Boulder envisions its bike future

From the Boulder Daily Camera, 09.08.07:

Boulder bike summit aiming high
Gathering focuses on the future of cycling in Boulder

Suppose you fall asleep and don't wake up for 20 years.

When you finally snap out of your slumber, Time Magazine has done a cover story titled, "Boulder: America's Best Bicycle City." What would the article look like?

That was the hypothetical scenario posed to more than 100 of Boulder County's influential bike- and recreation-oriented people Friday. The city's Go Boulder transit program brought them together for the Boulder Bike Summit, a discussion about what could make Boulder a better place for bikes in the next 20 years.

The city is already nationally known as a bike-friendly town, but those gathered for the summit at the Outlook Hotel wanted to make it even friendlier.

"There is a whole laundry list (of topics discussed), and I'm not exactly sure what is going to come out of it," City Councilman Shaun McGrath said. "But what I hope comes out of it is the vision that encompasses all the things that can take us to a new era." (Read more.)

Boulder, Colorado, is already a visionary city for bicycling, earning a Gold level award from the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly Communities program. And the city isn't resting on its laurels.

Topics at the summit mentioned in this article included car-free streets, bike service stations, education initiatives, better transit integration, additional trail development, and more recreational and sport cycling promotion. Creating a vision, and continually pushing the envelope, is an important component of any advocacy effort.

I have to wonder if a similar summit might help cities like Davis, California, which appears to have stagnated in recent years in terms of bicycling innovation. Perhaps a prod to such envisioning might come from this week's Walk Bike California conference in Davis.

Image: Web capture. Downtown Boulder bike facilities.
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips