failing to yield the right of
way
o 50 percent involved a bicyclist
failing to yield the right of way
18 These figures reflect the total number of
crashes for which an action was listed on the
police report which is less than the total number
of crashes in both cases.
A review of traffic count data indicates against-
traffic riding occurs more often on the sidewalk
than on the roadway in Fort Collins. Based on
the crash data, the majority of crashes that
involved a bicyclist riding against traffic were
bicyclists riding on the sidewalk.
Reducing bicyclist riding against traffic on the
sidewalk, and on the sidewalk in general, will
be an emphasis of the 2014 Bicycle Master
Plan.
Crash Locations
Bicycle crashes are more common in locations
with more bicycling (e.g., in downtown and
near the CSU campus perimeter), as shown in
Figures 10-13. Table 4 lists the top 10 bicycle
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 11 Draft May 2014
against traffic. Nearly half of the crashes that
occurred on Shields Street involved bicyclists
riding on the sidewalk, with 40 percent of
crashes including a bicyclist who was riding the
wrong way on the sidewalk.
Table 5 shows the intersections with 10 or more
crashes during this period. All of the
intersections include bike lanes on either one
or both streets.
TABLE 5: TOP INTERSECTION CRASH LOCATIONS,
2008-2013
Intersection
Total
Crashes
W Elizabeth Street + City Park
Avenue 21
W Elizabeth Street + S Shields Street 14
Drake Road + College Avenue 11
W Prospect Road + S Shields Street 11
Drake Road + S Shields Street 10
Laurel Street + College Avenue 10
FIGURE 9: SIDEWALK DISMOUNT ZONE ON COLLEGE AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 12 Draft May 2014
Considerations for the Bicycle Plan
To evaluate the impact of infrastructure and
programmatic initiatives to improve bicycling,
the collection of consistent and accurate
bicycle counts and crashes is essential. A
systematic bicycle counting methodology will
allow the City to develop correction factors to
mitigate shortcomings inherent in national or
regional data sources. Year-to-year changes in
counts can also help the City evaluate ridership
and safety impacts at specific locations where
new infrastructure has been built. By
continuing the detailed manual count program,
the City will also be able to track gender and
helmet use over time, which can help gauge
the impact of outreach activities. Finally,
counts will enable Fort Collins to assess its
progress toward the Plan goal of increasing the
amount of bicycling for all trip purposes.
The City should also consider conducting
regular travel behavior surveys as a way to
track behavior over time for all modes.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 13 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 10: NORTHWEST FORT COLLINS BICYCLE CRASH LOCATIONS, 2009-2013
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 14 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 11: NORTHEAST FORT COLLINS BICYCLE CRASH LOCATIONS, 2009-2013
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 15 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 12: SOUTHWEST FORT COLLINS BICYCLE CRASH LOCATIONS, 2009-2013
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 16 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 13: SOUTHEAST FORT COLLINS BICYCLE CRASH LOCATIONS, 2009-2013
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 17 Draft May 2014
Bicycle Network and
Infrastructure
This section describes bicycle facilities in Fort
Collins, including the type, location, and
mileage, as well as prior engineering efforts,
and recent accomplishments. This section
concludes with a discussion of how the
facilities perform with respect to the level of
stress experienced by bicyclists.
Existing Facilities
Bicycle Network
The existing bicycle network consists of on-
street facilities (e.g., bike lanes, shared lane
markings, and signed routes), as well as off-
street trails, creating an approximately 280
mile network. Figure 14 illustrates the types of
facilities by street type, and Figures 15 and 16
show the existing Fort Collins bicycle network.
FIGURE 14: EXISTING BICYCLE FACILITIES BY ROAD TYPE
Note: Facilities measured include all of those within the Growth Management Area, and are measured by centerline-
miles.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 18 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 15: NORTHERN FORT COLLINS BICYCLE FACILITIES
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 19 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 16: SOUTHERN FORT COLLINS BICYCLE FACILITIES
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 20 Draft May 2014
Roadway Bicycle Treatments
Bike Lanes
Bicycle lanes have been a part of the Fort
Collins roadway system since 1977. Since then,
the City has continuously retrofitted collector
and arterial streets with bike lanes as
opportunities arose. As a result, the existing
bike lane network covers approximately 166
miles20 of streets within the city’s Growth
Management Area (GMA).
TABLE 6: PERCENT OF ROADWAY TYPES WITH BIKE
LANES
Roadway
Type
Bike Lane
Mileage
Percent with Bike
Lanes
Arterial21 95.3 58.5%
Collector 54.3 62.0%
Local 16.2 3.0%
As a result of the iterative
nature of roadway
improvements and evolving
design guidance, there are
multiple configurations of
bike lanes throughout the city. These lanes are
typically striped with one four-inch lane line
separating bicycle traffic from motorized
traffic. Bike lane symbols vary; treatments
include a bicycle symbol, bike with rider
symbol, a directional arrow, a diamond, or a
combination of the above spaced every 400 to
500 feet. Some lanes are supplemented with a
bike lane sign (MUTCD R3-17). Where parking is
allowed, a second four-inch parking lane line
20 Since, with rare exception, all streets in Fort
Collins are two-way, the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan
will tally the centerline miles of streets. Using
this method, the 2008 baseline is most likely
closer to 140 miles of bike lanes.
21 Though many of the city’s arterials have bike
lanes, streets such as College Avenue, Mulberry
Street, Riverside Avenue, and parts of Taft Hill
Road and Prospect Road do not.
typically is present, although this is not
consistent throughout the city.
In May 2014, a green bicycle lane was painted
on Harmony Road as a first step in the Harmony
Road Enhanced Travel Corridor Master Plan.
This is the only green bicycle lane in the city.
FIGURE 17: HARMONY ROAD GREEN BIKE LANE
The most typical bike lane configurations are:
Bike lane with no parking: This is the most
common configuration in Fort Collins. Bike
lane widths range from four to eight feet.
Eight feet is the current standard width.
Bike lane with parking: These lanes
typically have a parking lane line and range
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 21 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 18: GUTTER SEAM WITHIN BIKE LANE ON
WEST LAUREL STREET AT LOOMIS AVENUE
On W Elizabeth Street and on Taft Hill Road,
the City has implemented a solution to this
issue: the gutter pan is six feet wide and covers
the entire bike lane, leaving the seam at the
left edge of the lane, where a bicyclist is less
likely to be riding.
FIGURE 19: GUTTER ON EDGE OF BIKE LANE ON
ELIZABETH STREET
Shared Lane Markings, or “Sharrows”
Fort Collins has begun to pilot shared lane
markings (sharrows). These markings let
bicyclists know where to position themselves,
and let motorists know to share the road with
bicyclists. Sharrows currently exist only on
Mountain Avenue, East Elizabeth Street, and
Mason Street.
FIGURE 20: SHARROW ON MOUNTAIN AVENUE
Share the Road Signage
Signs indicating that drivers should “Share the
Road” exist in a number of places throughout
the city. On College Avenue in downtown,
these signs advise motorists that bicyclists
should be expected on the roadway.
FIGURE 21: COLLEGE AVENUE SHARE THE ROAD
SIGN
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 22 Draft May 2014
Bicycle Routes
There are a number of designated bicycle
routes throughout Fort Collins. In some cases,
these routes are marked with signs, and in
other cases, bicyclists only know of their
presence from the City Bike Map. These streets
have been designated as bicycle-friendly
streets, and many run parallel to higher-volume
streets.
FIGURE 22: BICYCLE ROUTE SIGN
Trails
The approximately 35 miles of paved trails in
Fort Collins are a backbone to the bicycle
network, as shown in Figure 23. The city’s
paved trails are primarily managed by the Park
Planning Department, which has overseen their
development since 1980. An updated master
plan for paved trail development was adopted
in 2013 that included projects for trail and
underpass construction. One action item of the
2013 Trails Plan was to construct connections
between trails and streets at no greater than
one-half-mile intervals to improve their
transportation use. The trails are a critical
component of the total bicycle system as they
close street network gaps and provide
alternatives to arterials that do not have
bicycle accommodations.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 23 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 23: TRAILS IN FORT COLLINS
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 24 Draft May 2014
Intersection Bicycle Treatments
Bike Lanes
On streets with bike lanes, there are many
intersection configurations bicyclists
encounter, providing varying levels of bicyclist
accommodation and comfort. The types are
described below.
Bike lane drop: The bike lane ends prior to
the intersection to accommodate an added
right or left turn lane.
Bike lane shift: The bike lane shifts from
the rightmost edge of the roadway to the
left of a right-turn lane.
Bike lane continues: The bike lane
continues through the intersection, but a
right-turn lane is added, through roadway
widening or by dropping a parking lane, to
the right of the bike lane.
In most locations, a dashed
section of striping indicates
where vehicles are intended
to cross the bike lane. In
some cases, a “Begin Right
Turn Lane Yield to Bikes” (MUTCD R4-4, as
shown on the left) sign is located at the
beginning of the right-turn lane.
Roundabouts
There are a number of roundabout
intersections in Fort Collins. Roundabouts are
installed to replace traffic signals and/or stop
signs. They are designed to slow vehicle
speeds, improve safety, and reduce delay to
traffic (including bicycles). Roundabouts at two
intersecting neighborhood streets, such as
Custer Drive and Rigden Parkway, are designed
so that bicycles stay within the travel lanes as
they navigate the roundabout. Roundabouts at
the intersection of two arterial streets are
designed to give bicyclists the option of
traveling on the roadway or diverting to the
sidewalk via curb cuts aligned with the
approaching bike lanes. This option is indicated
with “Alternate Bicycle Route” or “Merge or
Use Path” signs.
Bike Box
A bike box provides riders a head start through
the intersection by allowing them to place
themselves in front of stopped traffic and begin
moving before the vehicles behind them. Fort
Collins is piloting its first bicycle box on the
eastbound approach of Plum Street at Shields
Street.
FIGURE 24: BIKE BOX AT PLUM STREET AND
SHIELDS STREET
Additional Bicycle Infrastructure
Bicycle Parking
Public parking for bicycles is mostly located in
downtown, though there are also public racks
located at schools, bus stops, and commercial
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 25 Draft May 2014
present at other City facilities such as libraries
and at private properties.
In 2009, the City partnered with New Belgium
Brewery to install six on-street bicycle parking
corrals in Old Town. These corrals fit at least
12 spaces for bicycles within one car parking
space. The City is currently evaluating
potential locations for additional on-street
corrals.
FIGURE 25: ON-STREET BICYCLE CORRAL
Speed Detection
There are a number of locations throughout
Fort Collins with automatic automobile speed
detection with driver feedback signs. These
displays show the posted speed limit and actual
vehicle speed, and are a traffic-calming
measure. Low vehicle speeds increase comfort
and reduce stress for bicyclists who are
adjacent to or sharing the same roadway space.
The average speed on neighborhood streets is
approximately 26 miles per hour (mph), which
is very close to the speed limit of 25 mph.22
Speeds on other types of streets, where the
majority of bike lanes and bicycle facilities are
present, is unknown.
22 City of Fort Collins, 2011 Community Scorecard,
Page 4.
Signal Timing and Bicycle Detection
Post-World War II suburban development in
Fort Collins favored a grid of arterials designed
to carry high traffic volumes at relatively high
speeds. The street network was supplemented
by a mixture of curvilinear and sometimes
disconnected collector and local streets,
designed to serve lower traffic volumes and
speeds in residential areas. Because suburban
communities are designed around the
automobile, residents do not expect traffic
congestion. The 2013 Fort Collins Citizen
Survey illustrates this expectation but in a
mixed manner: while only 14 percent of
residents think that the ease of driving is bad
or very bad, 34 percent stated that traffic
congestion was bad or very bad.23 The City has
proactively worked to address traffic
congestion issues, having evaluated and
updated citywide signal timing in 2010.
The City is working hard to balance the need to
move high volumes of traffic with creating a
connected and comfortable bicycle network.
There are inherent challenges in reaching this
balance, as prioritizing traffic flow along major
corridors to reduce delay results in more delay
for those trying to cross the corridors—
motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and buses.
Additionally, arterials with high traffic volumes
and speeds are uncomfortable and stressful
routes for bicyclists.
Since the completion of the 2008 Bicycle
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 26 Draft May 2014
This section of the report discusses current
efforts related to cycle lengths, minimum
green times, and detection.
Cycle Lengths
The signal timing in the city, particularly the
cycle lengths (i.e., the total time for the traffic
light to be green for all approaches), is largely
driven by the need to maintain progression
(i.e., ‘green wave’ or continuous flow) for
motorists along major arterials. Traffic volumes
are higher along major north-south arterials
such as College Avenue and Shields Street, and
progression is generally favored for those
roadways. At most intersections, cycle lengths
during the AM, midday, and PM peak hours are
relatively long (e.g., 110 seconds in the AM and
120 seconds in the midday and PM). While
these cycle lengths are needed to process
traffic during peak commuting hours where two
major roadways cross, they result in relatively
long wait times at other intersections at times
with lower traffic volumes. On the other hand,
numerous intersections near CSU and
downtown, including intersections along and
north of Laurel Street, have shorter cycle
lengths between 70 and 80 seconds.
Longer cycle lengths can increase delay for
crossing traffic and can also result in unused
green time, which can be problematic for
bicyclists for two reasons. First, a bicyclist who
arrives at an intersection may become
inpatient as wait time increases, resulting in an
increased likelihood of risk-taking behavior.
Second, this same bicyclist may believe that
the signal has not detected them because the
signal remains green for the street they are
trying to cross, even though they observe no
conflicting traffic on the roadway. This
frequently leads to risk-taking behavior such as
red-light running. This is partially mitigated
during evening periods when the cycle length is
reduced to 85 seconds. The City is currently
exploring opportunities for reduced or
alternate cycle lengths to further reduce delay
while still maintaining necessary peak period
progression.
Minimum Green Times
Because bicyclists travel at lower speeds and
are slower to accelerate compared to
automobiles, they often require longer
minimum green times. The City is currently
updating all controllers at signalized
intersections to allow bicycle-specific timing
when a bicyclist is detected. This includes
providing a bicycle minimum green and bicycle
extension time, which allows bicyclists to
safely cross the roadway and allows more
bicyclists to cross during a signal phase. To
date, approximately 80 percent of the signals
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 27 Draft May 2014
Bicycle Detection
Loop detectors are being phased out in favor of
video detection. Video detection locations are
unmarked except at the intersection of Shields
Street and Elizabeth Street. Figure 29 shows
the locations of video detection throughout the
city, and shows that a substantial number of
signalized intersections have this technology.
Approximately half of the video detection
locations have detection in all four cardinal
directions; the remainder cover one to three
approaches.
When the video detection senses a bicyclist, a
message is relayed to the traffic signal to
extend the length of the green indication, in
some cases to allow a slower-moving bicyclist
to clear the intersection before the signal
change. In other cases, the detection merely
indicates that the light should change. Cameras
are quite accurate in detecting bicyclists, but
they are sometimes compromised in low-angle
sun conditions where shadows are long, and
they do not always detect in low light
situations.
The City is working with their detection vendor
to explore technologies than can overcome
these challenges and also differentiate
between a motorist and a bicyclist in a shared-
lane situation.
The City is also investigating the use of infrared
detection as an alternative or supplement to
the camera detection system.
An additional challenge in detection for
bicyclists is communicating that the detection
has been activated. In response to concerns
from bicyclists that they are not getting
detected, the City has piloted a detection
confirmation light at the intersection of Lemay
and Stuart that is illuminated once a bicyclist is
sensed by the detector.
FIGURE 27: EXAMPLE SCREEN DISPLAY SHOWING
DETECTION ZONES PROVIDED WITH VIDEO DETECTION
EQUIPMENT
The bicycle lane is at the far left of the photo. The
green highlights successful detection.
FIGURE 28: THE DETECTION CONFIRMATION LIGHT
IS LOCATED BENEATH THE PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL
HEAD.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 28 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 29: CITYWIDE VIDEO DETECTION LOCATIONS
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 29 Draft May 2014
Status of 2008 Bicycle Plan Engineering
Recommendations
The 2008 Plan recommended many key
engineering projects, shown in Table 7. The
City has made significant progress on the 2008
Plan, and continues to work on some of the
projects. Appendix C provides more details
about the progress. The 2014 Bicycle Master
Plan will provide updated recommendations
along with an implementation framework,
including prioritization strategies.
TABLE 7: PROGRESS ON 2008 PLAN
Recommendation
2014
Status
Implement Hot List I projects
Not
complete
Implement Hot List II projects
Partially
complete
Provide interim routes for key
corridor gaps
Not
complete
Continue implementation of
Transportation and Street Master
Plans
Ongoing
Maintain priority commuter routes Ongoing
Improve signal detection loops Underway
Examine bike boulevards and bike
boxes
Underway
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 30 Draft May 2014
Bicycle Comfort
As stated in the Ridership & Safety section of
this report, the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan will
address the needs, skills, and desires of a range
of bicyclists, with a special focus on the
Interested but Concerned population—those
who would like to ride a bicycle more but who
have concerns about their personal safety. A
bicyclist’s perception of their personal safety
riding on a roadway is greatly influenced by
their proximity to and interaction with
motorized traffic. At low volumes and speeds
of traffic, many people feel safe and
comfortable sharing the roadway with traffic.
As traffic speed and volumes increase, their
perception of safety degrades significantly,
resulting in a feeling of increased stress and
discomfort on the roadway.
Bicycle Network Stress Assessment
Methodology
The Mineta Level of Traffic Stress (LTS)
methodology24 (hereinafter referred to as “LTS
assessment”) was chosen as a planning tool to
analyze existing and potential future conditions
because it measures bicyclist stress with
factors such as intersection crossings, traffic
speeds, traffic volumes, and separation from
vehicle lanes. The methodology is described in
more detail in Appendix A.
The low-stress bicycling concept is premised on
the experience of the Dutch, who have focused
on building a connected bicycle network that
minimizes bicyclist interaction with motorized
traffic.
24 Low-Stress Bicycling and Network Connectivity.
Mekuria, Furth, and Nixon. Report 11-19. May
2012. Mineta Transportation Institute. San Jose
State University, San Jose, California.
Their approach targets mainstream adult
bicyclists as a design user (the equivalent of
the Interested but Concerned population) by
providing the following types of facilities:
Shared lanes on low-volume, low-speed,
local streets (sometimes requiring traffic
calming)
Bike lanes on moderate-volume and
moderate-speed streets
Protected bike lanes (also known as cycle
tracks) on high-volume or high-speed
streets
Comfortable intersection crossings which
minimize bicyclist stress and clarify right-
of-way
This low-stress approach results in
approximately 80 percent of the Dutch
population riding at least once per week and
normal bicycle commute mode shares ranging
from 25 to 50 percent in larger cities. For
bicycling to be an appealing transportation
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 31 Draft May 2014
The stress assessment requires collection of the
following data:
Posted traffic speed
Number and widths of travel lanes
Location and widths of bike and parking
lanes25
Length of right-turn lanes
Right-turn lane configuration at
intersections
Locations of controlled and uncontrolled
crossings
Location and width of medians
The LTS score is used in this report is classified
into five levels of traffic stress, shown in Table
8, with “LTS 1” being the least stressful and
“LTS 5” being the highest stress situation for a
bicyclist.26
TABLE 8: LEVEL OF TRAFFIC STRESS DEFINITION
Level of Traffic
Stress
U.S. Bicyclist Typology
LTS 1 (Low Stress) Suitable for children
LTS 2 (Low Stress) Interested but Concerned
adults
LTS 3 Enthused and Confident
adults
LTS 4 (High Stress) Strong and Fearless adults
LTS 5 (High Stress) Strong and Fearless adults
25 For this analysis, roads with hard shoulders
were assessed in the same manner as those with
bike lanes.
26 The method used here is an amendment of that
in the Mineta Institute’s study. In response to
feedback from the 2014 Bicycle Plan Technical
Advisory Committee, a factor was added to more
accurately reflect the experience of bicyclists on
arterial roadways. This factor decreased the
stress level of arterials by 1 with bike lanes 7 feet
or wider, and increased the stress level by 1 of
arterials with bike lanes less than 4 feet.
Most of the data inputs required for the LTS
assessment were available in the City’s existing
GIS database. Key missing features such as lane
widths and presence of right turn lanes were
gathered through a desktop review of Google
Earth satellite imagery, dated 2012. Additional
data on facilities implemented after 2012 was
gathered through field visits and conversations
with City staff and subsequently incorporated
into the analysis.
Stress Assessment Results
The existing low-stress network (LTS 1 or 2) in
Fort Collins currently consists primarily of
paved trails and low-volume local streets which
have signal-controlled crossings of arterial
streets. Despite the fact approximately 50
percent of Fort Collins arterial and collector
streets have bicycle lanes on them, almost all
considered higher stress (LTS 4 or 5) routes due
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 32 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 30: GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF LTS SCORES BY BIKEWAY TYPE
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 33 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 31: NORTHWEST FORT COLLINS - EXISTING BICYCLE LEVEL OF COMFORT MAP
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 34 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 32: NORTHEAST FORT COLLINS - EXISTING BICYCLE LEVEL OF COMFORT MAP
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 35 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 33: SOUTHWEST FORT COLLINS – EXISTING BICYCLE LEVEL OF COMFORT MAP
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 36 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 34: SOUTHEAST FORT COLLINS – EXISTING BICYCLE LEVEL OF COMFORT MAP
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 37 Draft May 2014
Stress Island Effect
By displaying only the existing network of
LTS 1 streets and greenways, it is possible to
visualize the low-stress islands throughout
the city that the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan
will seek to connect. For a network to be
attractive to the Interested but Concerned
(LTS 1 or 2) population, it must provide a
seamless level of stress not only along the
proposed route, but also at each street
crossing. Figure 33 shows the importance of
the trail system to connect various
neighborhoods throughout Fort Collins and
the importance of the local street system. It
also highlights the fragmented nature of the
local street grid and the cul-de-sac style
development pattern which is predominant
outside of downtown Fort Collins. A lack of
continuity in the street grid funnels more
traffic – automobile and bicycle – onto those
few streets that provide cross-city
connections.
FIGURE 35: STRESS ISLAND SNAPSHOT - SPRING
CREEK TRAIL
Most LTS 1 or 2 facilities do not connect.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 38 Draft May 2014
FIGURE 36: EXISTING LOW-STRESS (LTS 1) STREET AND TRAIL MAP
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 39 Draft May 2014
Programs and Policies
Standards and Policies
Design Standards
The primary design standard for the City is
the Larimer County Urban Area Street
Standards (Standards). There are three parts
of the Standards that pertain to bicycle
facilities: bike lane width, travel lane width,
and parking width. The required widths for
each are shown in Table 10.
The Standards provide adequate or generous
space for bike lanes in all scenarios, and
specify wider bike lanes than the AASHTO
Guide for the Development of Bicycle
Facilities minimum recommendation.27
Much of the street infrastructure in Fort
Collins was developed before these Standards
existed. If a new local neighborhood street
were to be constructed using the Standards,
it would be built to be 30’ wide. Many
roadways in the older part of the city are 58’
to 60’ wide, including local and collector
neighborhood streets. This dimension is much
larger than most other American or European
cities. While wide streets allow space for
generous bicycle, parking, pedestrian, and
streetscape elements, if not managed well,
they can encourage high vehicular travel
speeds.28
In areas of the city that were developed
more recently, many residential roadways
are approximately 40’ wide.
27 AASHTO, Guide for Development of Bicycle
Facilities, 2012.
28 Along with transportation impacts, wide
paved streets include impervious surfaces and
corresponding stormwater runoff.
FIGURE 37: WIDE NEIGHBORHOOD STREET
(STOVER STREET)
Many Fort Collins streets include front-in
angled parking. Front-in angled parking is
convenient for drivers and is a good way to
maximize the capacity of parking on streets.
However, it can create safety problems due
to poor visibility for drivers. In this
configuration, when a driver begins to pull
out of a parking space, it is difficult to see
behind the car—including whether bicyclists,
pedestrians, or other vehicles are present—
until a driver has already pulled out. To
improve safety, many cities have
implemented back-in angled parking. For
example, Boulder, Colorado, is currently
piloting the treatment in one of its
multimodal corridors and has used education
and enforcement techniques to encourage
compliance with the new design.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 40 Draft May 2014
TABLE 10: LARIMER COUNTY URBAN AREA STREET STANDARDS - FACILITY WIDTHS BY STREET TYPE
6-Lane
Arterial
4-Lane
Arterial
2-Lane
Arterial
Major
Collector
(without
parking)
Minor
Collector
(with parking)
Commercial
Local
Connector
Local
Travel
Lane
Width
12’ 12’ 12’ 12’* 11’
11’ or 12’
w/ left
10’
Bike
Lane
Width
8' 8' 8' 8'
6' w/parking
8' w/LT turn
6' or 7' ** 0' or 6' ***
Parking
Lane
Width
None None None None 8’ or None****
8’ or
None****
8’ or
None****
Source: Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards, 2007
* To provide left-turn lanes at intersections, 10’ additional roadway width is required to provide an 11’
wide left turn lane with 6’ bike lane and 11’ travel lanes.
** A 7’ wide bike lane is provided when parking is removed for a left turn lane.
*** If bike lanes are required, additional street width will be required to provide 6' wide bike lanes.
**** To provide left turn lanes at intersections, parking shall be removed.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 41 Draft May 2014
Bicycle Parking Policy
Fort Collins has bicycle parking requirements
for all new building developments. The City
of Fort Collins Land Use Code, Article 3.2,
Section C specifies bicycle parking space
requirements based on land use and indicates
the percent of parking that should be
enclosed (e.g., indoors or bicycle lockers) as
well as the percent that can be provided by
fixed bicycle racks. For example, developers
of multifamily housing are to provide one
bicycle parking space per bedroom, with 60
percent of the total enclosed and 40 percent
via bicycle rack. For most land uses, a
minimum of four bicycle parking spaces is
required.
There is no guidance provided in the code
regarding the physical location of the bicycle
parking on the property, for example
recommending a location with adequate
lighting and convenient to the building
entrance. While there is no regulation
governing the design of the bicycle racks
provided, the City of Fort Collins’ website
recommends following the Association of
Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP)
Bicycle Parking Guidelines, 2nd Edition.29
29 Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle
Professionals, Bicycle Parking Guidelines, 2nd
Edition.
Bicycling Programs
Fort Collins has become an exemplary
bicycle-friendly community owing in large
part to the programs and policies that have
helped build a strong bicycle culture. These
non-engineering elements of a bicycle-
friendly community are typically broken
down into four “E’s”: encouragement,
education, enforcement, and evaluation.
Engineering, discussed in the Bicycle Network
and Infrastructure section of this report, is
the fifth “E” typically included in bicycle
planning.
The LAB defines non-engineering E’s as
follows:
Encouragement: Creates a strong bike
culture that welcomes and celebrates
bicycling.
Education: Gives people of all ages and
ability levels the skills and confidence to
ride.
Enforcement: Ensures safe roads for all
users.
Evaluation and Planning: Plans for
bicycling as a safe and viable
transportation option.30
Encouragement and education programs are
run by both the City, through the FC Bikes
Program, and by the many vital community
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 42 Draft May 2014
Community Bicycle Organizations
Fort Collins Bicycle Co-op
The Co-op began in 2003 with the goal of
enabling more Fort Collins residents to ride a
bicycle. They operate a volunteer-run
community bike shop that accepts donated
bicycles and parts and gives refurbished
bicycles to lower-income residents. The Co-
op also runs maintenance classes, an earn-a-
bike program, mountain biking trips for
underserved youth, and a number of other
initiatives.
Bike Fort Collins
Bike Fort Collins is a member-based nonprofit
organization begun in 2005 to encourage safe
and enjoyable cycling. They operate the Bike
Library, conduct adult education classes, run
marketing campaigns, coordinate
encouragement events, and advocate for
bicycle projects in Fort Collins.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Education
Coalition
This coalition consists of 17 bicycle- and
pedestrian-related groups from throughout
Larimer County, including Fort Collins.
BPEC’s mission is to “reduce the number of
motor vehicle/bicycle/pedestrian crashes in
our community, and increase knowledge and
awareness about how to safely share roads.”
BPEC currently operates the Bicycle
Ambassador Program (BAP) discussed in the
section that follows.
Education
Education is broadly defined in this report, to
include everything from skills classes for
youth to elevating awareness and
responsibility among all transportation
system users, including bicyclists. The
majority of bicycle education classes,
events, campaigns, and other activities are
run by the City, or by other organizations
such as Bike Fort Collins. Education has
always been a part of the FC Bikes program,
but a renewed effort to focus on education
has taken place since the development of the
BSEP in 2011.
Bicycle Safety Education Plan
Many of the City’s current education efforts
are a direct result of recommendations in the
Bicycle Safety Education Plan (BSEP). The
creation of the BSEP was spurred by three
bicyclist fatalities and by a wider recognition
that with more bicyclists on the road, there
was a greater need for concerted education
efforts related to the safety of all road users.
Overall, the BSEP vision is to see a decrease
in reported bicycle crashes. In the long term,
the City committed to Vision Zero: reducing
citywide bicyclist deaths and serious injuries
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 43 Draft May 2014
may result in more and safer bicycling among
youth.
FIGURE 38: BAP NEIGHBORHOOD OPEN GARAGE
Source: FC Bikes
Adult Bicycling Education
FC Bikes sponsors monthly 7.5-hour Traffic
Skills 101 classes for any Fort Collins adult
resident. Classes equip attendees with
information on bicyclists’ rights and
responsibilities on the road, bicycle safety
checks, riding skills, and crash-avoidance
maneuvers. Participants also practice riding
skills on their bike. Starting in 2014, the City
will offer Learn to Ride classes for adults,
which are two hours in length and will teach
the basics of riding a bike.
The Women on a Roll program provides
classes on bicycle skills and maintenance,
rides, and events that focus on reducing
barriers to bicycling for women.
Together with the BAC, the City offers
diverse education options by request such as
Lunch and Learn presentations and outreach
to businesses.
Finally, the City hosts one League Cycling
Instructor (LCI) course per year, and together
with CSU offers scholarships to train
community members to be safe-cycling
instructors.
Youth Bicycling Education
Youth bicycling education falls largely under
the Fort Collins Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
program, which provides walking and
bicycling education to as many Pre-K through
12th grade students as possible every year.
Trained educators teach bicycle-pedestrian
safety during physical education classes and
after-school programs that cover bike-
handling skills, rules of the road, and helmet
fitting, among other topics.
SRTS also organizes bicycle skills rodeos with
curriculum specific to elementary and middle
school students. This type of high-quality
educational contact reached 5,828 students
in 2013. Overall, the program had contact
with a total of approximately 14,000 people
in 2013. The SRTS program has a goal of a
three-year rotation schedule for educational
activities which will enable them to reach
every student at each level: elementary,
middle, and high school.
FIGURE 39: SRTS IN ACTION
Source: FC Bikes
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 44 Draft May 2014
Law Enforcement Education
The BSEP made a recommendation to assist
Fort Collins Police Services with training for
officers to help them understand typical
behaviors, as well as rights and
responsibilities of bicyclists on the road.
Currently, Police Services offers a two-hour
course on these topics every two years,
required of all new recruits and optional for
others. Additionally, Police Services uses the
spring and fall increase in bicycling as an
opportunity to educate its officers about
rules of the road and how to cite bicycle
infractions. The City is planning to launch a
diversion program in 2014, where bicyclists
who get infractions would be able to get
their fine reduced by participating in a
traffic skills training course.
Encouragement
The first six years of the FC Bikes program
focused mostly on encouragement programs,
and succeeded in building a strong bicycle
culture in Fort Collins, where residents and
visitors welcome and celebrate bicycling.
Encouragement programs consist of special
programs like the Fort Collins Bike Library,
events, and marketing.
FC Bike Library
The Bike Library was launched by the City in
2008 and is operated by Bike Fort Collins.
Bicycles are available from April to
December annually for free checkout for the
first day; a $10 charge is applied each day
after. The fleet of 170 bicycles includes a
wide range of bicycle types, with 40 of those
bicycles housed at the main Library location
at the Downtown Transit Center. Other
bicycles are available for checkout at one
hotel, and a second hotel location is being
planned, as well as a location at CSU.
The Bike Library has been a boon for
bicycling in Fort Collins as it enables more
people to take part in bike culture without
owning a bicycle. While the majority (75
percent) of Bike Library users are visitors,
the Bike Library is an important source of
community pride. The facility itself gives a
large, public presence to bicycling in the
downtown area. With its move to the
Downtown Transit Center in 2014, it will be
visible to many local and regional transit
users and more accessible to those riders for
combining bike and bus trips. The City is
currently planning to expand its Bike Library
with automated, self-checkout bike share
stations.
FIGURE 40: FORT COLLINS BIKE LIBRARY
Source: FC Bike Library
Boltage Incentive Program
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 45 Draft May 2014
Events
The City acts as an umbrella organization to
coordinate community groups and develop a
regular calendar of bicycling events. Some of
the major annual events that the City leads
include:
Bike to Work Day: Part of Colorado’s Bike
to Work Month, this event works with
individuals and employers to encourage
people to bike for transportation,
experience the benefits of riding a bike,
highlight Fort Collins' extensive bike
routes, and demonstrate that bicycling is
an easy, fun and healthy means of
traveling around the city. BTWD is held
twice a year in June and December. The
2013 Summer BTWD, the 26th annual, had
108 sponsors and 3,551 total
participants—and over 1,000 bicyclists
and 20 businesses were new participants.
The 2013 Winter BTWD was the 7th annual
and despite cold temperatures, had 63
hosts and over 600 bicyclists—200 of
which were new participants.31
Bike Winter: This month-long series
encourages riders to bike year-round and
helps disseminate information about how
to do this successfully with classes like
Winter Cycling 101, as well as bike light
giveaways.
International Walk to School Day and
National Bike to School Day: The City’s
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program
works with local schools to encourage
student participation in these annual
events. An estimated 5,000 K-12 students
participated in these events during the
2013-14 school year.
