Downtown Denver Bicycle Trends and Conditions: June 2012
Overview Downtown Denver is poised to become a leader in bicycling with its relatively high bicycle mode share, over 20 miles of bicycle facilities, increasing volumes of bicyclists and a culture of active living. This report highlights national and local bicycle trends and analyzes Downtown Denver bicycle counts. National Trends Bicycling is gaining momentum as a viable mode of transportation in many areas of the United States, predominantly in urban areas. Bicycling growth has been mainly concentrated in urban cores and center cities, areas where both the millennial and baby boomer generations want to reside for their livability and active transportation options. 1 In 2010, more than 730,000 Americans rode their bikes to work, according to data compiled by the U.S. Census' American Community Survey. Beyond commuting, Americans took 4 billion bike trips in 2009.2 The number of trips made by bicycle in the U.S. more than doubled from 1.7 billion in 2001 to 4 billion in 2009.3
The number of trips made by bicycle in the U.S. more than doubled from 1.7 billion in 2001 to 4 billion in 2009. U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, 2009.
In a survey of recent transplants to Portland, OR, 62% said that the city's bikefriendliness was a factor in their decision to move there.
Providing high-quality bicycle infrastructure is satisfying an important need in cities, as research indicates that Americans are driving less and the future workforce is “less interested in owning and driving cars” than City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, 2009, previous generations. 4 By 2011, “the average American was driving 6% Portland Bicycle Maps and Information Survey, Transportation Options Division, reported via fewer miles than in 2004.” 5 Young professionals in particular are BikePortland.org. favoring active transportation options over owning automobiles. A survey of 1,025 adults age 18 and older found that “nearly half of drivers ages 18-34 are driving less.” 6 The National Household Travel Survey reinforces this trend, showing that Americans drove less in 2008 than 2001, with people between 20 and 40 years of age reporting the largest decrease in driving out of any age group. 7 Young professionals value the ability to access amenities in short trips that allow them to participate in a vibrant, urban lifestyle.8 In 2009, 16-34 year olds took 24% more bike trips than they took in 2001.9 The Colorado Public Interest Research Group’s study on “Transportation and the New Generation” reports that it is not just because of the recession that more people are bicycling; in fact, from 2001 to 2009, 16-34 year olds in households with incomes over $70,000 increased their use of bicycling by 122%. 10
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Local Trends The Alliance for Biking and Walking ranks Colorado 12th in the nation in terms of bicycle friendliness and Denver is ranked a Silver level city by the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Communities, which ranks cities Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum on their bicycle law enforcement, engineering, education, and evaluation and planning. Denver’s Silver ranking highlights the City’s variety of bicycle facilities and efforts in bicycle law enforcement. 11 Bicycling Magazine lists Denver as the 12th best bicycling city in the nation. 12 According to United States Census data, the State of Colorado ranks 4th in the country for those who bicycle to work and Denver ranks 6th for those who bike to work. 13 Bicycling in Denver is a natural complement to the City’s active lifestyle, with a growing number of bicycle facilities, a sunny and moderate climate, a culture of fitness and active living, a successful bike sharing program and an interconnected parks and trails system. The City of Denver has more than 80 miles of paved off-road trails, with the two most important connecting trails, the Cherry Creek Trail and the South Platte Trail, intersecting in Downtown Denver.14
Denver is home to Denver B-cycle, the first largescale municipal bike sharing system in the United States. Designed for short, urban trips, B-cycle allows users to rent a bike for a quick trip around town. In 2011, within the Downtown area, there were 25 B-cycle stations responsible for 108,275 checkouts. All photos by Cole E. Judge.
Downtown Denver is making strides to become a more bicycle-friendly downtown. One of the goals in the 2007 Downtown Area Plan is to “provide clear bicycle network connections into and through the Downtown, and incorporate services and facilities that address the whole trip” to become a “bicycle city.” 15 Bicycle facilities are a key part of this effort.
Miles of bicycle facilities in Downtown Denver, as of June 2012 Bike lanes Sharrows Trails Totals
Existing 10 miles 5 miles 5.5 miles 20.5 miles
Proposed 3 miles 2 miles 0 miles 5 miles
Source: City and County of Denver, 2012.
