This is Bill Spriggs here reporting on the first BIKE EIBER 'ambassador tour' of the West Rail Line from Lakewood Colorado, heading east toward downtown Denver. This was a combination leisurely bike ride and a data gathering event as yours truly was also collecting Google addresses for the light rail stations (see below) and to map out the best bike route to the Auraria Campus.
Plan was to go beyond the Federal - Decatur station and to map out the route under Interstate 25 that would take us into the Auraria Campus via Walnut Street, and upon reaching our destination there, we were planning on returning via RTD bus transit. But because we remembered that the Race For The Cure was developing and would disrupt bus schedules along Colfax Avenue, we decided to return via the same route.
Temp was 29 degrees at the start, but with a bright Colorado sunny day, it was a pleasant 50 degrees at the finish. A very nice ride indeed.
Unfortunately, I have to report that two short sections of the bike path route are blocked from Harlan Street (6000 West) to Depew Street (5600 West) (Shhh...we rode around the barriers), and also the path that the Tour de FasTracks took under the Sheridan Street Bridge which heads east and will connect to West Wells Place and on to the Perry Street Station is a complete dirt pile under construction -- we had to dismount and walk through the section.
These "interruptions" in the bike path make it more certain that there are no plans to "officially" open the bike path until the West Rail Line on April 26, 2013. We are in this "Dead Zone" of responsibility where, even though one agency has completed the construction, the new agency responsible for bike path maintenance does not want to dip into its coffers until April 26, 2013. Sigh.
Next tour is leaving Sunday Morning, October 14th. Call for a reservation or hit the "reply" button.
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Another part of the 'Ambassador Tour' was the collecting of Google addresses of the various light rail stations.
Below, are the current addresses that I have been able to recover from the light rail stations previously and with this tour. Since the addresses below were collected from 'Kiss-n-Ride' Stations (no parking garages), I do believe that once the Park-n-Ride garages are completed, (such as in the Golden-Gov't Station), then that will be the Google address. Stay tuned.
Heading west from downtown:
>Auraria West Campus Station
[ not available yet ]
>Federal-Decatur Station
[not available yet]
>Knox Court Station:
1245 North Knox Court
>Perry Street Station:
1199 North Perry Street
>Sheridan Street Station
[not available yet]
>Lamar Street Station:
6363 West 13th Avenue
>Lakewood - Wadsworth Station
[not available yet]
>Garrison Street Station:
9091 West 13th Avenue
>Oak Street Station:
1351 Oak Street
>Federal Center:
11601 West 2nd Place
>Red Rocks Community College:
13400 West 6th Ave
>Jefferson County Government Center - Golden Station: 605 Johnson Road
(Address on Park-n-Ride Facade)
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Included below are two bicycle related articles I found and wanted to share with you.
So what are the future plans for BIKE EIBER??
>Bike tours of the West Rail Line from Lakewood to Denver and return via Bus.
>Bike Rodeos for Kids
>Walk/Bike to School participation.
>Individual instructions on using your bicycle on the bus/light rail
>Bike to the Rockies games (2013 & beyond)
>Encourage and guide elementary school teachers to use public transit and bicycles so that they encourage their students.
>Encourage and guide senior citizens to take daily trips to the grocery store of their choice.
>Advocating for bicycle infrastructure and signage to make cyclists feel safer, thus encouraging more riders.
>Encourage the 55,000 registered students attending the six major institutions of learning along the West Rail Line to live in Lakewood, Colorado and commute via bicycle.
>Encourage apartment owners to become "bicycle friendly."
>Short, easy daily and weekly rides along the new bike path
>Encourage bike tourism between Denver, Lakewood & Golden via the new bike path.
>Study the feasibility of BBB's (Bikes, Bed & Breakfast) along the West Corridor.
>Locate a quarterly meeting place fro BIKE EIBER before FasTracks opens April 26, 2013.
>Continue to advocate for a public/private bike depot facility at 1301 Garrison St. to promote safety in the neighborhood.
If you have any suggestions or questions, you can merely hit the "reply" button or call my cell phone (Please, no calls after 7pm)