B.I.K.E. Camp: The City’s SRTS program
co-sponsors (with the City’s Recreation
Dept.) several weeklong bike camps for
children ages 6-11 over the summer.
Family Bike Rodeos: The SRTS program
sets up bike-safety skills trainings, known
as “bike rodeos” year-round at venues
throughout the community.
31 www.fcgov.com/bicycling (visited April
2014).
The City helps lead or supports many other
regular events. These include:
Tour de Fit, Tour de Cat, Tour de
Olander, Kruse Bike Day: Many local
schools have created their own signature
events to celebrate bicycling, some of
which play off the “Tour de Fat” theme.
Each of these school events attracts
hundreds of students and are supported
by the SRTS program.
Walkin’ and Wheelin’ Wednesdays: Many
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 46 Draft May 2014
Business, community organization, and
school partners are vital to making all of
these events happen.
Marketing
Posters, bus advertisements, stickers, fliers,
the FC Bikes website, newsletters like
Momentum, the CoExist campaign, articles in
the Coloradoan, publications like Ride, and
other materials are used to communicate a
positive message about bicycling in Fort
Collins. Marketing is supported by groups like
Bike Fort Collins who developed the
nationally-recognized “You Know Me, I Ride a
Bike” campaign.
The City has also encouraged local media
outlets to cover bicycle events, programs,
and infrastructure improvements. This
coverage raises awareness of bicycling and
bicyclists among community members who
might not otherwise have exposure to this
part of Fort Collins.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 47 Draft May 2014
Enforcement
Enforcement of traffic laws in Fort Collins is
done by a number of overlapping police
forces: Fort Collins Police Services, Larimer
County Sheriff’s Office, CSU Police
Department, Colorado State Patrol, School
Resource Officers, and, to a small extent,
Federal Protective Services. The majority of
traffic enforcement is done by Fort Collins
and CSU officers within the City boundaries.
CSU officers are empowered to enforce
traffic laws on and off campus, since they
are state police officers, and they may also
write University-specific citations and
warnings on campus.
Bicycle Laws
Bicyclists’ actions on roadways are subject to
the same traffic laws as other vehicles in the
state of Colorado. Bicyclists are required to
obey all posted signs and signals and ride
with traffic. Sidewalk and crosswalk riding is
allowed under Colorado Revised Statutes §
42-4-1412.10, except in marked dismount
zones. However, bicyclists are required to
yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in these
situations and to give an audible signal when
passing. When riding in a crosswalk, the
bicyclist has all of the same rights and
responsibilities as a pedestrian and is not
required to dismount.
In general, Colorado laws pertaining to
bicyclists are considered to be among the
friendliest to bicyclists in the country. For
instance, a bicyclist’s ability to take a lane
to avoid hazards in the roadway is spelled
out in code, as is the requirement for any
vehicle to pass at least three feet from a
bicyclist.
The Fort Collins Traffic Code includes the
following key provisions related to bicyclists:
Requirement for a headlight and rear
reflector in low light or low visibility,
along with other equipment requirements
Prohibition for vehicles within bicycle
lanes, except for merging or parking
movements
Requirements for bicycle placement
(right hand lane except when turning
left, when avoiding a right-turn lane, or
when otherwise unsafe)
Prohibition of bicyclists riding more than
two abreast on streets
Requirement to signal
Prohibition of bicycles along sidewalks,
roadways, and crosswalks where official
traffic control devices or local ordinances
prohibit their presence (e.g. College
Avenue and on downtown sidewalks)
Many other bicyclist-related laws are also
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 48 Draft May 2014
process a bicycle violation citation, which
may deter some officers. The Code change is
reportedly simple, and is being discussed
with City officials.32
Bicycle Registration
Bicycle owners in Fort Collins can register
their bicycles with the City or with CSU.
These registrations are used in the event of a
stolen bicycle, to aid in recovery and return
of the bicycle to its owner. The City works
with local bicycle shops to distribute bicycle
registration cards to the public.
Evaluation and Planning
City staff implements programs and policies
related to evaluation and planning. The
evaluation of existing programs takes place
through annual documentation such as the
SRTS Annual Report and Traffic Safety
Summary. The SRTS Program also collects
data through the National Center for SRTS
(NCSRTS) parent surveys and student travel
tallies.
FC Bikes staff conduct regular surveys and
monitor regional and national data sources
such as those mentioned related to ridership
earlier in this report. The count program is
also a form of evaluation and tracking of
bicycle trends in the city.
Planning for bicycle infrastructure and
programs is done by the FC Bikes staff and
other staff within Planning, Development and
Transportation, and Park Planning. Updates
to the City Plan, TMP, Master Street Plan,
Pedestrian Plan, Transfort Strategic
Operating Plan, and the Capital
Improvement Plan can all have an impact on
the bicycling environment in Fort Collins.
Bicycle Advisory Committee
The Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) is a
key entity in planning for and implementing
32 Trombley, Michael, Personal Interview,
March 11, 2014.
improvements to bicycling in Fort Collins.
The BAC is a subcommittee of the
Transportation Board and was formed in 2009
to review and recommend bicycle projects,
policies, and to aid in implementing the
Bicycle Master Plan. Members of this
committee are drawn from other bicycle-
related organizations in Fort Collins, related
advisory boards, CSU, Poudre School District,
and the business community; there are also
three at-large members from the community.
The overall goal of the BAC is to promote
safe, efficient bicycling in Fort Collins and
the surrounding region.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 49 Draft May 2014
Investment
Fort Collins has funded its bicycle program
through grants, City funds, state and federal
funds, and development fees.
Fort Collins has rigorously pursued grant
monies for bicycle improvements from
sources such as Congestion Mitigation and Air
Quality (CMAQ), Transportation
Enhancements (TE), and Great Outdoors
Colorado (GOCO) lottery funds. Between
1995 and 2008, the City secured over $20
million in federal grants.
In response to 1995 Bicycle Plan, the City
hired a Bicycle Coordinator in 1996.
Beginning in 2003, due to budget cuts the
position remained unstaffed. In 2006, City
Council responded to a tremendous
outpouring of public support for the position
and once again funded a Bicycle Coordinator
for the City. The implementation component
of the 1995 Plan and the 2008 Bicycle Plan is
known as FC Bikes and is overseen by a
program manager. The FC Bikes Program and
the Bike Library have historically been
primarily funded by a Congestion Mitigation
and Air Quality (CMAQ) Grant administered
by the NFRMPO.
The FC Bikes Program is funded through a
combination of City funds, federal funding
sources, and other grants.
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality
Improvement Program (CMAQ)
The City was recently awarded an $850,500
CMAQ grant (including the required 17.21
percent local match) that will fund 75
percent of two FC Bikes positions along with
other bike programs over a three-year period
beginning in the spring of 2014. The grant
includes funding for education and
encouragement programs, training for the FC
Bikes Program staff, regional bike
coordination, end-of-trip facilities, a
business and implementation plan for a new
bike share system, bike counters, and a
portion of the 2014 Bicycle Plan.
Transportation Alternatives Program
(TAP)
The TAP (formerly the TE Program) is a
federal funding source that is also
administered by the NFRMPO. In recent
years, Fort Collins has been awarded TE/TAP
grants for bicycle and pedestrian
infrastructure projects on SH 14 (a
bicycle/pedestrian bridge relocation), North
College (US 287), and a Mason Trail railroad
crossing.
Building on Basics (BOB)
Fort Collins voters approved Building on
Basics (BOB), a quarter-cent sales and use
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 50 Draft May 2014
Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO) Process
Fort Collins has a two-year budgeting
process—Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO)—that
is designed to create a government that
works better, costs less, and is focused on
desired results. Budget offers are developed
by City departments and work teams and
subsequently vetted and ranked according to
organizational and community priorities. In
addition to the annual allocation to the FC
Bikes program, the Remington Greenway
project was also funded through the
2013/2014 BFO process ($450,000), and
construction is planned to begin in 2014.
Kaiser Permanente Grant
The City of Fort Collins was recently awarded
a $94,100 Walk and Wheel grant from Kaiser
Permanente which will be used over the next
two years (2014–2015) for several FC Bikes
programs including the bike share business
plan, an open streets event, education
programs, an update to the bike map based
on level of comfort, and a new Eco-Totem
bike counter.
Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
Funds
Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
expenditures for roads and bridges and
bicycle and pedestrian services are funded
with Transportation Services Fund revenues.
The primary sources of revenue are the State
Highway User Tax Fund, County Road and
Bridge Fund, motor vehicle registration fees,
and transfers from the General Fund. Fort
Collins has successfully added bike facilities
on many city streets as a part of regularly
scheduled pavement overlay projects.
Multimodal Roadway Improvement
Projects
Bicycle facilities in Fort Collins have also
been added as a part of larger multimodal
roadway improvement projects; the funding
sources vary (federal, state, local, and other
grants) and the bicycle facilities often
represent a small portion of the overall
project costs.
Street Oversizing (SOS) Fees
When land development causes a need for
transportation improvements, the developer
is required to finance those improvements.
This financing, called Street Oversizing (SOS)
Fees, has funded many of the city’s existing
bike lanes.
Trails Funding
The City received about $50,000 in Lottery
revenue (Conservation Trust Fund) in 1984
and today receives about $1,200,000
annually. The Conservation Trust Fund has
funded the majority of the paved trail
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 51 Draft May 2014
Next Steps
The City will use the momentum and
progress made from previous bicycling-
related efforts, the data and information
contained in this report, community input,
and the project goals to develop a blueprint
for the future of bicycling in Fort Collins. The
City has the following vision:
The Bicycle Master Plan envisions Fort
Collins as a world-class city for bicycling.
It is a city where people of all ages and
abilities have access to a comfortable,
safe, and connected network of bicycle
facilities, and where bicycling is an
integral part of daily life and the local
cultural experience.
The 2014 Bicycle Master Plan will build upon
the City’s past and current efforts and create
a blueprint for an even safer and more
inviting bicycling environment in Fort Collins.
State of Bicycling in Fort Collins 52 Draft May 2014
Appendices
Appendix A: Level of Traffic Stress
Memorandum
Appendix B: Bicycle Safety Education Plan
Progress
Appendix C: 2008 Bicycle Plan Progress
(to be inserted at a later date)
1
MEMORANDUM
Date: August 12, 2014
To: FC Bikes
Organization: FC Bikes/FC Moves
From: Fort Collins Bike Plan Project Team
Project: 2014 Fort Collins Bicycle Master Plan
Re: Summary of Public Engagement To Date
The 2014 Fort Collins Bicycle Master Plan (Bike Plan) project includes high-collaboration public and
stakeholder engagement focused on the following groups:
1. Bike Plan Technical Advisory Committee (TAC): Representatives from the City and other
agencies.
2. Stakeholder Committee: Advocates, other City departments, and the business community.
3. Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)
4. City Boards, Commissions and Community Organizations
5. City Council
6. General Public: Consists of four categories of people that we are trying to reach.
a. Those already biking and engaged in bike culture
b. Those Interested but concerned
c. Senior and youth residents
d. Spanish-speaking residents
The project is engaging the aforementioned groups in a variety of ways throughout the course of the
project: electronic newsletters, surveys, community bike audits, TAC meetings, focused stakeholder
meetings, public open houses, focused smaller events, and participation in key citywide events. Since
the Bike Plan officially began, the City has reached out to the public in a variety of ways, which are
summarized in this memorandum. Results from the City’s online survey (1,004 respondents) and
community bike audits are summarized in separate documents. The City has also held a Stakeholder
Visioning Workshop, summarized in a separate memo, three TAC meetings (January 29, April 25, and
June 23), presented about the Plan to the T-Board, the BAC, the Planning and Zoning Board, Parks and
ATTACHMENT 2
2
Recreation Board, Air Quality Advisory Board, Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business
Association, and attended citywide events with information about the Plan.
ONLINE INTERACTIVE MAP
The project team developed a WikiMap, an online interactive map that was available for input from
January 29 through March 21. Users were asked to identify routes they already ride, ones they would
like to ride, barriers to bicycling, locations where bike parking is needed, and potential bike share station
locations. The map was available as a link from the fcgov.com/bike plan website, and participation in the
exercise was advertised and encouraged via the Momentum newsletter, social media blasts, several
CSU-affiliated online articles, and at the public open house.
Users
There were 401 registered users, 158 of which contributed at least one point, line, or comment.
Registered users are not representative of the population of Fort Collins: primarily male (64 percent);
older (41 percent over the age of 50); and not typical college ages (only 7.2 percent between the ages of
18 and 25). Nearly all of the users—90 percent—are residents of Fort Collins zip codes.
As one of the goals of the project is to reach a wide range of cyclists and potential cyclists, users were
asked to self-identify by type of cyclist. To date, registered users do not represent a typical population
distribution of cyclist types.
Self-Identified Cyclist Type
Percent of
Registered
WikiMap Users
Typical
Population
Percentage*
Strong and fearless
I am willing to ride in mixed traffic with
automobiles on almost any type of street
23.5% 4%
Enthused and confident
I am willing to ride in traffic, but I prefer
dedicated bicycle lanes/routes
60% 9%
Interested in bicycling, but concerned
I would like to bicycle more, but I prefer
not to ride in traffic
16% 56%
I do not ride a bicycle and am unlikely
ever to do so
0.5% 31%
*Dill, J., & McNeil, N. Four Types of Cyclists? Testing a Typology to Better Understand Bicycling Behavior
and Potential.
3
WikiMap Input
x Over 1,100 total points, lines, and comments have been added to the map.
x The most utilized category is “Route I Ride” which, in combination with input from the “Route
I’d Like to Ride” category, will help determine where to focus priority projects. On an initial scan,
it is clear that many residents are riding on existing trails, but many are also using heavy traffic
arterials such as Harmony Road and Elizabeth
x About 350 “Barriers to Biking” have been added to the map. Users are asked what physical or
traffic condition creates the barrier. Nearly half of the barriers were identified as crossings that
feel unsafe or gaps in the bicycle network.
x Bike parking has been the category with the least input so far. 21 points have been added, most
in Old Town and along the MAX line.
Below are highlights of key information received through the WikiMap input.
Where People Bike
x Along Trails
o Spring Creek Trail
o Mason Trail
o Poudre Trail
x On-Street
o Harmony Rd.
o Overland Tr.
o W. Elizabeth Rd.
Barriers to Biking
x Intersections on large arterials
o W. Horsetooth Rd. at S. College Ave.
o S. Shields St. at W. Prospect Rd.
o W. Horsetooth Rd. at S. Timberline Rd.
x Stretches of Arterial roads
o N. Taft Hill Rd.
o W. Vine Dr.
o S. Shields St.
o W. Horsetooth Rd.
o S. College Ave.
4
Where People Would Like to Bike
x Power Trail
x North/South Arterials
o College Ave.
o Riverside Ave.
o S. Lemay Ave.
x East/West Arterials
o Laporte Ave.
o W. Drake Rd.
Parking and Bike Share
x Bicycle Parking
o Throughout Downtown
o Along MAX stations providing connectivity
x Bike Share Stations
o Throughout Downtown
o CSU Campus
o MAX stations
PUBLIC OPEN HOUSES
Public Open House #1
The first public open house was held on March 12 at the Lincoln Center from 4-7 pm. Attendees
registered at the door, and 236 were recorded. Attendees represented a wide range of ages and a
relative balance of genders.
The project team presented information in a number of areas:
x Draft vision and goals for the Bike Plan
x Public involvement to date
x Existing/previous planning efforts: concurrent projects and the 2013 Trails Master Plan
x Stress level assessment
x Non-infrastructure policies and programs in education, encouragement and enforcement
x Bike share system analysis and preliminary station locations
x Possible infrastructure treatments: bike lane upgrades, intersection treatments, neighborhood
greenways and protected bike lanes
5
March 12 Open House March 12 Open House
Attendees gave feedback about a number of items as well:
x Voted on the draft goals and “wrote-in” possible additional goals
x Commented on existing education, enforcement and encouragement programs and suggested
new ideas for the City to undertake
x Agreed/disagreed with the current draft stress assessment of streets in Fort Collins
x Agreed/disagreed with proposed bike share locations and suggested alternatives
x Provided input on Colorado State University campus bike infrastructure and issues
x Identified streets and intersections where the infrastructure treatments presented would help
fix current issues for comfort and safety
x Voted on priorities among the areas that the Plan will address: infrastructure improvements
(improved bike lanes, intersection improvements, protected bike lanes and neighborhood
greenways), education programs, enforcement programs, and encouragement programs
March 12 Open House March 12 Open House
6
Public Open House #1 Feedback
Feedback from the open house is currently being analyzed, but the following elements have been
summarized.
Three Words Question
Attendees were asked the following questions, and the word clouds illustrate the responses and the
relative number of each.
What three words best describe bicycling in Fort Collins today?
What three words would you like to use to describe bicycling in Fort Collins in the future?