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In Downtown Denver, there are 20.5 miles of existing bicycle facilities, with over 70% of those on Downtown roads, and 5 more miles of facilities proposed. 16 Bicycle lanes and safe bicycle facilities have been proven to increase ridership. Research on bicycle lanes “confirm(s) that cities with a greater supply of bike paths and lanes have significantly higher bike commute rates—even when controlling for land use, climate, socioeconomic factors, gasoline prices, public transport supply, and cycling safety.” 17 People will bicycle more when bicycle lanes and off-street bicycle facilities are present. Bicycle lanes have “increasing terms on investment” via the “network effect” and the “bandwagon effect,” meaning that increasing the number of bike lanes will increase the number of cyclists likely to use them and that as the more people cycle, the safer the environment becomes for cycling. 18 The existence of facilities is particularly important when attracting those people who may be interested in bicycling, but do not feel comfortable enough to ride on the street. Roger Geller, Bicycle Coordinator in Portland OR, found that there were four types of transportation cyclists in Portland: • • • •
The strong and fearless who make up less than 1% of the population The enthused and confident who make up 7% of the population The interested but concerned who make up 60% of the population The “no way no how” riders who make up 33% of the population. 19 The key to increasing bicycling in a city is to provide safe infrastructure to capture the “interested, but concerned” population. Downtown Denver has begun to provide safe bicycle infrastructure, such as bike lanes, bike sharrows, a bike box, a bike signal, a cycletrack and a buffered bike lane. At 16th Street and Cleveland Place, the City’s first bike box allows bicyclists to safely stop in front of auto traffic to connect to the Cleveland Place bike lane from the 16th Avenue bike lane. The City’s first cycletrack is a separated bicycle facility located in Downtown Denver on Bannock Street, connecting the Bannock Street bike lane to the Central Business District. Bannock Street is also home to the City’s first bicycle signal light, directing bicyclists heading northbound into Downtown Denver. The City’s first buffered bike lane is on Champa Street, also in Downtown Denver, where striped paint separates the bike lane and the auto traffic.
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Bicycle Mode Share
Of the major U.S. cities, Denver ranks 6th for those who bike to work.
The Downtown Denver Partnership estimates that approximately 6% of Downtown Denver employees bike to work. 20 According to the 2010 Census, the City of Denver’s bicycle mode share for those who bike to -2010 ACS Data, Cities over 400,000, Means of Transportation to Work. work was 2.2%, or 13,297 people.21 Downtown Denver bicycle commuters bicycle comprise 6.34% of all Downtown commuters and their average one-way commute is 3.57 miles. 22 According to the Almost 7,000 employees Downtown Denver Commuter Survey, these commuters value secure bicycle commute into bicycle parking (96%), flexible work hours (89%), and the Eco-Pass, 23 Downtown Denver every day. transit pass (85%). Downtown bicycle commuters have access to shower facilities (61%), secure bicycle parking offered by employers -Downtown Denver Commuter Survey, 2011 (83%), and transit passes offered by employers (65%). 24 Transit passes allow bicyclists to combine bicycle and transit trips or to use transit as a back-up mode of transportation if conditions do not allow for bicycling. Incentives for bicycle commuting such as shower facilities and secure bike parking may also play a role in one’s decision to bike to work. 25
Bicycle Mode Share Comparison
Downtown Denver Mode Share: 2011; Most recent data for Denver City, MSA, and Portland/USA Census Data are from 2010.
7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0%
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When coming into Downtown Denver for non-work purposes, 6.63% of Downtown Denver employees rode their bicycles. Bicycling and walking for non-work trips have both been on the rise over the past few years.
Non-Work Means of Travel to Downtown Denver Source: Downtown Denver Commuter Survey 2009-2011
40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%
33.36%
30.64% 16.48% 1.95%
6.63% 5.13%
5.81%
2009 2010 2011
Bicycling Non-Work Trips by Downtown Denver Commuters
Source: Downtown Denver Commuter Survey 2009-2011
8% 6%
Downtown Denver has had increasing rates of bicycling over the last three years, as indicated by the graph to the left.
4% 2% 0% 2009
2010
2011
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Downtown Denver Bicycle Counts The Alliance for Biking and Walking states in their biennial benchmarking report, “What isn’t counted, doesn’t count.” As many cities are left with automobile-oriented infrastructure from the post-World War II era, cities must now consciously decide to include other modes of transportation into their built environment and to design “complete streets,” meant to include all users: bicyclists, walkers, transit users and drivers. Cities and downtowns often have to “make the case” for bicycling. Bicycle counts are used to measure baseline activity and changes in usage after infrastructure improvements are made. The National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project has set forth a consistent counting methodology so that counts can be collected and compared in a reliable manner from city to city and in hopes of creating a national database of count information. This project came about in response to one of the greatest challenges in the bicycle field: the lack of documentation on usage and demand. 26 This protocol includes counting during peak hours (7-9 a.m. and either 4-6 p.m or 5-7 p.m.), collecting data in 15-minute intervals, and counting on regular weekdays (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). Since peak hour counts are estimated to be 10% of the traffic volume, these 2-hour counts can eventually be used to estimate daily and annual volumes. Bicycle counts can also be used to document changes in behavior related to the built environment with before and after counts. Future research will touch on before and after counts along Downtown Denver’s “Ambassador” street, 14th Street. The 14th Street streetscaping initiative was completed in December 2011, with improvements to the built environment including new bike lanes, trees, benches, lighting, wider sidewalks, improved crosswalks and wayfinding signage. At this site, bicycle ridership can be compared before and after the installation of the bike lane. From 2010 to 2012, there have already been increases in ridership on 14th Street (See Appendix 3), but for direct comparisons, counts will be conducted in fall 2012. Other sites do not include before and after comparisons, but may still compare ridership over time or may serve as baseline data points. The Downtown Denver Partnership staff and interns conducted bicycle counts in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Dr. Krista Nordback, Ph.D. at the University of Colorado at Denver, conducted counts in 2011 with volunteers during the 2011 count days set by the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation project. Dr. Nordback’s downtown bicycle count data is included in this report. The City and County of Denver also provided automatic count data for 16th Street and Grant.
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General Trends 16th and Broadway Bicycle ridership has increased over time, especially along the 16th 80% Male Bicyclists Avenue bicycle lane intersecting at Broadway, a main entryway into 20% Female Bicyclists Downtown Denver. Bicycle commuting in Downtown is maledominated, as it is nationally, but ridership by women is slowly increasing over time (see 17th and Champa in the Appendices). Jennifer Bicyclists wearing a Helmet: 40% Dill, Associate Professor at the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban -Downtown Denver Partnership Bicycle Counts, 2011 Studies & Planning in Portland, Oregon, reveals through her research that women are an “indicator species” in that once women feel safe and comfortable bicycling and start making trips, bicycling will increase as a viable mode of transportation in a city. In Downtown Denver, bicycle counts show that at 12th and Bannock, female ridership has increased after the implementation of the various bicycle facilities and connections created at and around that location. Furthermore, female ridership is also close to 30% along the Cherry Creek Trail in Downtown Denver, an off-street, separated facility. These statistics indicate that the addition of bicycle facilities in Denver may be making it a more female-friendly place to bicycle, and thus a more bicycle friendly destination for everyone. Individual Count Sites 16th Avenue and Broadway (Cleveland Triangle)
Peak Hour (7-9am) Bicycle Counts at 16th Ave and Broadway Downtown Denver Partnership Bicycle Counts
250 200 150
2009
100
2010
50
2011
0
2012
16th and Broadway, or the “Cleveland Triangle” in Downtown Denver is a key entry way into Downtown for bicycle commuters. In September 2011, the Downtown Denver Partnership conducted a count and observations at 16th Ave and Broadway. At this site, DDP staff counted 130 total morning bicyclists and 190 total evening bicyclists. In the morning, 67% of bicyclists used the street and/or bike lanes rather than the sidewalk; 67% were not 7
wearing a helmet; 56% were going westbound; 71% waited for the light to change before crossing. In the evening, 75% of bicyclists used the street and/or bike lanes rather than the sidewalk; 68% were not wearing a helmet; 49% were going eastbound; and 88% waited at the light before crossing. 16th Avenue and Grant Street Bike Lane Continuous count data from the City and County of Denver shows that the 16th Avenue bike lane clearly exhibits a commuter trend during the 7-9am and 4-6pm timeslot. Iteris video counters are placed on both bicycle lanes at 16th Avenue and Grant, recording the number of bicyclists who pass over it. The graph below shows the average eastbound, westbound and total traffic on the 16th Avenue bicycle lane. Data has also revealed that bicycle traffic is higher on weekdays, indicating this is primarily a commuting facility. Average Hourly Count by Time of Day on 16th at Grant
Average Hourly Count
Data from the City and County of Denver, 2012; Data Analysis by Dr. Krista Nordback, 2012.
160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
Eastbound Westbound Total
Time
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Bicycle counts at 16th and Grant also show that ridership is higher in the summer and fall than it is in the winter.
Average Daily Bicyclists by Month on 16th at Grant
Data from the City and County of Denver, 2012; Data analysis by Dr. Krista Nordback, 2012.
1400
Average Daily Bicyclists
1200 1000 800
Eastbound Westbound Total
600 400 200 0 January
March
May
July
September
November
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14th and Bannock Streets Investment along Bannock Street, in the Golden Triangle neighborhood, has led to it becoming a premier route for bicyclists accessing Downtown Denver from the south. Bannock Street has a bicycle lane that connects to the City’s first cycletrack and is also the location of Denver’s first bicycle traffic signal. In fall 2011, an observation of the intersection was conducted by the Downtown Denver Partnership. In the morning (7-9am), there were 57 bicyclists traveling through 14th and Bannock. It was a cold, gray, and wet morning with rain forecasted for the day, which may have influenced the volume of bicycle traffic. 53% of bicyclists rode on the street and/or bike lane while 47% were on the sidewalk; 53% wore a helmet; 58% were traveling northbound into Downtown Denver; 62.5% ran a red light instead of waiting for the light to change (before the installation of the bicycle signal). In the evening (5-7pm), there were 152 bicyclists traveling through 14th and Bannock. More counts are needed to determine if the evening is always busier than the morning. 74% of riders were on the street and/or bike lane; 65% wore a helmet; 49% were traveling southbound and 32% were traveling eastbound; 76% ran the red light instead of waiting for it to change. In spring 2012, after a bicycle stop light had been installed and the inclusion of the bike lane continuation through the intersection, this intersection has become safer and easier to navigate or bicyclists. An after study will be conducted in fall 2012 to complement the before study conducted in 2011.
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Cherry Creek Trail at 14th Street and Market Street This site had very high ridership figures, with 556 morning bicyclists in August 2011 and 657 evening bicyclists in May 2011. An analysis was done of the May bicyclists and it was found that 72% were males and 28% were females. 87.5% of those on the offramp were going toward Downtown and 12.50% were heading toward Auraria. 66.6% of all bicyclists on the trail were wearing helmets, a much higher percentage than that of on-street bicyclists. Helmet use was almost reversed along the trail compared to the street. For example, at a 2011 count at 16th and Broadway, 68% of bicyclists did not wear a helmet.
Downtown Denver Bicycling Measuring bicycle ridership in Downtown Denver is a key part of analyzing bicycle trends. The Downtown Denver Partnership will continue to count bicyclists during peak hours, share data with other stakeholders in the city, and advocate for additional bicycle infrastructure. With its growing ridership figures, growing number of bicycle facilities, and growing numbers of women bicyclists, Downtown Denver is poised to become a leader for bicycling.
