News
A new bicycle advocacy group wants to make bicycle transportation safer in the valley.
When Jocelyn Mullen and her 5-year-old daughter ride to school from their home in the Redlands, the bike path suddenly ends and the route becomes less safe.
In many areas of town, bike paths “woo you in on either side, but then don't provide safe passage (between the two bike paths),” said Mullen, a founding member of the advocacy group Grand Valley Bikes.
The group is an offshoot of Grand Junction's Urban Trail Committee, an advisory group that works on urban trails issues.
Mullen has been a cyclist for 40 years and has ridden all over the world. The climate and geography of the Grand Valley make it ideal for cycling, but the biking infrastructure could be much better, she said.
“I deal with a lot of people trying to run me off the road,” Mullen said.
Grand Valley Bikes is having an organizational kickoff event April 23 to give cyclists an opportunity to learn how they can help improve the valley's bike infrastructure, and connect with other cyclists.
The local bluegrass band Straygrass will perform at the gathering at the Radio Room, 1310 Ute Ave., from 7-10 p.m. Admission is $10. Children 12 and under are free. Refreshments will be included.
Before the event cyclists are invited to a critical mass bike ride at 6 p.m. The ride will start at Lincoln Park, go through Grand Junction's downtown neighborhood, and end up at the Radio Room at 7 p.m.
“We wanted to create a light-hearted backdrop for biking enthusiasts to get together,” Mullen said.
“We want to bring stakeholders together to talk about all those issues. We want to be an active part of the 2035 regional transportation process.”
The group's priorities include establishing an east-west corridor for commuting, from Palisade to Fruita, and even as far as Mack, Mullen said. A continuous north-south bike path through town also needs to be created, she said.
Last week Mesa County agreed to designate $900,000 for bike and pedestrian trails — one part of an overall list of capital projects for 2010.
“We want to be sure people who are allocating the money are actually getting input from the people who ride the bikes and other non-motorized forms of transportation,” Mullen said. “We're really working to improve biking infrastructure and bicycle safety awareness.”
Grand Valley Bikes is in the process of seeking nonprofit status and is planning future educational and outreach activities, including safety seminars.
People interested in more information about the group can e-mail grandvalleybikes@gmail.com, or visit the Web site www.grandvalleybikes.org.
When Jocelyn Mullen and her 5-year-old daughter ride to school from their home in the Redlands, the bike path suddenly ends and the route becomes less safe.
In many areas of town, bike paths “woo you in on either side, but then don't provide safe passage (between the two bike paths),” said Mullen, a founding member of the advocacy group Grand Valley Bikes.
The group is an offshoot of Grand Junction's Urban Trail Committee, an advisory group that works on urban trails issues.
Mullen has been a cyclist for 40 years and has ridden all over the world. The climate and geography of the Grand Valley make it ideal for cycling, but the biking infrastructure could be much better, she said.
“I deal with a lot of people trying to run me off the road,” Mullen said.
Grand Valley Bikes is having an organizational kickoff event April 23 to give cyclists an opportunity to learn how they can help improve the valley's bike infrastructure, and connect with other cyclists.
The local bluegrass band Straygrass will perform at the gathering at the Radio Room, 1310 Ute Ave., from 7-10 p.m. Admission is $10. Children 12 and under are free. Refreshments will be included.
Before the event cyclists are invited to a critical mass bike ride at 6 p.m. The ride will start at Lincoln Park, go through Grand Junction's downtown neighborhood, and end up at the Radio Room at 7 p.m.
“We wanted to create a light-hearted backdrop for biking enthusiasts to get together,” Mullen said.
“We want to bring stakeholders together to talk about all those issues. We want to be an active part of the 2035 regional transportation process.”
The group's priorities include establishing an east-west corridor for commuting, from Palisade to Fruita, and even as far as Mack, Mullen said. A continuous north-south bike path through town also needs to be created, she said.
Last week Mesa County agreed to designate $900,000 for bike and pedestrian trails — one part of an overall list of capital projects for 2010.
“We want to be sure people who are allocating the money are actually getting input from the people who ride the bikes and other non-motorized forms of transportation,” Mullen said. “We're really working to improve biking infrastructure and bicycle safety awareness.”
Grand Valley Bikes is in the process of seeking nonprofit status and is planning future educational and outreach activities, including safety seminars.
People interested in more information about the group can e-mail grandvalleybikes@gmail.com, or visit the Web site www.grandvalleybikes.org.