7
Education, Enforcement, and Encouragement
Attendees were asked to tell us which existing education, enforcement and encouragement programs
are working well, and which ones they would suggest adding. A total of 82 comments were received,
including:
x Keep promoting bicycling within schools
x Keep teaching Traffic Skills 101 courses and other bicycle training
x Enforce the “no bikes on the sidewalk” law in the dismount zone, and explore sidewalk
restrictions in other areas
x Encourage helmet and light use
x Add a bicycle education component to driver’s education
x Ticket bicyclists riding against traffic
x Enforce laws about both motorists and bicyclist behavior
x Roll out more education campaigns
Priorities
The final station at the open house asked people the following question:
Tell Us Your Priorities!
We want the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan to reflect what you think can make Fort Collins a world-class
bicycling city. Think about everything you’ve read throughout the room and vote for what kinds of
infrastructure and programs you believe will make the biggest impact.
The ranked priorities are:
1. Protected Bike Lanes (222)
2. Improving Existing Bike Lanes (197)
3. Improving Intersections (160)
4. Education Programs (119)
5. Enforcement Programs (70)
6. Encouragement Programs (49)
7. Neighborhood Greenways (47)
Open house feedback will inform Plan recommendations for infrastructure, policies, and programs.
8
Public Open House #2
The second public open house was held on July 30 at the Lincoln Center from 4-7 pm. Attendees
registered at the door, and 114 were recorded. The purpose of this open house was to present and get
input on draft Plan recommendations.
The project team presented information in a number of areas:
x Project goals and performance measures
x Public involvement to date
x Existing/previous planning efforts: concurrent projects and the 2013 Trails Master Plan
x Updated stress level assessment
x Non-infrastructure policies and programs in education, encouragement and enforcement,
including existing and proposed
x Bike share system analysis, preliminary station locations, and summary of business plan
x Information about new types of infrastructure treatments
x Proposed bicycle network
o 2020 Low Stress Network
o Full Build Vision including
x Proposed implementation strategies including costs per mile of infrastructure recommendations
and a process for developing a phasing plan
July 30 Open House: Bike Share Station July 30 Open House: CSU Station
At the registration table, attendees were given a survey to complete during the open house. Each
question corresponded to one of the presentation boards. Attendees were encouraged to submit the
completed surveys before they left the open house; 92 did so. Basic information was also collected, and
the table below shows the distribution of bicyclist types that the open house reached. The sections that
follow summarize key responses to the survey questions.
9
Public Open House #2 Feedback
Which of the following best describes your bicycling habits and comfort level?
Self-Identified Cyclist Type
Percent of
Open House
Attendees
Strong and fearless
I am willing to ride in mixed traffic with automobiles on almost any type of street
32%
Enthused and confident
I am willing to ride in traffic, but I prefer dedicated bicycle lanes/routes
63%
Interested in bicycling, but concerned
I would like to bicycle more, but I prefer not to ride in traffic
5%
I do not ride a bicycle and am unlikely ever to do so
0%
For what purposes do you anticipate using a self-checkout Fort Collins bike share system?
1. I don’t plan to use bike share: 29%
2. Connecting to Transit/MAX: 21%
3. Visitors: 19%
4. Running mid-day errands: 14%
5. Other: 17%
What is the most important intersection to improve for bicycling at the edge of CSU’s campus?
1. Elizabeth & Shields: 43%
2. Elizabeth & College: 19%
3. Lake & Center: 16%
4. Meldrum & Laurel: 15%
5. Others: 7%
Given the proposed improvements to Pitkin, which east-west route would you bicycle on through/along
campus?
1. Pitkin: 66%
2. Lake: 25%
3. Prospect: 8%
10
July 30 Open House: Network Feedback July 30 Open House: Network Feedback
Which TWO north-south routes in the 2020 network are most critical and should be created first?
1. Shields: 31%
2. Power Trail: 16%
Which TWO east-west routes in the 2020 network are most critical and should be created first?
1. Pitkin: 29%
2. Swallow: 27%
Which TWO north-south streets in the Protected Bike Lanes Vision should be constructed first?
1. Shields: 44%
2. Lemay: 31%
Which TWO east-west streets in the Protected Bike Lanes Vision should be constructed first?
1. Drake: 38%
2. Harmony: 24%
What destinations in Fort Collins are most important to include in a system of signs to help direct
bicyclists around town?
1. Old Town
2. CSU
3. Others (Downtown, Libraries, Parks, MAX)
11
July 30 Open House: Safe Routes Station July 30 Open House: Programs Feedback
The "Programs Spotlight” board identifies several existing and proposed youth-focused bicycle programs.
Which proposed programs would be most successful in increasing bicycling among youth and improving
safety?
1. SRTS Education and Encouragement: 31%
2. Modified Drivers Education: 27%
3. Neighborhood Greenway Reduced Speed Limit: 15%
4. Safe Driving Pledge Program: 13%
5. Others: 14%
Full implementation of the recommended bike network and programs will require choices between the
strategies listed below. We want your input: which TWO strategies do you feel are most appropriate for
the next 5-10 years?
1. Create a citywide low-stress bike network: Focus on non-arterial bike routes, neighborhood
greenways and critical crossing improvements
2. Encourage safer conditions for biking: By enforcing traffic laws
Open house attendees were generally supportive and enthusiastic about the proposals, particularly the
CSU recommendations, the low-stress network and the full build vision.
12
LESHER MIDDLE SCHOOL TOUR DE FIT
FC Bikes and the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program had a booth at the Lesher Middle School Tour de
Fit on May 9, 2014, as part of National Bike/Walk to School Week. The goal of the event was to promote
and celebrate fitness activities, including bicycling to school.
The SRTS program utilized their quiz wheel to help educate students on safe riding rules. FC Bikes
presented maps showing a one-mile radius around the school and asked children to mark their route for
bicycling to school. The map exercise was successful with over 50 children marking their route to school.
The most popular routes marked included the arterials around the school: Stover Street and Prospect
Road. The students identified the Prospect Road crossing of College Avenue and the intersection of
Stuart Street and Stover Street as challenging. Additionally, they discussed the Prospect Road and Stover
Street intersection as being difficult to navigate. Though the feedback was specific to Lesher, the
conclusions drawn can be applied to other school locations in the City: arterial modifications are needed
to reduce sidewalk bicycle riding; special focus should be given to trail access to schools; and
staggered/offset intersections need to be retrofitted to safely accommodate bicyclists.
BIKE TO WORK DAY
Fort Collins’ 2014 Bike to Work Day was on Wednesday, June 25. FC
Bikes had a booth at one of the 43 stations—the Oak Street Plaza
station. In addition to receiving general Bicycle Master Plan
updates, visitors to the booth were asked two key questions to help
inform the Plan recommendations.
The first question was about what type of bicycle facility type they
prefer. Two example streets were presented: Horsetooth Road as a
major arterial and Swallow Road as a collector street. The results
are listed below.
x Arterials: prefer protected bike lanes over buffered
bike lanes
x Neighborhood streets: prefer buffered bike lanes over
traditional bike lanes
Some people chose the buffered bicycle facility for Horsetooth Road due to cost; they expressed
interested in a facility that could be implemented quickly. Some chose the buffered facility for
Horsetooth Road due to perceived safety issues with separated facilities—specifically, intersection fears.
For Swallow Road, some people chose the standard bike lane over the buffered bike lane because they
felt that the bike lane was adequate.
13
The second question was open-ended to get at the priorities of bicyclists in Fort Collins. We asked: What
is the one thing we can do to improve bicycling in Fort Collins? A total of 81 responses were received;
their answers are summarized below.
1. Intersection improvements (19 votes)
2. Education/enforcement (11 votes, 3 specific to CSU)
3. Specific route improvements (10 votes)
4. MAX bicycle capacity (10 votes)
5. General bicycle infrastructure improvements (9 votes)
6. More bicycle routes needed (7 votes)
7. Trail improvements (6 votes)
Bike to Work Day 2014
14
OPEN STREETS
The City hosted its first Open Streets event on July 20, 2014. Parts of Laurel and Whedbee Streets were
closed to motorized traffic for most of the day, and the streets were filled with activities and
information booths. FC Bikes had a booth at the event, which was adjacent to the Bike Fort Collins
protected bike lane demonstration. The bike lane was approximately one block long and included
planter boxes as the primary physical separation. Bike Fort Collins volunteers performed a five-question
exit survey for those who rode in the lane, the results of which are summarized below.
The FC Bikes booth presented the following information at Open Streets:
x A general overview of the Bicycle Master Plan
x General information about neighborhood greenways and protected bike lanes
x A draft early action 2020 low stress bicycle network plan
x A draft protected bike lane vision plan
Booth visitors were asked to choose one street in Fort Collins where they would like to see a protected
bike lane, so that the City can begin to understand priorities and develop an implementation plan. The
top ranked streets as a result of this exercise are shown below.
1. Lemay Avenue (28 votes)
2. Shields Street (13 votes)
3. Horsetooth Road (12 votes)
4. Riverside Avenue (10 votes)
5. Mason Street (9 votes)
6. College Avenue (8 votes)
7. Drake Road (7 votes)
Open Streets Bicycle Plan Feedback Open Streets Protected Bike Lake Demonstration
15
VIDA SANA COALITION MEETING
On July 28, 2014, the Project Team presented draft plan recommendations to the Vida Sana Coalition.
The coalition, whose name translates to “uniting for the health equity of Latinos,” addresses health
disparities among Hispanic/Latinos and low-income community members in North Fort Collins.
Attendees were asked to vote on potential bike plan implementation strategies. Responses were:
- Promote bicycling as a viable transportation option: 6
- Create a citywide low-stress bike network: 5
- Encourage safer conditions for biking: 5
- Expand coverage of bike network: 5
- Focus on high visibility signature projects: 1
- Raise the visibility of bicycling: 3
- Improve existing bikeways: 1
- Build as much of the recommended bike network as quickly as possible: 1
Attendees also had general comments about the bike plan recommendations:
- Educate both ways *bicyclists and motorist*
- Expand crowded trails
- Inform community of laws/practices both for bikes and motorists
PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY
Each public outreach event held or tool used as part of the 2014 Plan has helped contribute to the draft
recommendations. While each of these has reached a somewhat different audience, together they have
reached a wide variety of the population of Fort Collins. Several common themes were heard
throughout the outreach process:
x Bicycling in Fort Collins in the future should be safe, connected, easy, and fun
x Enhanced infrastructure such as protected bike lanes and improved intersections should be a
priority
x The overall Plan strategy of creating a citywide low-stress bicycle network by initially taking
advantage of existing low stress streets was embraced
x The streets that should be improved first include: Shields, Swallow, Pitkin and Power Trail
(2020 Low-Stress Network) and Shields, Drake, Lemay and Harmony (Protected Bike Lanes)
x Education and enforcement, particularly with regards to educating about and enforcing traffic
laws, and educating youth, should be a priority
x Connecting to the trail network should be a high priority; and completing the trail network
should be a similarly high priority
Improving Bike Lanes
Fort Collins already has many miles of bike lanes throughout the
FLW\1HDUO\RIDUWHULDOURDGVKDYHELNHODQHVUDQJLQJIURPÀYH
to eight feet wide. Next steps include making these lanes wider,
safer and better connected to the low-stress network.
Buffered Bike Lane
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stress of riding on busier or higher speed roadways.
Plan recommendation:
Narrow automobile travel lanes to the minimum
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possible throughout Fort Collins
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Shared Right Turn Lane
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Two-Stage Turn Queue Box
3URYLGHVZDLWLQJVSDFHWRELF\FOLVWVPDNLQJ
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$OHUWVGULYHUVWRWKURXJKELF\FOHPRYHPHQW
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dropped to add a right turn lane
Bike Lane Connectivity
7KHUHDUHFULWLFDOJDSVLQWKHFXUUHQW)RUW&ROOLQVELNH
lane network.
Plan recommendations:
&RPSOHWHELNHODQHQHWZRUNRQDUWHULDOVDQGFROOHFWRUV
'RQRWGURSELNHODQHVDSSURDFKLQJLQWHUVHFWLRQVDQG
shorten merge areas for motorists where appropriate
Unsafe gutter pan Safe gutter pan
Bike Lane Width
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SDQMRLQWFDQEHXQFRPIRUWDEOHRUXQVDIH
Plan recommendation options:
:LGHQELNHODQHVDGMDFHQWWRJXWWHUSDQV
,QVWDOOZLGHQJXWWHUSDQVWKDWH[WHQGDFURVVWKH
entire bike lane width
Removing the gutter
ATTACHMENT 3
Intersection Improvements
These treatments are proposed to help
improve crossings of arterial roadways and
create critical connections between low-
stress local and collector streets. Additional
engineering study may be required prior to
implementation.
Median Crossing and Advanced Yield Line
Enables bicyclists to cross the roadway in two steps at
unsignalized intersections
Two-Way Sidepath Crossing
Proveides a connection for crossing an arterial street at an
offset local street intersection (Photo: NACTO)
Jughandle Left Turn Pocket
Provides a place for bicyclists to safely wait to make a
left turn across an arterial intersection
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Neighborhood Greenways
These low speed and volume streets prioritize bicyclist and pedestrian travel and provide
safe crossings of large arterial roads. A number of roadway elements combine along the
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• Attracts ages 8 to 80
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riders of all ages and abilities.
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• 89% fewer bicyclist
injuries compared to streets
without bike facilities
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riding 57 to 84%
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1
MEMORANDUM
Date: August 13, 2014
To: FC Bikes
Organization: FC Bikes/FC Moves
From: Fort Collins Bike Plan Project Team
Project: 2014 Fort Collins Bicycle Master Plan
Re: Draft Network, Policy, and Program
Recommendations
Introduction
The 2014 Bicycle Master Plan envisions Fort Collins as a world-class city for bicycling, where people of all
ages and abilities have access to a comfortable, safe and connected network of bicycle facilities, and
where bicycling is an integral part of daily life and the local cultural experience.
The Plan is underway and is scheduled to be considered for adoption by City Council in December 2014.
This memorandum summarizes the development of the draft bicycle network, infrastructure, policy and
program recommendations, and draft implementation strategies. The recommendations have been
informed by technical analysis, an understanding of national and international best practices, and
community input. Over the next three months, the City will refine recommendations and publish a
complete Plan, which will be a blueprint for the next era of bicycling in Fort Collins.
Plan Goals and Objectives
The goals and objectives of the Plan were developed by the City, key stakeholders, and the public, within
the context of the Triple Bottom Line analysis. The goals set the stage for Plan recommendations,
including how recommendations are phased and prioritized.
ATTACHMENT 4
2
Table 1: 2014 Bicycle Master Plan Goals and Objectives
Plan Theme Goal Objectives
Connectivity Complete a connected
network of low-stress
bicycle facilities.
Build and maintain bicycle facilities that form a continuous low-
stress network connecting to the regional bicycle network with
seamless connections to public transit, bike share, schools, key
destinations and neighborhoods.
Provide high-quality bicycle parking at key destinations across the
city.
Safety Improve safety for all
modes of transportation.
Reduce the rate of bicycle crashes including those resulting in
injuries.
Eliminate bicycle-related fatalities.
Improve safety by implementing appropriate, well-designed
bicycle facilities, education and enforcement programs.
Ridership Increase the amount of
bicycling for all trip
purposes.
Increase the percentage of trips taken by bicycle for commuting,
recreation, and other purposes.
Increase ridership by creating welcoming environment for people
of all bicycling levels.
Community Foster a strong bicycle
community identity while
advancing a culture of
respect and responsibility
for all transportation
system users.
Continue bicycle programming that showcases Fort Collins’ local
culture and encourages bicycling.
Implement programs and initiatives that promote understanding
and empathy among transportation users, and educate all users
about rules of the road.
Support community initiatives that help make bicycling a viable
part of daily life.
Equity Provide equal access to
bicycling for all members of
the community.
Build high-quality and leading-edge bicycle facilities in all parts of
the city.
Implement inclusive bicycle-related programs and outreach.
Comfort Increase the level of
comfort experienced by
people when bicycling.
Increase the amount of low-stress bicycle facilities in Fort Collins
and focus bicycle-related programming on educating and
encouraging riders in order to build confidence.
Health Increase access to bicycling
as essential to a physically
active and environmentally
healthy community.
Promote recreational and utilitarian bicycling as part of a
connected active transportation system.
Connect bicycle facilities to parks, neighborhoods, schools, and
other key points.
Configure land uses in a way that promotes bicycling.
3
Figure 1: Fort Collins Today and in the Future: Select Draft Measures
Note: This graphic was inspired by the League of American Bicyclists “Building Blocks of a Bicycle-Friendly
Community” graphic.
4
Existing Facilities
The existing bicycle network in Fort Collins consists of on-street facilities (buffered bike lanes, standard
bike lanes, shared lane markings and signed routes), as well as off-street trails, resulting in an
approximate 280-mile bicycle network. Figure 2 illustrates the types of facilities by street type.
Figure 2: Existing Bicycle Facilities by Road Type
Note: Facilities measured include all of those within the Growth Management Area, and are measured by
centerline-miles.