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1
Pucher, John and Buehler, Ralph. “Cycling to work in 90 large American cities: new evidence on the role of bike paths and lanes.” TRANSPORTATION, Volume 39, Number 2 (2012), 409-432, DOI: 10.1007/s11116-011-9355-8.; Downtown Denver Partnership, “Downtown Denver: A Magnet for the Future Workforce,” 2012. 2 Bikes Belong, 2012. 3 United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2012. 4 Driscol, Emily. “Gen Y Steering Clear of Car Ownership.” Fox Business. 21 January 2011. 5 CO PIRG Foundation and Frontier Group. “Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People Are Driving Less and What It Means for Transportation Policy.” April 2012. 6 Alliance for Biking and Walking. “Bicycling and Walking in the United States, 2012 Benchmarking Report,” p. 21. 7 National Household Travel Survey, 2009. 8 Downtown Denver Partnership. “Downtown Denver: A Magnet for the Future Workforce.” 2012, p. 11. 9 CO PIRG Foundation and Frontier Group. “Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People Are Driving Less and What It Means for Transportation Policy.” April 2012. 10 CO PIRG Foundation and Frontier Group. “Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People Are Driving Less and What It Means for Transportation Policy.” April 2012. 11 League of American Bicyclists. Denver, CO, Silver Ranking. Web: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/communities/bfc_denver.php. Accessed 27 June 2012. 12 Bicycling Magazine. http://m.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/bicyclings-top-50. 2012. 13 2010 American Community Survey, Cities over 400,000, Means of Transportation to Work. 14 City and County of Denver, 2012. Web: http://www.denvergov.org/WalkingandJoggingTrails/tabid/432299/Default.aspx. Accessed 27 June 2012. 15 Downtown Denver Area Plan, 2007. 16 City and County of Denver Data, 2012. 17 Pucher, John and Buehler, Ralph. “Cycling to work in 90 large American cities: new evidence on the role of bike paths and lanes.” TRANSPORTATION, Volume 39, Number 2 (2012), 409-432, DOI: 10.1007/s11116-011-9355-8. 18 Commute Seattle, 2012. 19 Geller, Roger. “The 4 Types of Cyclists.” Portland Dept of Transportation. 2009.. 20 Downtown Denver Partnership, Downtown Denver Commuter Survey, 2011. 21 US Census Data, Means of Transportation to Work, 2010. 22 Downtown Denver Partnership, Downtown Denver Commuter Survey, 2011. 23 Downtown Denver Partnership, Downtown Denver Commuter Survey, 2011. 24 Downtown Denver Partnership, Downtown Denver Commuter Survey, 2011. 25 Downtown Denver Partnership, Downtown Denver Commuter Survey, 2011. 26 National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project. 2012. th
This document is a publication of the Downtown Denver Partnership, 511 16 Street, Suite 200, Denver, Colorado, Phone: 303.534.6116. This report was created by the Downtown Denver Research Department: John Desmond- Executive Vice President of Urban Planning and Environment, Aylene McCallum- Transportation and Research Manager, and Cole E. JudgeDowntown Research Coordinator.
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Appendix 1: Count Sites
Bicycle Count Sites
Downtown Denver Partnership 2-Hour Bicycle Counts Number of Date Site Time Bicyclists Aug-10
