Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jon Severson on March 29, 2011 at 9:59am

This is an awesome idea. I like how Tim does stuff....just do it. Have a meeting with him soon on this and other things. Excited to see this go.

Permalink Reply by Sean Kelly Holveck on March 29, 2011 at 12:08pm

Yes, let's do more...I'm good for a Sharrow-

Permalink Reply by Jon Severson on March 29, 2011 at 5:23pm

Sean-CSYP is going to do a fundraiser. You up for being on the committee to put it together?

Permalink Reply by Rob Klausch on April 1, 2011 at 11:24am

Tim,

I like the idea and I am sure all cyclists will also. But we are not the ones that will have to change their views on this. Now before anyone jumps on me for being negative, what I am going to say is just the facts as I see them and other road cyclists in Colorado Springs. We've had the 3' rule here now for what almost 2 years and many of us have not seen any real difference in the attitude of drivers vs.cyclists and the police, as much as I respect them, are not really going out of there way to enforce what we already have. Now there are many streets here that I can easily maintain or exceed the posted speed limit, so what do I see happen? As a rule cars will not stay behind me when I take the lane, they will almost always accelerate and and go around me even when I am coming up on intersections. Have had them as I have been merging into a left turn lane still pull around me and then in there most polite gestures let me know what they think of cyclists on the road. Now lets add to this going into Manitou Springs or G.O.G. during tourist season. M.S. can be very dangerous even for the most seasoned riders. Good luck doing training laps in G.O.G during tourist season without being almost run over or having them parked in the right lane so they can do sightseeing things. So I guess my point is what and how are we going to change the already resentful attitudes of the drivers. And I do know there are many cyclists that are going to have to change their way of thinking also, they are not above the rules of the road. I think it will take much more than the signage in the lanes. Again I am not being "NEGATIVE" just giving my thoughts on something that will seriously need to be addressed. Thanks for the cool idea......

Permalink Reply by Jon Severson on April 1, 2011 at 11:32am

Rob,

 

I feel your pain, but I can tell you the 3 Foot law was a joke at best. Only people who know about it are cyclist. Law's without education and enforcement. We have a state law for driving in the right lane except to pass.....yet no one follows it and police don't pull people over for it.

 

Nice thing about Sharrows is they are BIG. I see them when I drive around Denver. They force you to on the spot to thin about it. Always makes me look for cyclists. It's pretty slick. When it's right in your face like that, that's what helps.

 

I think you have valid points on how tough it is to train tourists. I've almost been smoked a few time in Manitou and don't get me started on how bad they are in GOG>

 

BTW-Fundraiser for the project with Tim Leigh at McCabe's April 10th.....same day that the Paris-Roubaix will be on TV, arguably the greatest classic in the world. And my personal favorite race even above the tour :) We'll have a mock up of the project courtesy of Bobby Hill and you'll be able to donate money on the spot. See you there.

Permalink Reply by Travis Duncan on April 1, 2011 at 2:13pm

I love this idea. I like that the Sharrows are big so drivers will know they need to share the road. And thanks for the info. about the fundraiser at McCabe's on April 10.

Permalink Reply by Brian McCarrie on April 1, 2011 at 8:20pm

Hey Jon, the fund raiser is a great idea. Thanks for stepping up. I'm there with cash in hand,

 

Hey Rob, you're absolutely right, these sharrows may not solve all the problems cyclists have with motorists BUT I think they can be a PART of the bigger solution. 3 foot rule, sharrows, The Quiznos Pro Challenge, and all the local rides and races. All of this stuff creates more awareness. Awareness is what we need.

 

Unfortunately there will never be an answer to riding in Manitou or Garden of the Gods during tourist season. The only answer I've found is to avoid those parts of town during certain times of the year. This is really difficult for me because I live right next to the Garden.

 

I still believe that we need a full on awareness media campaign. Some big signs on all the major roads as you enter town. Something that says "Colorado Springs is a cycling friendly city, please watch for bikes". Then we need a drive time radio campaign to create more awareness. Then we need TV ads on during the news all with the same message.

 

All pieces to the same puzzle.

Permalink Reply by Rob Klausch on April 3, 2011 at 11:11am

Awareness, I agree totally. If there is a media campaign it should be heavily directed towards the BENEFITS to the drivers. NOT just telling them here is the sign and this is the way it is going to be. It will be a long slow education. Billboards through the city especially around the tourist ares, maybe encouraging them to stop and ask a cyclist for directions if lost or for a great little place to eat or see. And we are going to need to be that asset to the community. We need to create a symbiotic relationship with the drivers around town. So I guess that was my point that there will have to more than just painting signs in the road. Plus making sure any political decision will make sure that this goal is achieved. And any political hopefuls should know they need to support us, we are a very large part of the community.

Permalink Reply by Jon Severson on April 4, 2011 at 2:43pm

 

It's official, Front Range Cyclist will be doing a Fundraiser for the "Sharrow Project" this Sunday, April 10th!!

