Only a few bicyclists were still cruising around Boulder last week. But next spring, when roads are dry and skies are blue, bikers will likely be back in droves, ready to ride the county’s spectacular canyons.
And when they do, county officials hope to have implemented recommendations for increasing the safety of cyclists and motorists — and decreasing tensions between the two.
The plan for the improvements comes from the county’s Cyclist-Motorist Working Group, which just released its final recommendations.
“We wanted to get the ideas out so we could start implementing them before the first bike season,” county Transportation Department director George Gerstle said.
The working group included cyclists, drivers who frequently commute up and down the canyons, mountain residents who deal with an influx of bikes in the summer, and representatives from law enforcement and transportation.
The final plan lists about 40 suggestions, such as putting up signs that remind drivers and riders of etiquette, adding restroom facilities, clearing debris off shoulders and paving pullouts where cyclists can congregate and take a break.