While the city’s roadway network is well covered by bicycle facilities, the existing bicycle network does
not serve all ages and abilities. Despite the fact that a large number of Fort Collins’ arterial and collector
streets have bicycle lanes on them, almost all were determined to be high-stress1 (LTS 3, 4, or 5) routes
due to the higher posted speeds (30 to 45 mph typical), multiple travel lanes, and high traffic volumes.
Arterial crossings without signals or medians also score as high stress. The existing low-stress network
(LTS 1 or 2) in Fort Collins primarily consists of paved trails and low-volume local streets which have
signal-controlled crossings of arterial streets.
1 Further explanation of the Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) Analysis can be found in the State of Bicycling in Fort
Collins Report.
5
For a network to be attractive to the Interested but
Concerned population, which could be nearly 60 percent of
Fort Collins, it must provide seamless low-stress routes not
only along street segments, but also at each street crossing.
The existing local street grid—including cul-de-sac style
development outside of downtown and offset
intersections—is not conducive to a high level of
connectivity in general, and the low-stress bicycle network is
no exception. The existing low-stress network of bicycle
facilities is mostly disconnected (see Figure 3).
Existing Engineering Approach
The City’s current engineering approach and standards
(further discussed in the State of Bicycling Report) along with
the City’s current policies, have helped achieve the
foundation of bicycle infrastructure and supporting facilities
that exist today. For example, the City’s current standards
require a Complete Streets approach to transportation planning and design, bicycle parking, and
Multimodal Level of Service evaluation. Additionally, the City has implemented road and lane diets,
innovative bicycle treatments included a bike box, buffered bike lanes, green lanes and bicycle detection
at signals. The Bicycle Master Plan will recommend advancements in all of these areas to further
support bicycling among a wide spectrum of the population, recognizing that significant efforts exist
today to make bicycling safer for everyone.
Existing Bicycle Riders
The success of the City’s bicycle program to date, including its designation as a Platinum-level bicycle-
friendly community, is due to its exemplary programs, which are considered to be national best
practices, and existing bikeway network. However, the existing bicycle infrastructure serves a large
portion of those already comfortable with bicycling on any kind of street, but does not serve those
Interested but Concerned riders and non-riders concerned about their safety bicycling throughout the
city, especially on streets. A review of existing bicycling demographics finds:
1) 6.4 percent bicycle commute rate in 20122
2) More males than females (~66% male)
3) Largely experienced and confident riders
Due to the preferences of the Interested but Concerned bicyclists for connected low-stress routes, it is
unlikely that the bicycle mode share (ridership) in Fort Collins will measurably grow with the current
bicycle network of higher stress facilities and disconnected low-stress facilities.
2 American Community Survey 2010-2012 estimate.
Figure 3 Stress Island Snapshot
6
Bicycle Plan Philosophy
The 2014 Bicycle Master Plan is considering the needs, skills and desires of a range of bicyclists, with an
emphasis on people who fall into the Interested but Concerned category: those who are concerned
about safety and have a low tolerance for stressful street conditions. The draft Plan recommendations
propose increased investment in high-quality, low-stress bicycle facilities and a strategic investment in
bicycle programming, focusing on a select number of programs that have the highest impact in achieving
the City’s vision.
This memorandum includes network, policy and program recommendations, along with preliminary
implementation strategies. The following sections are included:
x Network: Discusses steps and approach to develop network route choices and facility
recommendations
x Policy: Discusses policy changes that can help make Fort Collins an even more bicycle-friendly
community
x Programs: Discusses strategies for targeted involvement by FC Bikes and the SRTS program to
get more people riding more often and more safely
x Implementation: Discusses the phasing plan approach, cost estimates by facility type, and
preliminary priority corridors
7
Network Approach and Recommendations
An important goal of the Plan is to provide a network of facilities that is not only connected, but also
comfortable for a range of rider types. To this end, a level of traffic stress (LTS) assessment was
performed for all streets in the city. All city streets were given an LTS rating on a scale of 1 (low) to 5
(high). The ultimate goal of the infrastructure recommendations in the Plan is to create a comprehensive
network that is comfortable for an Interested but Concerned rider, also known as a low-stress network.
For the purpose of this assessment, low-stress streets and bicycle facilities (including off-road trails) are
those rated LTS 1 or 2. All other stress levels are considered higher stress with limited appeal to the
Interested but Concerned rider. The highest stress streets (LTS 5) are of limited appeal to all riders
except perhaps the Strong and Fearless, who make up a small percentage of the population and who are
willing to ride in mixed traffic on almost any type of street.
2020 Low-Stress Network
To achieve the goal of creating a comfortable, safe and connected network for people of all ages and
abilities, a low-stress network is proposed for implementation by 2020. The proposed 2020 Low-Stress
Network capitalizes on existing local and collector streets and existing and funded paved trails to create
an alternative 1-mile grid to the existing arterial grid in a cost efficient and timely manner. The plan
proposes a number of solutions to overcome some of the street discontinuities and difficult arterial
crossings with the goal of creating a network that is conducive to inter-neighborhood travel.
It is expected that the local and collector street improvements proposed, completion of key trail gaps, as
well as spot improvements and wayfinding, included in the 2020 Network could be completed within a
five-year timeframe. Network and facility maps are provided in Figures 14 and 15. The Low-Stress
Network is established with the following design imperatives:
x To be easily recognizable to the user and to the general public
x To allow slow speed riding for families in a comfortable environment
x To be time efficient as compared to an arterial or higher stress route
x To allow side-by-side riding to promote community building and enjoyment
x To promote yielding and courtesy from motorists towards bicyclists to result in a safe
environment for bicyclists
x To be continuous between neighborhoods and key destinations such as schools, parks, and
places of major employment and retail
Local and Collector Street Segments
Many of the identified low-stress routes already have bike lanes (typically on collector streets) and are
comfortable riding environments owing to low speeds and traffic volumes. In the 2020 Network, most
local and collector streets do not have recommendations to upgrade the existing facility. Some, such as
Swallow Road and East Pitkin Street, which have higher traffic volumes, serve multiple schools, or have
wide curb-to-curb measurements, should be upgraded to buffered bike lanes.
The recommended facilities on local and collector streets include the following:
8
x Signed Routes: These routes use wayfinding signage on low-volume, low-speed shared streets to
guide bicyclists.
x Priority Shared Lanes: These lane markings add dashed white lines to the edge of shared lane
markings (sharrows), with an underlay of green paint. The shared lane markings are placed at
frequent intervals. The increased conspicuity and frequency of the markings reinforce a bicycle
priority message resulting improved behaviors by bicyclists and motorists.
x Bike Lanes: Most existing bike lanes on streets in the 2020 Network meet current design
guidelines. In locations where they are substandard width, recommendations for restriping are
made. Bike lanes should be a minimum of 6 feet wide on collector streets to allow side-by-side
riding.
x Buffered Bike Lanes: Bike lanes with a hatched buffer area on the side adjacent to automobile
travel lanes provide increased comfort for bicyclists. Buffered lanes have recently been installed
on a portion of South Shields Street, dropping the LTS score from 4 to 3. Buffered bike lanes are
recommended on all streets where space is available as a default facility when roadways with
sufficient width are resurfaced or re-striped. Buffered bike lanes should be 6 feet wide with a 3
foot cross-hatched buffer; however, the width may vary depending on space availability.
9
Local and Collector Street Intersections
The 2020 Network relies heavily on spot improvements to overcome the street discontinuities inherent
in the existing local and collector street system. Spot improvements are essential where low-stress
routes cross high-traffic, high-speed arterial streets to serve the Interested but Concerned rider.
Challenges with many arterial intersections include:
x Signalized crossings which do not adequately
detect bicyclists, or which require bicyclists to
wait long periods of time to cross.
x Unsignalized crossings which require a bicyclist to
wait for a gap in automobile traffic to cross.
x Offset intersections which require a bicyclist to
ride on a short stretch of the high-stress arterial.
x Network gaps on dead-end streets which will
require a new street or trail connections.
One example of a low-stress route in need of a spot
improvement in the 2020 Network is Stover Street. This
street runs north-south and fills in the one-mile network
created by the Mason Trail and Power Trail, and it
connects a number of middle and elementary schools.
Today, the majority of Stover is LTS 2. However, the
crossing at Prospect Road is a high-stress intersection
because of its offset—meaning that the street is not
continuous across Prospect. Only one of the sides of the
intersection—the eastern one—is signalized, which
makes it difficult for southbound bicycle traffic to use. The spot improvement recommended to address
the offset intersection includes the following elements:
x A two-way sidepath on the south
side of Prospect Road
x Widening of the existing
sidewalk
x Wayfinding signage directing
bicyclists how to use the facility
This recommendation is typical of all
offset intersections in Fort Collins. An
example of this type of spot
improvement is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 4: Low-stress Stover Street crosses high-stress
Prospect Road at an offset intersection.
Figure 5: A two-way sidepath helps bicyclists navigate an offset intersection
and take advantage of existing traffic control at one approach of the low-
stress street.
Figure 6: A two-way sidepath helps bicyclists navigate an offset intersection
and take advantage of existing traffic control at one approach of the low-
stress street.
10
Other spot location issues are addressed through a range of treatments:
x Median Crossing: Enables bicyclists to cross high-traffic, wide streets in two stages. These may
be supplemented with other engineering measures.
x Traffic Signal: Requires drivers to stop, increasing safe crossing opportunities. Signals can be
actuated half signals such as the one that currently exists at Taft Hill Road and Clearview
Avenue. They may also include passive detection of bicyclists which is increasingly the standard
throughout Fort Collins or an easily accessible push-button with confirmation light.
x Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon: Activated device emits a high-intensity light to notify
motorists of bicyclist or pedestrian intent to cross, increasing yielding rates.
x Jughandle Left Turn Pocket: Provides a safe place for bicyclists to wait to make a left turn across
an arterial street outside the stream of through moving bicyclists or motorists.
Figure 7: Median Crossing
Figure 8: Traffic Signal
Figure 9: Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon
Figure 10: Jughandle Left Turn Pocket
11
Arterial Street Segments
Where comparable parallel low-stress routes
are not available on local and collector streets,
arterials are included in the 2020 Network.
These tend to occur in outer areas of Fort
Collins and in other locations where the local
and collector street network is too
discontinuous. To become low-stress streets,
these arterials will need a heavier level of
investment in infrastructure such as protected
bike lanes or sidepaths.
One example of this situation is Riverside
Avenue in the eastern part of the city. Riverside
Avenue provides an important direct connection
into downtown Fort Collins, so bicycle improvements along the corridor and at key intersections are
necessary to create a low-stress network that reaches all parts of Fort Collins and ensure network
equity.
Protected Bike Lanes
This facility provides a high level of comfort for Interested but Concerned bicyclists. Protected bike lanes
offer full physical separation for automobiles, which removes the concern of traffic encroaching on
bicyclists between intersections. Riders only need to be aware of interacting with automobile traffic at
driveways and intersections reducing their perceived stress level. The implementation of protected bike
lane recommendations will vary from street to street and may
be at street level or sidewalk level.
For instance, there are portions of protected bike lanes at
sidewalk level today along Shields Street. This facility could be
further extended along Shields Street in the future to provide
a continuous protected bike lane.
In areas where adjacent land use prevents an off-street
facility, the existing on-street bike lanes can be retrofitted to
become protected bike lanes. Widening the bike lanes through
either a road or lane diet will provide space for a buffer in
which flexible delineators or other physical barriers may be
placed.
Intersection design that accompanies protected bike lanes will
be addressed on a case-by-case basis in the design process for
these facilities. Long right-turn lanes on high-speed, high-
Figure 12: This two-way protected bike lane
in DC is separated from automobile traffic by
soft hit posts with reflective tape.
Figure 11: High-stress Riverside Ave offers an important
connection in east Fort Collins.
12
traffic arterials with existing bike lanes currently create the potential for conflicts between bicyclists and
automobiles. These designs cause high stress for bicyclists due to the long length of exposure to higher
speed merging traffic. For protected bike lanes on these streets, there are a number of possibilities for a
reconfigured right turn lane design: Reconfigurations of right-turn lanes will have to consider potential
impacts on intersection capacity and motorist safety in balance with bicyclist safety and comfort needs.
Each intersection will require additional engineering study to determine the proper design treatment.
Design options include:
x Remove right turn lane: Protection for the bike lane continues to the stop line reducing
exposure to merging traffic. A tight turning radius will cause motorists to turn across bicyclists at
a slower speed.
x Reduced merge area for right turn lane: Traffic entering this lane would have a limited zone
where it may cross the protected bike lane. This would be demarcated with a conspicuous
pavement treatment and a break in the vertical protection element.
x Phase separation with bicycle signal: Protection for the bike lane continues to the stop line.
Bicycle traffic is time-separated from automobile traffic by a separate signal phase or a leading
bicycle interval which enables the bicyclist to begin to advance straight through or clear the
intersection before any potential right-turning automobiles. Motorists would be held with right
turn red arrow during this phase.
Additionally, all left turns from protected bike lanes will be accommodated by a two-stage queue box or
jughandle left turn pocket on the crossing street.
Wayfinding
Many of the routes included in the 2020 Network are not
currently known or recognizable to Fort Collins residents. In
order to attract riders, this network must be publicized through
a new bike map, and more directly identified through a
wayfinding and branding system. Wayfinding consists of signs
that direct bicyclists along routes, both with turning
movements and reassurances that they are continuing along a
designated bicycle route. As non-riders and trail-only riders see
wayfinding signage throughout the city, they will recognize that
signed routes are those where they can be assured of a low-
stress trip. Wayfinding is also helpful to visitors and could help
orient newcomers such as CSU students.
A wayfinding system should indicate distance and destinations
and in certain cases, cardinal direction when a destination is not
easily recognizable. Destinations for many wayfinding systems
consist of neighborhoods and well-known locations. Fort Collins
does not have strongly defined neighborhoods outside of Old
Figure 13: Wayfinding sign assemblies
can indicate an ultimate destination on
the large sign, as well as intermediate
destinations and distances on attached
fingerboards.
13
Town, so alternate destinations are more likely to benefit bicyclists.
Attendees at the July 30 Bicycle Plan Open House identified the following destinations as top choices:
x Old Town/Downtown
x Colorado State University
x Libraries
x Parks
x MAX line
These destinations, with the potential addition of longer distance destinations such as Loveland and
Windsor, as well as local and regional trails, will be key to a successful wayfinding system. Additionally,
as the bike share program is implemented, signage directing riders to nearby docking stations should be
added.
Wayfinding should not be limited to on-street routes. The
current signage on trails relates to distances to major arterials
rather than destinations or connections to other major paved
trails. Trails wayfinding should tie into the same destinations
as the on-street network and indicate cross streets names at
access points. Access points can also be marked with
directional wayfinding that orients trail users and helps them
make a decision about which way to turn. The City should
ultimately develop a wayfinding master plan to ensure system
continuity, legibility, and branding. The Plan document will
further detail what elements could be included in a wayfinding
master plan.
Figure 14: Trail wayfinding should
indicate well-known destinations or
cardinal directions to orient users.
14
Figure 15: 2020 Draft Low-Stress Network map
15
Figure 16: Draft 2020 Low-Stress Facilities map
16
Full Build Network
The Full Build Network enhances and extends the 2020 Network by recommending:
x Protected bike lanes on arterials throughout Fort Collins with an emphasis on connecting higher
density residential and commercial areas, and major destinations. Protected bike lanes are not
recommended on arterial roadways where a nearby parallel paved trail or a comparable low-
stress route exists.3 For instance, this occurs on Mulberry Street where Laurel Street and
Magnolia Street provide good parallel low-stress options.
x Intersection improvements for protected bike lane intersections.
x Additional buffered bike lanes on collector and lower-speed arterial streets.
x Conversion of some local streets to neighborhood greenways through the addition of traffic
calming, traffic diversion and intersection control reconfigurations.
x Signal timing and bicycle detection adjustments.
This set of recommendations results in a denser network of low-stress bicycle facilities throughout the
city with low-stress facilities available approximately every one-half mile. The densest network is in Old
Town where development and the street network itself are denser.
In more outlying areas, arterial streets are improved to create access to employment or retail locations,
or to provide additional connectivity options to low-stress streets in residential subdivisions which lie
just off the arterials.
3 One exception is College Avenue north of Prospect Road. Despite having low-stress parallel routes like Remington
and the Mason Trail, this street is lined with major destinations. A protected bike lane would provide direct access
to destinations and help create a bicycle friendly gateway to Old Town. South of Prospect, the Midtown in Motion
plan recommends a shared-use path along College Avenue.
17
Neighborhood Greenways
A number of local and collector streets in the city are recommended to be converted to neighborhood
greenways, a facility type that creates a traffic-calmed environment which prioritizes bicyclist and
pedestrian travel over motor vehicle travel. Engineering and urban design treatments are also provided
to enhance the quality of life of adjacent residents through improved street aesthetics, lower traffic
speeds, increased vegetation, and/or reduced stormwater runoff.
Figure 17: Portland Neighborhood Greenway with mini circle Figure 18: Minneapolis Neighborhood Greenway branding
18
Traffic speeds are lowered by construction of traffic calming elements such as those shown below.
Figure 19: Chicanes
Figure 20: Intersection Neckdowns
Figure 21: Mini Traffic Circles Figure 22: Raised Crosswalks
“Dutch-Style” Protected Bike Lane
Intersections
Also in the long term, it is recommended
that intersections that include protected
bike lanes are transitioned to a Dutch-style
intersection with a waiting area for
bicyclists protected by an island as shown
in Figure 22. These islands provide the
following benefits:
x Allow bicyclists to wait in front of
crosswalks providing a “built-in”
head start over motorists for both
pedestrians and bicyclists
x Create a tighter turning radius for automobiles slowing their turning speeds to improve yielding
x Allow bicyclists to wait outside of other through or right turning bicyclists minimizing their delay
Figure 23: This intersection in Rotterdam, Netherlands provides a
protected space for bicyclists to wait.
19
x Create space for bicyclists to turn right-on-red minimizing their delay
x Create clear pedestrian and bicyclists crossing areas
x Allow for the creation of bicycle crosswalks parallel to pedestrian crosswalks
x Require bicyclists to slow on the approach to the intersection reducing the likelihood of
surprising a turning motorist
Bicycle traffic may be separated from auto traffic by providing a separate signal phase for bicyclists. The
combination of these features reduces the ambiguity inherent in current bicycle facility design and
improves overall safety and comfort of bicyclists. Design treatments will vary based on available right-
of-way and unique intersection geometric and utility constraints and needs.
Signal Timing and Bicycle Detection Adjustments
Continued advancements in signal timing are recommended to reduce delays for bicyclists. Existing
signal timing practices with cycle lengths ranging from 85 seconds to 120 seconds (see Figure 23) require
significant delay for many of the Low-Stress Network crossings of arterials.
The following recommendations are recommended for further study or implementation as equipment
or technology allows:
x Reduction in the AM and PM peak periods of operation from 4 hours to 2 hours (a potential
option would be 7-9am, noon-1pm, 4-6pm)
x The use of half-cycle signal timing schemes for arterials that cannot currently provide
progression due to competing progression needs for a perpendicular arterial (example is an
east/west arterial such as Laurel Street or Prospect Road which have limited green time to cross
College Avenue)
x Continue deployment of improved passive detection technologies (e.g., video detection) to
ensure bicyclists are detected during low light, evening, or shadowed conditions
x Provision of confirmation lights for bicyclist detection with a corresponding awareness and
education program (one exists today at Stuart and Lemay)
x Evaluation of bicyclists’ minimum green crossing time to ensure individuals or groups (if counts
warrant) can cross arterials safely
Figure 24 - Timing Plans from 2010 Fort Collins Signal Timing Report
20
Figure x 25: Draft Full Build Vision map
21
Bicycle Policies
Infrastructure improvements are perhaps the most visible changes that will help make Fort Collins a
more bicycle-friendly community and achieve the goals of the Bicycle Plan, but they are not the only
strategies recommended. City policy underlies and creates the physical bicycling environment. Policies
setting speed limit, signal timing, street connectivity requirements, and street design greatly impact the
comfort and operating environment. The Plan will recommend changes to the Larimer County Urban
Area Street Standards (LCUASS), Fort Collins Land Use and Traffic Codes, and other City policies.
Preliminary policy concepts are presented below and will be further refined in the next phase of the Plan
development.
x Amend Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards to include facility types recommended in
the Plan. The Bicycle Master Plan will provide design guidance and recommended locations for
bicycle infrastructure improvements; however, implementation will be context sensitive and
based on feasibility of each project.
x Develop policy on maintenance and snow removal with the City’s Streets Department to
address potential challenges associated with new bicycle infrastructure types like protected bike
lanes.
x Amend the City’s Multi-modal Level of Service methodology and standards to reflect the Level
of Traffic Stress analysis utilized in this Plan.
x Seek opportunities, via a City-wide effort, to a establish modal hierarchy policy through the use
of context areas to balance standards for bicycle facilities with other modes.
x Consider removal of College Avenue bicycle restrictions in conjunction with improvements to
the bicycling environment as part of the implementation of the Midtown in Motion Plan (also
recommended by the League of American Bicyclists as a requirement to achieving a Diamond-
Level Bicycle-friendly Community).
x Pilot back-In angled parking (requires a code revision). Many streets in downtown Fort Collins
are wide enough to accommodate angled parking, bike lanes and two travel lanes (56 feet
typical). Many include front-in angled parking and allow for bicycle travel in shared travel lanes.
Traditional angled parking allows drivers to enter the spaces at a high speed and prevents them
from effectively seeing traffic upon backing out of the space to exit; this condition creates safety
hazards for themselves and others, including bicyclists.
A pilot project could be implemented on Magnolia Street east of College Avenue. Magnolia is
included in the 2020 Network with a facility recommendation of priority shared lane markings.
By reversing the angled parking, the same number of spaces is maintained, but drivers are
required to slow, stop and reverse to enter a space. This allows a bicyclist time to assess the
situation and react. Upon exiting the space, drivers have a better view of traffic on the street,
including bicyclists.
x Review existing development regulations for bicycle-friendly development outcomes. A
bicycle-friendly development task force could be developed to evaluate the land use and traffic
22
codes and LCUASS to identify opportunities for promoting bicycling and creating shorter trip
options.
x Revise bicycle parking code to offer additional siting guidance.
x Consider a City endorsement of the National Association of City Traffic Officials (NACTO) Urban
Bikeway Design Guide providing guidance on state-of-the-art solutions to bicycle infrastructure
design.
Bicycle Programs
Fort Collins has become an exemplary bicycle-friendly community owing in large part to programs that
have helped build a strong bicycle culture. In addition to the City’s engineering programs, the City
operates a large number of education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation programs, and has
many more in the planning stages. Many of the City’s education programs are a result of
recommendations in the Bicycle Safety Education Plan (BSEP), which the City is in the process of
implementing.
The Plan will include comprehensive recommendations for programs, focusing on the most effective
ones to achieve the City’s bicycling vision and goals. This will mean making recommendations not only
for new programs, but for existing programs: which ones to continue; which ones to potentially
consolidate; which ones to transfer to other organizations; and which ones to potentially phase out.
Existing Programs
There are over 40 existing and planned bicycle-related programs in Fort Collins today. City organizations
such as FC Bikes and the Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) program run many of these. Some are run by
local organizations such as Bike Fort Collins and the Fort Collins Bicycle Co-op, or by individual schools.
This section of the memorandum focuses on programs that the City has lead roles in, which are
summarized in Table 2.
Table 2: Existing and Planned City-led Bicycle Programs
Program Type Audience Example Activities4
Encouragement Youth
x Boltage Incentive Program
x Bike and Walk to School Week
Encouragement Others/All
x Bike to Work Days
x Bike Summer and Winter
x FC Bikes Marketing and Outreach
x Open Streets Initiative
x Women on a Roll Initiative
x Revise bicycle map to reflect level of comfort (planned)
x Implement an automated bike share system, to complement the Bike
Library (planned)
Education Youth x Walking and bicycling education from Pre-K through 12th grade
x Provide helmet fittings, distribution and education to low-income K-
4 This list is not mean to be all-inclusive, just key examples of City programs.
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Program Type Audience Example Activities4
12 students/parents
x High School Bicycle Ambassador Program
x Teacher participation in SRTS Train-the-Trainers program
x Bike camps to children during the summer months
x Develop a bicycle and pedestrian safety town to provide a safe
environment for youth and families to learn bicycling and walking
skills (planned)
Education College
Students x Educate college students on bicycle safety and awareness
Education All
x Bicycle Ambassador Program (BAP)5
x Education classes including TS101, LCI Training, Winter bike
commuting courses, Learn-to-Ride classes
x Translate bicycle safety education materials and classes into Spanish
x Family bike rodeos/education at community events
x Expand motorist education (planned)
x Expand Share the Road collaborative recommendations and
messaging (planned)
x Disseminate universal bicycle safety messages and crash terminology
(planned)
x Implement the League of American Bicyclists' bicycle education
curriculum
x Traffic citation safety diversion program
x Distribute free bicycle lights, helmets and safety items
Enforcement All
x Police officers on bicycle
x Expand and improve the bicycle citations program
x Bicycle registration program
x Conduct enforcement at high crash areas and times of the year
x Conduct trainings with Law Enforcement officials
x Traffic citation safety diversion program
Evaluation All
x Expand bicycle count program to track growth in bicycling and
evaluate impacts of investments
x Install bicycle totem (Eco-TOTEM) count technology (planned)
Program Recommendations
As demonstrated in Table 2, the City is currently leading a large volume of bicycle-related programs. The
programming has been successful in many ways:
x It helped to launch the bicycle culture that exists today
x The education programs have helped begin a culture of safe bicycling
However, as the City looks to significantly expand bicycling and improve bicycle safety, it may be more
effective to focus resources on implementing infrastructure improvements, complemented by a select
number of bicycle programs to achieve its goals. Other community organizations may be positioned to
assume operations of some existing programs with support from the City. Many bicycle-friendly
5 Beginning in 2014, FC Bikes assumed the lead role in operating the BAP.
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communities around the country successfully partner with local bicycle nonprofits to run a wide array of
education and encouragement programs, and very few cities run a substantial number of bicycle
programs themselves.
As previously stated, the Plan will include recommendations to help the City focus its bicycle
programming. The programs that the City continues to lead or that it adds to its menu of programs
should:
x Achieve key goals of the Bicycle Master Plan
x Complement the network recommendations and attract Interested but Concerned riders
x Be financially sustainable as part of an overall Plan approach
Based on the vision, the Plan goals, and public/stakeholder input to date, some initial ideas for a small
number of new and highly impactful bicycle programs are discussed below. The Final Plan will contain a
refined list of recommended programs (both existing ones to continue, consolidate, or phase out, and
new) along with a path forward for FC Moves and FC Bikes to focus its programming. The programs
discussed below are not inclusive of all new programming recommendations.
Potential New City-Led Programs
Reduced Speed Limit for Proposed Neighborhood Greenways (20 mph)
Most local streets are signed for a 25 mph speed limit. The proposed network plan calls for
approximately 19 miles of neighborhood greenways. These streets would be good candidates to pilot a
reduced (20 mph) speed limit program in conjunction with traffic calming to ensure compliance with
reduced speed limit.
Why: Complementing the Safe Driving Pledge Program (see section that follows), this program would
help to manage speeding on local streets.
How: This requires a policy change, and would need to be accompanied by new signage and traffic
calming measures to ensure compliance.
Expand Bicycle Counter Program
Establish a counting program and to align with CDOT statewide efforts and CSU planned efforts.
Why: Bicycle counts help an agency appropriately target its resources, compete for funding for
infrastructure projects, evaluate infrastructure investments, and promote its successes.
How: Install automatic counters and publish counts online on a regular basis. Continue to conduct
manual counts using volunteers, and expand the number of sites counted in this manner. Work with
each school to gather annual student bicycle travel tallies at K-12 schools.
Example: City of Boulder Bicycle Count Program
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Potential New Programs Led by Others
Develop a Safe Driving Pledge program
Develop a safe car program where drivers pledge to obey the speed limit and avoid distracted deriving.
Even a few cars driving at or below the speed limit help to decrease overall speeds in areas with speed
enforcement issues.
Why: Wide streets, such as many of the neighborhood streets in Fort Collins, encourage speeding.
Additionally, distracted driving is a safety problem across the country. While infrastructure
recommendations address speed and comfort for bicyclists, this type of program can be implemented
more quickly and cheaply than a wide-ranging system of traffic calming and diversion. A Pledge program
also serves to get word out to a wide audience of drivers about the importance of safe driving.
How: Local advocacy organization to lead. Initially get the word out about this program through schools
where an interested audience already exists. Continue outreach through public events, the car
registration and inspection process, and driver’s license exams. Pair pledge materials with information
about the safety improvements of lowered speeds in bicycle/pedestrian crashes.
Example: Washington Area Bicyclists Association Pace Car Program
Modified Driver’s Education
Modify the driver's education curriculum to include comprehensive instruction on bicycle-related laws.
Include questions on the driver's education exam regarding bicyclists.
Why: There is a concern and perception among many in the City that both bicyclists and motorists do
not truly know the rules of the road as they relate to bicycles. Many have said that some motorists
ignore the “3-feet to pass” law and that police officers do not enforce the law.
How: Statewide organization such as Bicycle Colorado or Colorado DMV to lead. Work with the DMV to
modify the driver’s education curriculum to include instruction on bicycle laws, and modify the driver’s
license exam to include questions related to bicyclist laws.
Example: Minnesota, Louisiana, Washington
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Bicycle Plan Implementation
Prioritization
Figure 25 shows the process and
inputs that will be used to
prioritize recommended projects
and programs and to develop a
funding and phasing plan. The
seven Plan goals form the
foundation for the
implementation plan. The
demand analysis will be used to
identify infrastructure projects
that will serve areas of Fort
Collins with the highest bicycle
demand and opportunity. The
recommended projects and
programs will be evaluated
based on their ability to make
improvements in the areas of
economic health, environmental
services, and social sustainability
(known as the Triple Bottom
Line) – which overlap with the
Bike Plan Goals. Community
input on implementation
strategies makes up the third
major component of prioritizing
projects and programs.
To be most useful to the City,
the Implementation Plan needs to allow for some flexibility to respond to changing conditions and
opportunities. Other considerations that will be addressed in developing the phasing plan include:
x Geographic equity: Assurance that high priority projects improve bicycle connectivity and safety
throughout the community
x Project cost and ease of implementation: Low-cost projects that could be easily implemented
may be given a high priority for implementation
x Opportunities for quick implementation: Combining bike projects with ongoing maintenance
projects or integrating bike improvements with programmed capital projects
Figure 26: Implementation Process Flow Chart
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Priority Strategies
At the July 30, 2014 public meeting, participants were asked which two implementation strategies they
feel are most appropriate for the next 5 to 10 years. They were given nine choices (listed in Figure 26).
While each strategy received at least three “votes,” five of the strategies stood out as being priorities to
the community:
x Create a citywide low-stress bike network (28)
x Encourage safer conditions for biking by enforcing traffic laws
(16)
x Expand coverage of bike network (12)
x Improve existing bikeways (10)
x Focus on high-visibility, high-use projects (9)
The large number of votes and positive comments heard at the Open
House indicate strong support for this approach, as presented through
network maps and facility explanations. The next two highest-rated
network-related strategies (expanding the coverage of the bike
network and improving existing bikeways) can complement the low-
stress bike network approach. Enforcement of traffic laws for both
drivers and bicyclists was clearly identified by the public as the highest
priority on the programmatic side.
Priority Corridors
Identification of priority corridors for infrastructure improvements will
be based on public feedback gathered through a number of means, as
well as the demand analysis described below.
Participants at the July 30, 2014 public meeting were also asked a
series of questions related to the draft network recommendations.
Four questions asked participants to identify network corridors/bike
facilities that are most critical for near-term implementation. Based on
the survey results, four north-south and four east-west routes stood
out as the highest priority for implementation of low-stress bike
facilities:
North-South Routes East-West Routes
1. Shields Street
2. Lemay Avenue
3. College Avenue
4. Power Trail
1. Drake Road
2. Harmony Road
3. Pitkin Street
4. Swallow Road
Figure 27: Implementation strategy choices
presented to Open House attendees on July
30
28
These identified corridors are similar to those selected by respondents to the Bicycle Plan online survey
conducted in fall 2013. When asked broadly about streets that are key to improving bicycling in Fort
Collins, respondents selected the following top corridors for improvement:
North-South Routes East-West Routes
1. Shields Street
2. College Avenue
3. Lemay Avenue
4. Taft Hill Road
1. Prospect Road
2. Drake Road
3. Mulberry Street
4. Horsetooth Road
Corridors that appear in the results from July’s open house include those non-arterials streets that
provide an alternative to some streets identified in the online survey. For instance, a low-stress route on
Pitkin Street is a comparable east-west route to Prospect Road.
Additional public input regarding priority corridors from the online WikiMap is incorporated into the
demand analysis.
Demand Analysis
As mentioned, identifying areas of the city with high expected demand for bicycle facilities is one step
toward developing a list of prioritized infrastructure improvements. The demand-mapping exercise
consisted of layering information about population characteristics, trip origins/destinations, existing bike
infrastructure, public input from the online WikiMap, and crash locations.
Analysis Factors
Each of the selected factors addresses one or more of the defined goals of the Plan: connectivity, safety,
ridership, community, equity, comfort and health. Not all of these goals can be addressed through
improved infrastructure, but they will be by other aspects of the Bike Plan.
A list of likely destinations for bicycle trips was developed, and each destination was assigned a distance
from which it will likely draw bicyclists. These distances are based on assumptions about the distance
that an Interested but Concerned rider would travel to make a trip for that purpose. For instance, it is
assumed that restaurants and retail will draw from within a three-mile neighborhood, whereas a local
branch library will draw from within two miles.
Non-destination factors are assessed by density measures. For instance, feedback received through the
WikiMap and March 12 Open House regarding roads that need improvement is in the form of multiple
lines. Roads with a greater density of lines have a higher score in the analysis. Areas with a higher
density of point features, such as crash locations, also score higher. Population measures are also scored
on density, such the percentage of population represented by children in a given block group.
Factor Weighting
All factors are weighted based on their importance in determining the highest priority areas. These
weights were assigned based on feedback heard throughout the Plan process thus far: TAC input, the
29
online survey, public open houses, and FC Rides! conversations. For instance, safety has been the
highest priority for many parties who have given feedback, thus the density of crash locations is
weighted ten out of ten. Other factors, though still important to determining where the greatest
demand is likely to be, are weighted between three and eight. Weights reflect not only observed areas
of higher bike usage today, but forecast areas likely to draw bicyclists if infrastructure were improved;
the weights ultimately reflect the values Fort Collins residents want their bicycle network to serve.
The table below indicates which data were used in each of these categories and the relative weights
assigned to them.
Table 3: Bicycle demand weighting factors
Factor Relative Weight Goal(s) Addressed
Population factors
Population density 5 Connectivity
Number of employees at business locations 5 Connectivity
Low-income populations - bottom quartile of
HH income (block group) 7 Equity
Minority population concentration >30%
(block group) 7 Equity
Car ownership (% HH w no car by block
group) 5 Equity
Families (% pop children by block group) 7 Equity
Seniors (% pop seniors by block group) 7 Equity
Crashes
Crash locations 10 Safety
Origin/destinations
K-12 school 8 Connectivity
University/college 5 Connectivity
Recreation centers + senior center 3 Connectivity
Parks + Natural areas 3 Connectivity
Main library 4 Connectivity
Branch libraries 2 Connectivity
Restaurants/retail 2 Connectivity
MAX route stops 5 Connectivity
TransFort bus stops 3 Connectivity
Bike infrastructure
Existing trail access points 8 Connectivity; Comfort
Existing bike lanes 6 Connectivity
WikiMap input
30
Factor Relative Weight Goal(s) Addressed
High + medium stress WikiMap “Route I ride” 5 Comfort
Low + none stress WikiMap “Route I ride” 3 Comfort
Interest but Concerned WikiMap “Route I'd
like to ride” 8 Ridership
All other WikiMap “Route I'd like to ride” + All
line input from March open house 6 Ridership
WikiMap barrier: gap in network +
intersection does not feel safe 8 Comfort; Ridership
WikiMap barrier: all other barrier types 5 Comfort; Ridership
Online Survey Input
Intersections 8 Comfort; Connectivity
Demand Analysis Results
The full demand analysis map is located on the following page.
31
Figure 28: Estimated Bicycle Demand (yellow areas, followed by red, indicate higher demand)
32
As can be seen from the map above, bicycle demand is focused around the CSU and Old Town areas.
Demand outside of Old Town and CSU clusters around high-crash locations, such as arterial
intersections, and high-use areas such as trails. Bicycle network infrastructure is currently less dense in
these areas, so there may be demand here that is not captured through this analysis. Many of the
factors included in the analysis have higher values in this part of the city, such as population and
employment density, as well as the streets and intersections indicated by users on the WikiMap and
bicycle crashes. This concentration is illustrated in example component layers of the analysis below.
While estimated demand is concentrated in these areas,
it is also clear that arterial streets throughout Fort Collins
also likely warrant prioritization for improvement. The
2020 Network provides alternatives to these high-
demand arterials, and the Full Build Vision seeks to
improve them to create a low-stress environment.
It should also be noted that the demand analysis is only
one component of prioritization and that network equity
will be another important layer of analysis that influences
the final recommended phasing of projects.
Figure 31: All WikiMap Feedback Layer
Figure 30: Population Density Layer Figure 29: Crash Density Layer
33
Planning-Level Cost Estimates
The next phase of the Plan development will include cost estimates of implementing the 2020 Low-
Stress Network and Full-Build Vision as well as a proposed phasing plan. It is assumed that the Plan
would be implemented through a variety of ways, including private development, the City’s ongoing
Street Maintenance Program, Capital Projects, as well as smaller stand-alone bicycle projects. Also,
where recommendations exist along County and State facilities, it is assumed that City staff would work
with these jurisdictions to implement recommendations. Funding could be generated through a variety
of sources including federal, state and local grants.
The cost to build bike projects can vary greatly depending on the type of facility and the existing
conditions in the project area. Planning-level cost ranges have been developed for different types of
bike projects based on typical roadway infrastructure elements that would need to be added, removed,
or modified to implement the proposed facility. For example, installation of new pavement markings
and signing are relatively easily installed if other existing infrastructure is not impacted; those costs are
based on an estimate of bike lane markings and sign placement of approximately 20 per mile on each
side of the street.
Conversely, improvements that require moving existing street edges can impact the removal and
replacement of curb and gutter, drainage infrastructure, utilities, landscaping/trees, and it may also
require the purchase of additional right-of-way or establishment of an easement – all of which can
increase the cost of a bike facility improvement substantially.
Until a specific street is identified for a particular improvement, costs for new infrastructure can only be
estimated at a general level. There may be opportunities to substantially reduce the costs of bike
facilities by combining the implementation with a scheduled maintenance or capital roadway project.
Considering these factors, the following table summarizes the estimated cost ranges for several project
types that are recommended in the Bike Plan.
Table 4: Estimated Facility Costs (centerline miles)
PROJECT TYPE ESTIMATED COST RANGE
Signed Route $8,000-$9,000 per mile ($120/sign)
Bike Lanes
Collector Street (Without Lane Restriping) $90,000-$100,000 per mile
Arterial Street (With Lane Restriping) $100,000-$110,000 per mile
When Roadway Widening is Needed $2,000,000-$2,500,000 per mile
Buffered Bike Lane
Without Lane Restriping $130,000-$140,000 per mile
With Lane Restriping $190,000-$200,000 per mile
Protected Bike Lane
34
PROJECT TYPE ESTIMATED COST RANGE
Street Level $200,000-$250,000 per mile
Sidewalk Level $2,500,000-$3,000,000 per mile
Neighborhood Greenway
Low End (Striping & Signing) $20,000-$25,000 per mile
High End (Includes Traffic Calming Measures, Adjacent
LID Treatments, etc.) $500,000-$600,000 per mile
Paved Trail $500,000-$600,000 per mile
Crossing Improvements
Two-Way Sidepath $150,000-$200,000 each location
Bicyclist-Activated Signal (HAWK) $125,000-$150,000 each location
Median Refuge and Crosswalk $10,000-$15,000 each location
The methodology that will ultimately be used for estimating project costs includes:
x Identifying project elements that can be readily quantified
x Using existing data for each of these elements to estimate units costs on a linear foot, square
foot, square yard, each, or lump sum basis
x Quantifying project elements to the extent possible and calculating the projected item cost
x Including percentage add-on costs for items that cannot be truly quantified at this time, e.g.,
drainage, landscaping, or utility impacts
x Including a percentage of the base construction cost for maintenance of traffic during
construction
x Adding a percent contingency for unknown project costs
The full Plan will include cost estimates by street segment for linear improvements, as well as summed
cost estimates where multiple spot improvements are recommended at a single intersection. This will
allow for an estimated total cost for both the 2020 Network and the Full Build Vision, and for phasing
recommendations based on expected City budgeting for bicycle infrastructure in future years. These
costs will not include additional engineering, design, permitting, or right-of-way acquisition costs.
35
Next Steps
The Plan is scheduled to be considered for adoption by City Council on December 2, 2014. To proceed
from draft recommendations to Plan adoption, Staff will take the following steps:
1. Present recommendations and gain feedback at the August 26 City Council Work Session
2. Incorporate input from community organizations, boards, and commissions
3. Refine network recommendations, including design considerations for new facility types and
wayfinding
4. Develop an action plan for program and policy recommendations
5. Develop an implementation plan, including cost estimates and phasing
6. Develop a comprehensive Draft Plan document
7. Present the Draft Plan to the project Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the public in
October
8. Incorporate feedback from the TAC, the public, City Council, and others
9. Develop a Final Plan document for City Council consideration of adoption
Once the Plan is adopted, the City should celebrate its completion and launch the implementation phase
with momentum and public support, potentially in concert with Winter Bike to Work Day in December.
City of Fort Collins 2014 Bicycle Master Plan
DRAFT
Provide walking and bicycling education to Pre-K through 12th-grade students annually, including after-school bike clubs and bike field trips
Encourage Fort Collins' Schools to review and adopt statewide bicycle and pedestrian education curriculum under development by the Colorado Department of
Transportation (CDOT)
Expand bicycle safety education to High Schools within the City of Fort Collins through the High School Bicycle Ambassador Program
Encourage one teacher per school to participate in the Safe Routes to School Train the Trainers program; offer SRTS presentations to PTOs/PTAs and School Wellness Teams
Develop a bicycle and pedestrian safety town to provide a safe environment for youth and families to learn bicycling and walking skills
Offer bike camps to children during the Summer months
Provide helmet fittings, distribution and education to low-income K-12 students/parents
Educate college students on bicycle safety and awareness
Provide bicycle safety education to families; offer family bike rodeos at community events
Teach recreation and competitive cyclists how to respectfully share the road and trails
Expand motorist education opportunities and class offerings
Implement/expand Share the Road collaborative recommendations and messaging for all modes
Disseminate universal bicycle safety messages and crash terminology
Translate bicycle safety education materials and classes into Spanish
Adopt the League of American Bicyclists' bicycle education curriculum
Develop and implement a Master Cyclist Program (currently called Bicycle Ambassador Program)
Instill a sense of security for all cyclists by providing education about bicycle theft and best practices for securing bicycles
Bicycle Ambassador Program Enhancements: expand and refine the existing Bicycle Ambassador Program to reach more people across the community
Increase class offerings targeting “interested but concerned” - e.g. more Learn-2-Ride and Basics of Bicycling classes
Develop a professional driver training program
Enhance and expand SRTS education programs
Create a modified driver's education program to incorporate bicycle specific education
Provide bicycle commuters bicycle safety education and incentives including free helmets and lights
FC Bikes General Marketing - Posters, stickers, FC Bikes website, Ride! Magazine, Momentum Newsletter etc.
Develop a sustainable walking and bicycling school bus program for interested schools
Engage senior citizens in bicycling activities
Implement a neighborhood bicycle ambassador program
Refine and expand targeted marketing and messaging campaigns to promote safety and encourage bicycling
Further develop online bicycle trip planning tools (e.g. Ride the City, Google Maps)
Expand business outreach to promote the benefits of bicycling to employers and employees
Redesign FC Moves Website and better utilize social media to build bicycling awareness
Education and Encouragement
Existing and Proposed Bicycle Programs: Education, Encouragement, Enforcement and Evaluation
Existing and proposed programs are implemented through collaboration among City departments, other agencies, community organizations and local businesses. The programs
identified in italics are largely existing programs or recommendations from the City’s Bicycle Safety Education Plan. The programs identified in bold are new recommendations.
Page 1 of 2
ATTACHMENT 5
City of Fort Collins 2014 Bicycle Master Plan
DRAFT
Existing and Proposed Bicycle Programs: Education, Encouragement, Enforcement and Evaluation
Existing and proposed programs are implemented through collaboration among City departments, other agencies, community organizations and local businesses. The programs
identified in italics are largely existing programs or recommendations from the City’s Bicycle Safety Education Plan. The programs identified in bold are new recommendations.
Conduct guided rides of new bicycle facilities to encourage use and build awareness
Celebrate new bicycle facility improvements and types, e.g. buffered bike lanes on Shields St.
Implement the Boltage Incentive Program at schools across Fort Collins
Summer Bike Month and Summer Bike to Work Day
Bike Winter and Winter Bike to Work Day
Women on a Roll Initiative including Women’s Bike Expo, Rides and Classes
Expand Open Streets (car-free) Initiatives
Offer education classes including TS101, LCI Training, Winter Commuting Courses and SRTS Train-the-Trainer Workshops
Revise the City’s current bicycle map to reflect a level of comfort approach
FC Bicycle Library and Bike Share
Assist Fort Collins Police Services in providing on-going bicycle training opportunities for officers
Develop a community policing agreement between local and regional police agencies, City departments and community organizations
Develop traffic citation diversion programs
Encourage Fort Collins Police Services to conduct traffic enforcement at the high crash areas and types of crashes
Review the Fort Collins Traffic Code - Amendment to Section 1412 (10) (A) - cyclists entering/traveling through crosswalks
Discourage irresponsible use of alcohol while cycling
Address electric bike use on bike trails
Develop safe driving program: Pace Car Program where drivers pledge to obey the speed limit.
Build awareness of the City’s Bicycle Officer Program and expand program
Expand and improve the City’s bicycle citation effort
Bicycle Registration Program
Neighborhood greenway reduced speed limit: sign all neighborhood greenways to 20 mph and implement traffic calming to support compliance
Maintain database of high profile bicycle crashes
Develop crash/near miss reporting app
Begin systematic tracking of near misses to gain a comprehensive understanding of safety needs
Expand bicycle count program to track growth in bicycling and evaluate impacts of investments
Produce annual FC Bikes Report Card to track progress toward the Bicycle Master Plan goals
Create inter-city partnership between other leading cities in Colorado to share best practices and resources
Enforcement/Safety
Evaluation
Page 2 of 2
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City Council Work Session
August 26, 2014
Bicycle Master Plan Update
fcgov.com/bikeplan
ATTACHMENT 8
2
General Direction Sought
and Specific Questions to be Answered
1. What feedback does Council have regarding the 2020
Low-Stress Network?
2. What feedback does Council have regarding
incorporating protected bike lanes on select arterials
where critical to connectivity and the Low-Stress
Vision?
3. What direction does Council have regarding Staff’s
proposed approach of prioritizing select bicycle
programs to achieve the Plan vision and goals?
3
Plan Elements
• Vision, Goals & Objectives
• State of Bicycling in Fort
Collins Report
• Bicycle Network Plan
• Bike Share Business Plan
• Bicycle Infrastructure Design
Guidelines
• Bicycle Programs and
Policies
• Implementation & Funding
Plan
4
Phase1
Initial Public
Outreach
• Oct – Dec 2013
Phase 2
Information
Gathering
• Jan – Mar 2014
Phase 3
Draft
Recommendations
• Apr – Jul 2014
Phase 4
Plan
Development,
Adoption
• Aug – Dec 2014
Process/Schedule
We Are Here
Community Engagement
City Council Consideration of Adoption: Dec. 2, 2014
5
Community Engagement to Date
• Online Survey
• Community Bike Audits
• Community Issues Forum
• Visioning Workshop
• Online WikiMap
• Public Open Houses
• Targeted Outreach Events
• Boards and Commissions
6
Objectives and Performance
Measures
• Examples:
– % of low-stress network complete
– # of bicycle crashes, Vision Zero
– # of high-crash intersections improved
– Increase of bicycle commute mode share to
20% by 2025
– % of underrepresented residents who make
trips by bike
– K-12 students receiving bicycle education
7
Bicycle Level of Comfort Analysis
Proposed Network Approach
Goal: create a
comprehensive and
connected network
that is low-stress
and comfortable for
people of all ages
and abilities
2020 Low-Stress Network Full Build Vision
2020 Low-Stress
Network
E-W Example: Swallow
• Offers connections to
five schools, three trails
and MAX
2020 Low-stress routes,
highlighting Swallow
2020 Low-Stress Network
Local and Collector Streets
2020 Low-Stress Network
Spot Improvements
Wayfinding
Power Trail Connection: Centennial Rd.
2020 Low-Stress Network
Protected bike lanes: limited use of arterials
Examples: West Elizabeth St., Shields St., Riverside
Ave.
2020 Low-Stress Network
Full Build
Vision
• Enhances and
extends 2020 Low-
Stress Network
• Creates a denser
network of low-
stress bicycle
facilities
throughout the city
16
Full Build Vision
Buffered bike
lanes on
collectors and
lower-speed
arterials
Examples:
Stover St.,
Horsetooth
Road
17
Full Build Vision
Protected bike
lanes on arterials
where low-stress
connections are
needed
Examples:
Laurel St., Drake
Road, Lemay Ave.
Full Build Vision
Conversion of
some local streets
to neighborhood
greenways
Examples:
Mathews St.,
Clearview Ave,
Springfield Dr.,
Starflower Dr.
Full Build Vision
Intersection improvements and signal adjustments
20
Bicycle Policies
• Examples:
– Amend LCUASS to
incorporate bicycle
facility types included
in the Plan
– Incorporate Level of
Traffic Stress (LTS)
in Multimodal Level
of Service methods
and standards
21
Bicycle
Programs
• Focus City-led
programs to
most effectively
achieve the Plan
goals
• Emphasize
safety and
attract the
Interested but
Concerned
Proposed
Implementation
Approach
• Next phase:
determine cost to
implement the 2020
Low-Stress Network
and Full-Build Vision
• Assumption: Plan
implementation and
funding would occur
in a variety of ways
23
Next Steps
• Refine Recommendations
– Proposed Network
– Wayfinding and Design Recommendations
– Policy and Programming
– Implementation and Funding Plan
• Draft Plan (September)
• Boards and Commissions
• Final Plan (November)
• City Council Consideration of Adoption (Dec. 2)
24
General Direction Sought
and Specific Questions to be Answered
1. What feedback does Council have regarding the 2020
Low-Stress Network?
