Dear Editor,

Summer is in full swing and the mountains are choked with people recreating outdoors. This seasonal migration to the mountains is a feature of the CO lifestyle, not a bug. It is also crucial to the economic vitality of mountain towns. Having said that, cars, runners and bikers don’t always mesh well.

  One example is the plethora of bikers who insist on riding Boulder Canyon (CO 119). Two years of continuous construction mean the road conditions should surprise no one. There is no shoulder, there are numerous lane restrictions, and there is signage banning westbound (uphill) cycling entirely. Yet bikers blithely ride the Canyon to get their dopamine fix. This is unsafe for both the bikers and motorists. Please take your workout somewhere else until construction is completed and the companion trail is reopened.

Recreational friction also plagues the unpaved County roads where many of us reside. Magnolia Drive, for example, is routinely crowded with bikers and runners up from Boulder for their workout. Running blogs insultingly refer to this area as Magnolia ‘Trail’, as if the road was dedicated solely for recreational use and was not the sole driving route available to hundreds of tax-paying County residents. On weekends the unpaved section of Magnolia is clogged with bike pelotons and packs of runners. Many refuse to move in single file, insist on occupying the center of the road, or run against traffic on the inside of sharp, blind switchbacks. This behavior creates serious safety issues.

CO state law for bicycles specifically stipulates that: “a) Persons operating bicycles on roadways shall ride single file; except that riding no more than two abreast is permitted in the following circumstances: (i) When riding two abreast will not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic; or (ii) When riding on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. (b) Persons riding two abreast shall ride within a single lane.” The speed limit for most of unpaved Magnolia Drive, for example, is 30 mph. It is unreasonable to expect cars to drive 5-10 mph behind your peloton/pack.

Some simple guidelines for bikers and runners would enhance safety and intermodal harmony for the benefit of all:

- Please ride/run single file whenever possible.

- Make sure cars - two abreast - have room to pass you.

- Don’t move against traffic on the inside of switchback turns.

- Be alert for passing traffic in congested parking areas.

Derek Ridgley
Magnolia Resident