 

3:30pm-7pm 10% of all sales (food and drink) will go back to the "Sharrow Project" to buy and install Sharrows

Money will also be collected during this time should you want to also make a donation on the spot. Checks preferred, cash accepted however. Ever penny counts.

 

Bonus:

Legendary Spring Classic "Paris-Roubaix" will be on all 4 TV's starting at 5pm with sound!

Unofficial Post Mountain States Cup Party. Celebrate the amazing cyclists in town that will be racing the Mountain States Cup that day. Working on special for those who bring in their number plate.

Permalink Reply by Jon Severson on April 4, 2011 at 2:43pm

here is the link to the event:

http://www.pikespeaksports.us/events/frc-sharrow
Jon Severson said:

 

It's official, Front Range Cyclist will be doing a Fundraiser for the "Sharrow Project" this Sunday, April 10th!!

 

3:30pm-7pm 10% of all sales (food and drink) will go back to the "Sharrow Project" to buy and install Sharrows

Money will also be collected during this time should you want to also make a donation on the spot. Checks preferred, cash accepted however. Ever penny counts.

 

Bonus:

Legendary Spring Classic "Paris-Roubaix" will be on all 4 TV's starting at 5pm with sound!

Unofficial Post Mountain States Cup Party. Celebrate the amazing cyclists in town that will be racing the Mountain States Cup that day. Working on special for those who bring in their number plate.

Permalink Reply by April on April 14, 2011 at 10:39am

First of all, I want to say how psyched I am about this project. As someone who moved to the Springs recently from a town that does a amazing job of attracting a "young, creative class", I was sad to see that the Springs seems to suffer in this area. This town has so much to offer in natural beauty, proximity to the mountains, etc. that it seems a shame that it doesn't attract a more permanent, youthful, energetic population. Every little bit helps, and I think this project could be a great step toward that goal.

That being said, my husband and I were disappointed to show up at the Fundraiser last Sunday and find no mention of the event anywhere at the bar. I had money in hand to buy "my" sharrow, but I was not given a single clue about who to give it to, and no one seemed especially interested in taking it from me. (I certainly wasn't going to hand it over to the first guy in spandex that I saw and Tim Leigh, I'm sorry, I don't know what you look like.) If the response is, "you could have just asked someone at the bar", my response is that we DID ask the wait staff, who didn't even know the event was going on, and then all they could confirm was that the race coverage would be on the TV at 5pm.

There were plenty of open tables at the front of the bar. (A FRC sign maybe? A little eye contact? Understanding it's a bar, but seriously...there are ways, and it would have cost nothing.) We ended up sitting at one of those empty tables with another off-put couple we met that evening. We watched the entirety of the Paris-Roubaix coverage with another set of friends who we invited for the explicit purpose of attending the fundraiser, without a single person approaching us all evening to identify themselves as part of it.

Anyway, my check for $109 is still in hand. I could mail it in, yes, but because this event gave me the feeling that I was somehow crashing a party just to sit in the corner and sip my beer quietly - a feeling I've had before here in the Springs at cycling-related events, and one that I NEVER would have had in my old hometown - I am now curious if the cycling community in this town is able to, or wants to, connect at all with the community at large, even the easiest of targets like myself, and would be interested to see an occurrence of that. If not, this cause is likely a failure before it gets started. So c'mon "creative class", when's the next fundraiser?

Jon Severson said:

 

It's official, Front Range Cyclist will be doing a Fundraiser for the "Sharrow Project" this Sunday, April 10th!!

 

3:30pm-7pm 10% of all sales (food and drink) will go back to the "Sharrow Project" to buy and install Sharrows

Money will also be collected during this time should you want to also make a donation on the spot. Checks preferred, cash accepted however. Ever penny counts.

 

Bonus:

Legendary Spring Classic "Paris-Roubaix" will be on all 4 TV's starting at 5pm with sound!

Unofficial Post Mountain States Cup Party. Celebrate the amazing cyclists in town that will be racing the Mountain States Cup that day. Working on special for those who bring in their number plate.

Permalink Reply by Allen Beauchamp on April 14, 2011 at 12:26pm

April,

 

Thank you for your enthusiasm towards cycling advocacy and supporting the effort to change the image of Colorado Springs. 

 

There is an ongoing project that has been taking place over the past few months being driven by a group of volunteers working on the CDOT Share the Road Task Force in conjunction with the Bicycle Advisory Committee and the city regarding sharrows and a public information plan. They are working on a CDOT grant funded education campaign that will be critical to have in place once the sharrows start appearing.

 

It is almost ready to go and there will be a comprehensive public awareness and education campaign tied to the implementation of the sharrows. This was already in the works and when we received the information about Tim Leigh's Shareway plan, it became quite the joint effort and the project is underway. 

 

We will use a comprehensive media campaign partnering with many of the social networks and standard print/digital means to get the word out.

 

Bike Colorado Springs, Peak Region Cyclist, Pikes Peak Sports and Front Range Cyclist will all be included with the press release info once it becomes available.

 

Regards,

 

Allen Beauchamp

 

 

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page