2. What feedback does Council have regarding
incorporating protected bike lanes on select arterials
where critical to connectivity and the Low-Stress
Vision?
3. What direction does Council have regarding Staff’s
proposed approach of prioritizing select bicycle
programs to achieve the Plan vision and goals?
25
Thank you!
Tessa Greegor, FC Bikes Program Manager
tgreegor@fcgov.com
Plan information:
www.fcgov.com/bikeplan
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DRAFT FULL BUILD VISION
The fully built network includes low-stress bicycle facilities on all types of roads in Fort Collins. Bike lanes are
improved through buffering. Local streets become neighborhood greenways through traffic calming. All
on-road facilities combine with trails to form a complete network.
LEGEND
HARD-SURFACE TRAIL
FUNDED/PARTIALLY
FUNDED TRAIL
PLANNED TRAIL
PROTECTED BIKE LANE
TWO-WAY SIDEPATH
SEGMENT
ADD SIGNAL
SIGNAL IMPROVEMENT
ADD MEDIAN nnn
NEW TRAIL/STREET CONNECTION
OTHER CROSSING
IMPROVEMENT
PLANNED BIKE SHARE STATION
SCHOOL
BUFFERED BIKE LANE
BIKE LANE
PRIORITY SHARED LANE
NEIGHBORHOOD GREENWAY
SIGNED ROUTE
000 111 222
Miles
0022 11
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DRAFT 2020 LOW-STRESS FACILITIES
The specific types of facilities that make up the 2020 Low-Stress Network are shown on this map. They
include existing bike lanes and signed routes, buffered bike lanes, and protected bike lanes. All routes
should include signs to help riders access destinations throughout the city.
LEGEND
000 111 222
Miles
0022 11
TWO-WAY SIDEPATH
SEGMENT
ADD SIGNAL
SIGNAL IMPROVEMENT
ADD MEDIAN nn
NEW TRAIL/STREET CONNECTION
OTHER CROSSING
IMPROVEMENT
PLANNED BIKE SHARE STATION
SCHOOL
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BIKE LANE
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HARD-SURFACE TRAIL
FUNDED/PARTIALLY
FUNDED TRAIL
PLANNED TRAIL
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DRAFT 2020 LOW-STRESS NETWORK
The near-term network consists of existing low-stress streets (LTS 1 and 2) connected by intersection
improvements and signage. Major streets (arterials) are included where necessary, and would need
improvements to be considered low stress. This network is a comfortable alternative to the arterials.
LEGEND ADD SIGNAL
SIGNAL IMPROVEMENT
ADD MEDIAN
NEW TRAIL/STREET
CONNECTION nnn
LOW-STRESS ROUTE: MINOR
STREET
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STREET
TWO-WAY SIDEPATH
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HARD-SURFACE TRAIL 0022 11
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2014 LEVEL OF COMFORT ANALYSIS
LEVEL OF TRAFFIC STRESS 1
LEVEL OF TRAFFIC STRESS 2
LEVEL OF TRAFFIC STRESS 3
LEGEND 00 11 22
Miles
0022 11
LEVEL OF TRAFFIC STRESS 4
LEVEL OF TRAFFIC STRESS 5
ATTACHMENT 7
The Plan will ultimately include future targets and performance measures that relate to these goals. A
selection of draft targets are shown in Figure 1. These will be refined as the Plan is finalized.
system. Historical records indicate the
Conservation Trust has contributed about
$18,000,000 since 1984 toward the
development of the trail system.33 The
Natural Areas Department has contributed
about $350,000 annually to trail construction
since 2003.The Natural Areas Program
contribution to trails may not to be available
after 2014 due to program funding needs. In
addition to the Conservation Trust Funds, the
City has received 11 grants over the years
totaling $2,731,312, primarily from GOCO
which is also funded by the Lottery.
33 FC Paved Recreational Trails Master Plan
tax which extends from January 2006 through
December 2015. FC Bikes currently receives
$125,000 each year toward implementation
of the Bicycle Plan. The City is considering a
ballot initiative for fall 2015 for the BOB 2; if
the initiative is realized and the voters
approve it, FC Bikes intends to apply for
$200,000 per year beginning in 2016 to be
used toward implementation of Bicycle Plan
projects and programs.
Keep Fort Collins Great (KFCG)
In November 2010, Fort Collins voters passed
Keep Fort Collins Great (KFCG), a 0.85
percent sales tax to fund critical services for
the community (2011–2020). Through KFCG,
the FC Bikes program received $669,917 in
funding for 2013 and 2014, including $50,000
in support of the USA Pro Challenge.
Historically funded through a CMAQ grant, as
of 2013, the Bike Library is funded through
KFCG funds at $80,000 per year.
Additionally, $146,372 in KFCG funds were
used as the local match for the 2014–2016
CMAQ grant.
included in the Traffic Code.
Bicycle Officers
The above laws and all traffic laws pertaining
to bicyclists can be enforced by any officer.
However, Fort Collins Police Services
currently have eight bicycle officers who are
typically responsible for bicyclist
enforcement actions. These eight officers
have other duties, too, and thus are not
consistently focused on bicyclist
enforcement. Bicycle officers perform
targeted enforcement actions to capture
bicyclist infractions, typically at the start of
the CSU academic year.
Bicyclist Citation
If an officer sees a bicyclist disobeying traffic
law, and if he/she is able to reach the
bicyclist in time, the officer has discretion as
to whether to issue a citation. Citations carry
the same monetary penalties as motor
vehicle infractions. Police Services issue as
many as 500 bicyclist citations per year.
According to Police Services, the current City
Code makes it difficult for an officer to
local schools hold active-transportation
encouragement programs throughout the
school year by giving prizes to students
who walk or bike to school each
Wednesday.
Bike Field Trips: A growing number of
schools are arranging for students to take
field trips by bike rather than by school
bus. One of the biggest annual events is
the ECO Bike Trip for about 80 fifth-
graders at Traut Elementary, who ride
their bikes to and from the
Environmental Learning Center to learn
about ecology. Another notable field trip
is Olander Elementary’s Bike Field Trip
for 160 fourth- and fifth-graders.
Meals on Two Wheels and Food Finders:
These two programs are part of an
innovative juvenile diversion program
involving the Center for Family Outreach,
The Growing Project, and SRTS. At-risk
youth participate in these bike-based
community-service programs to deliver
meals to seniors and transport healthful
produce from local farms to a homeless
shelter, all accomplished via bikes and
bike trailers.
Tour de Fat: This festival is put on each
August by New Belgium Brewery and is a
family-friendly event that raises money
for local bicycle nonprofits. It drew an
estimated 25,000 participants in 2013.
Additional events such as bike-in outdoor
movies, Open Streets events planned for
2014 and 2015, and women-focused bicycling
events are effective ways to get more people
out on bicycles, including groups
underrepresented among typical bicycle
commuters, like women and families.
This pilot program is being implemented at
Lesher Middle School in 2014 to incentivize
biking and walking to school. The program
uses an RFID reader to log a child’s unique ID
and his or her trip to school. These trips are
tallied and students (or groups of students)
are rewarded based on the number of trips
taken. The program will eventually be in
place at three additional schools in the
Poudre School District.
to zero. The plan’s program
recommendations were targeted at four
audiences: youth bicyclists, adult bicyclists,
motorists, and the law enforcement
community. These audiences represent all of
the parties who will need to be educated to
reach the plan’s stated vision. The City has
recently summarized its progress on the
implementation of BSEP; that information is
contained in Appendix B.
Bicycle Ambassador Program (BAP)
The BAP trains citizen volunteers to provide
encouragement and education about
bicycling and road safety. The BAP is run by
FC Bikes and the BPEC. BAP started in 2012
and today has over 40 trained volunteers who
give "Lunch & Learn" presentations, teach
the City’s Traffic Skills 101 courses, provide
information at community events, and serve
as courtesy patrol on roads and trails.
Ambassadors also offer one-hour safety
education presentations for any group of
citizens of six or more people.
A high school BAP is being launched in 2014.
SRTS and FC Bikes are launching the program
because they recognize that peer-to-peer
bicycle education and encouragement (as
compared to messages from adults)
groups focused on improving bicycling in Fort
Collins. A few of the most active groups are
profiled below. Enforcement, evaluation and
planning are conducted by many City
departments working together.
30 http://www.bikeleague.org/content/5-es
to the higher posted speeds (30 to 45 mph
typical), multiple travel lanes, and high traffic
volumes. Arterial crossings without signals or
medians also score as high stress. Arterials with
bike lanes of 4 feet or less, or those without
bike lanes, scored 5 in the analysis. Figures 31
through 34 show the results of the analysis.
Table 9 shows the LTS for all arterial,
collector, and local streets in Fort Collins.
TABLE 9: FORT COLLINS LTS RESULTS BY
ROADWAY TYPE
Level of Traffic Stress
Low-
est
High-
est
1 2 3 4 5
Arterials
(212
miles) 2.4% 5.2% 21.4% 28.2% 42.7%
Collector
(96
miles) 10.1%
59.2
% 26.6% 4.1% 0.0%
Locals
(630
miles) 99.9% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
choice for the Interested but Concerned
population, there must be an interconnected
system of low-stress bikeways on streets and
trails to get people from point A to B without
significant additional mileage or delay.
The LTS assessment scores individual street
segments and intersection crossings. Segment
scores are influenced by intersection crossing
scores, thus if an intersection is stressful to
cross, the adjacent roadway segment stress will
be considered equally stressful, even if the
individual segment in isolation is less stressful
to ride on. The LTS assessment is also very
sensitive to traffic speeds and volumes. For
example, where traffic speeds equal or exceed
35 mph, the resulting LTS score is lower even if
there is a bike lane.
are completed.
FIGURE 26: COORDINATION ZONES AND
PROGRESSION PRIORITY IMPLEMENTED FROM THE
2010 CITYWIDE TRAFFIC SIGNAL TIMING PROJECT
Master Plan and 2010 Signal Timing Project, the
City has made significant strides to improve the
safety and efficiency of its traffic signal
system, including: upgrading many of its
intersections from in-pavement loop detectors
to video detection; retiming all major corridors
to improve progression; and updating nearly 80
percent of its traffic signal controllers.
23 City of Fort Collins, Citizen Survey Report of
Results, December 2013, Pages 18 and 43.
sites throughout the city. Racks are installed by
the City on public land in the right-of-way and
can be requested through an online form on the
City’s website. City staff maintains the racks.
Bike racks outside of the right-of-way are
currently the purview of the property owner,
but the City is planning to offer grants to
businesses, schools, and organizations to help
fund the placement of racks on their land.
Most bicycle parking in the city is in the form of
long inverted U racks. According to City data,
there are currently 1,279 bicycle racks in
downtown, where most of the racks are
concentrated. These only represent City-owned
racks in this part of town; other racks are
from five to six feet wide. Six feet is the
current standard width.
Shared parking/bike lane: These lanes
typically do not have a parking lane line
and range in width from 11 to 13 feet wide.
These do not meet current 14 foot total
minimum width standard.
Bike lanes adjacent to curb and gutter
The presence of concrete curbing with an 18-
inch concrete gutter is common throughout
Fort Collins. Where bike lanes are adjacent to a
curb with a gutter pan, the width of the bike
lane is effectively narrowed at locations where
the seam is uneven between the asphalt and
concrete surfaces, as shown in Figure 18,
reducing the effective width of the bike lane by
12 to 18 inches.
crash locations in the city. The corridors vary in
length, and are defined not by the entire limits
of the street but by the extent of the crash
locations along the street.
TABLE 4: TOP 10 CRASH CORRIDORS, 2008-2013
Corridor
Total
Crashes19
Crashes per
Mile
Shields Street 142 27.3
College Avenue 80 10.0
Elizabeth Street 73 24.3
Drake Road 51 11.3
Prospect Road 49 9.4
Horsetooth Road 47 9.4
Timberline Road 46 8.7
Taft Hill Road 38 5.8
Harmony Road 36 8.0
Lemay Avenue 34 4.3
All of these corridors except College Avenue
have bike lanes. Crashes occurring on College
Avenue most often included a bicyclist riding
on the sidewalk/crosswalk either with or
19 Crashes that occur at intersections have been
double counted so that it appears within both
intersecting street corridor’s count.
underway to do so.
Typical Crash Types
Four types of crashes represent nearly half of
all bicycle crashes in Fort Collins, as shown in
Table 3. Crashes were categorized by vehicle
movement, bicycle movement, direction and
location prior to the crash, and cardinal
direction of travel by both parties. This typing
method results in similar conclusions to those
gathered by Traffic Operations staff in past
analyses. However, some further details that
are important to understand in crash situations
are gained through the crash typing used in this
report, and may be incorporated into future
City crash analysis.17
16 Gender data was available for 778 crashes and
age data for 746 bicycle crashes.
17 Crash data were amended for this analysis in
the following manner: All bicycle movements
coded as “Drove Wrong Way” were recoded as
“Going Straight.” The Bikeaction field already
captures direction of travel.
lanes, trails, & bike lanes.
Enthused
and
Confident
Some tolerance for traffic stress.
Confident riders who prefer
separation on arterials with
protected bike lanes, trails, or
bike lanes.
Strong &
Fearless
High tolerance for traffic stress.
Experienced riders who are
comfortable sharing lanes on
higher speed and volume arterials.
Less interested in protected bike
lanes and trails.
Note: A 2012 Portland survey questioned residents
about their level of comfort riding on various street
types; respondents were sorted into four categories.
Data is specific to Portland, Oregon, and is assumed to
be similar for Fort Collins.
estimate the daily ridership and geographic
distribution of bicycling at selected
intersections, as shown in Figure 6. Estimated
daily counts range from a low of 200 bicyclists
at Ketcher Road and Ziegler Road, to a high of
1,800 bicyclists at East Prospect Road and
Remington Street. It is difficult to draw
conclusions from these counts at this time;
many of the locations were deliberately chosen
because they are high ridership, and the
program is in its infancy.
12 Counts were conducted on Tuesday, Wednesday
or Thursday during fair weather in September
over two-hour periods in the AM and PM peaks.
Fort Collins also conducts a noontime peak count.
13 The data is not scientifically-valid due to the
limited sample size.
14 www.scientificamerican.com/article/getting-
more-bicyclists-on-the-road/ (visited April 2014)
collected ridership information through a
survey associated with their Parking and
Transportation Master Plan. As the largest
employer in Fort Collins, CSU’s commuter
travel represents a large share of daily trips in
the City. Approximately 8 percent of
respondents—both students and staff—arrive at
CSU on bicycle. There appears to be an
opportunity to increase bicycling to campus, as
nearly 64 percent of respondents live within
five miles of campus10 and for those who
reported that they typically drive alone to
work, bicycling was their most preferred
second choice.
Fort Collins also collects data on school-based
travel for elementary and middle school
students through parent and student surveys at
schools throughout the Poudre School District.
These surveys are conducted every few years
9 North Front Range Metropolitan Planning
Organization, Front Range Travel Counts: NFRMPO
Household Survey Final Report, 2010.
10 Colorado State University, Parking and
Transportation Study, 2013, Pages 41-50.
Improve and expand bicycle parking throughout the City
Encourage installation of showers and changing facilities at workplaces
Source: City of Fort Collins, 2008 Bicycle Plan
FIGURE 3: PLANNED BIKEWAY NETWORK FROM
2008 PLAN
Enhanced Travel Corridors (ETCs).5
The transportation section of City Plan contains
several goals related to bicycling, including:
Flexible standards, policies, and
operational strategies to accommodate
innovative modes
Promotion of transportation that supports
active lifestyles
Establishment of bicycling as a safe, easy,
and convenient mobility option for all ages
and abilities
Promotion of transportation safety
awareness.6
The TMP aims to achieve a variety of outcomes
consistent with the core values discussed in
City Plan. Goals to enhance bicycling appear
throughout the TMP: increasing awareness of
healthy transportation; promoting bicycle
safety and enforcement; designing high-quality
and environmentally sustainable trails and
streets; making bicycling safe, easy, and
convenient for all; and encouraging land use
planning and development to support bicycling.
5 City of Fort Collins, City Plan, 2011, Pages 81
and 95.
6 City of Fort Collins, City Plan, 2011, Pages 126-
144.
section that follows discusses existing plan
recommendations that will inform the 2014
Bicycle Master Plan.
Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s
(CDOT’s) 2012 Statewide Bicycle and
Pedestrian Plan outlines an approach to
deciding which bicycle and pedestrian projects
to fund based on the following goals:
Enhance safety
Increase bicycling and walking activity
Expand recreational opportunities and
enhance quality of life
Improve public health
the City. Other factors include the temperate
climate, plentiful sunshine, flat terrain, and
relatively wide streets.2
FIGURE 1: CORNER OF WALNUT AND PINE, 1890
Source: Fort Collins History Connection
2 City of Fort Collins, 2008 Bicycle Plan, 2008,
Page 8.