Bannock/14th and Colfax
7-9am
57
Aug-10
14th and Lawrence
7-9am
72
Aug-10
14th and Lawrence
4-6pm
105
Sep-10
14th and Lawrence
7-9am
75
Aug-10
14th and Glenarm
7-9am
77
Aug-10
14th and Glenarm
4-6pm
150
Sep-10
14th and Glenarm
7-9am
96
Mar-11
15th and Glenarm
7-9am
75
Mar-11
15th and Glenarm
4-6pm
112
Mar-11
15th and Lawrence
7-9am
49
Mar-11
15th and Lawrence
4-6pm
105
Mar-11
16th and Sherman
7-9am
166
Mar-11
16th and Sherman
4-6pm
153
Mar-11
15th and Wewatta
7-9am
50
Mar-11
15th and Wewatta
4-6pm
99
Apr-11
12th and Bannock
7-9am
71
Apr-11
12th and Bannock
4-6pm
151
Apr-11
17th and Champa
7-9am
95
Apr-11
17th and Champa
4-6pm
71
May-11
19th and Arapahoe
7-9am
53
Apr-11
19th and Arapahoe
4-6pm
62
Apr-11
15th and Lawrence
7-9am
76
Apr-11
15th and Lawrence
4-6pm
101
Jul-11
15th and Glenarm
7-9am
131
Jul-11
15th and Glenarm
4-6pm
215
Aug-11
14th and Market (Cherry Creek Trail)
7-9am
556
May-11
14th and Market (Cherry Creek Trail)
4-6pm
657
Mar-12
17th and Champa
7-9am
74
Mar-12
17th and Champa
4-6pm
147
Apr-12
19th and Arapahoe
7-9am
53
Apr-12
19th and Arapahoe
4-6pm
76
Apr-12
12th and Bannock
7-9am
130
Apr-12
12th and Bannock
4-6pm
227
Apr-12
14th and Lawrence
7-9am
123
Apr-12
14th and Lawrence
4-6pm
91
Apr-12
15th and Wynkoop
7-9am
165
Apr-12
15th and Wynkoop
4-6pm
231
Apr-12
14th and Glenarm
7-9am
84
Apr-12
14th and Glenarm
4-6pm
170
Apr-12
16th and Broadway
7-9am
178
Bicycle Count Sites
University of Colorado Denver 1-Hour Bicycle Counts Date
Site
Time
Number of Bicyclists
9/15/2011
10th & Logan
5:00 PM
61
9/15/2011
11th & Pearl
5:00 PM
67
9/27/2011
12th & Bannock
4:00 PM
247
9/15/2011
12th & Broadway
5:00 PM
84
9/15/2011
12th & Pennsylvania
5:00 PM
172
9/27/2011
12th & Sherman
4:00 AM
256
9/15/2011
12th & Washington
5:00 PM
105
9/13/2011
13th & Broadway
5:00 PM
107
9/27/2011
13th & Lincoln
4:00 PM
58
9/15/2011
14th & Arapahoe
5:00 PM
115
9/15/2011
14th & Colfax
5:00 PM
93
9/21/2011
14th & Elati
4:00 PM
58
9/15/2011
14th & Grant
5:00 PM
95
9/15/2011
14th & Pennsylvania
4:55 PM
86
9/15/2011
14th & Bannock
5:00 PM
273
9/15/2011
15th & Colfax
5:00 PM
61
9/22/2011
15th & Glenarm
5:00 PM
149
9/14/2011
15th & Glenarm
5:00 PM
27
9/13/2011
15th & Lawrence
5:00 PM
185
9/15/2011
15th & Wynkoop
5:00 PM
160
9/21/2011
16th & Broadway
5:00 PM
136
10/6/2011
16th & Cleveland
4:00 PM
97
9/15/2011
16th & Lincoln
5:00 PM
184
9/15/2011
16th & Pearl
5:00 PM
223
9/15/2011
17th & Emerson
5:00 PM
50
9/15/2011
17th & Logan
5:00 PM
81
9/13/2011
17th & Wynkoop
5:00 PM
134
9/16/2011
18th & Arapahoe
5:00 PM
70
9/14/2011
18th & Broadway
5:00 PM
47
9/14/2011
18th & Wynkoop
5:00 PM
130
9/15/2011
19th & California
5:00 PM
55
9/16/2011
7th & Clarkson
5:00 PM
56
9/13/2011
7th & Sherman
5:00 PM
101
9/15/2011
Bassett Street & Little Raven Street
5:00 PM
58
9/29/2011
Colfax & Glenarm & 12th St.
4:15 PM
106
9/15/2011
Colfax & Pennsylvania
5:00 PM
102
10/4/2011
Speer SB & Colfax
4:00 PM
45
10/4/2011
SpeerNB & Colfax
4:00 PM
68
9/13/2011
SpeerSB/Elati/11th
5:00 PM
94
9/15/2011
20th St. & Curtis St.
5:00 PM
47
Appendix 2: Count Maps
Downtown Denver Partnership 2010 Bicycle Count Locations
Downtown Denver Partnership 2011 Bicycle Count Locations
Downtown Denver Partnership and University of Colorado at Denver Count Locations, 2011
Downtown Denver Partnership 2012 Bicycle Count Locations