Bike to Work

June is Colorado Bike to Work Month and Wednesday, June 26 is Bike to Work Day!  GVB and GJ City staff are dedicated to an even more awesome celebration this year and will begin coordinating on Thursday, March 21 at 5:30pm in the Mesa Land Trust meeting room, at the northeast corner of 10^th & Main.  See you there!

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TBD Colorado

Governor Hickenlooper has an online forum to discuss transportation and education issues.  Join in the conversation at http://www.etbdcolorado.org/

Roads built for cars will result in traffic, but if you build roads for people you will get a livable community.  Some GVB board members attended a TBD Colorado meeting yesterday and emphasized the need for safe walking and biking options everywhere cars are.  We also suggested active transportation for students as a “two-for-one” solution, since 25% of vehicles in rush hour traffic are parents bringing children to school and kids who are regularly active tend to do better in school and on tests.  School District 51 board members, county commissioners, the governor’s staff, GVB and many other important players had a great dialogue-you should join the conversation online. 

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Got Debris (where you want to bicycle)?

Spring is here, and the City of Grand Junction would like to make bike lanes safer for you.  Use the Fix-It Form on the City website at www.gjcity.org to report exact locations of bike lanes that are filled with debris.  They'll send a street sweeper to clean them off.

Trail Pledge

We are proud to report a full house of 150 people for last Friday's inaugural Trails Summit. There was energetic dialogue on a range of livability topics by a diverse mix of attendees, and we are confident the seeds of positive change are germinating. 

You can help! Click here to sign the Trail Pledge and add your name to the gigantic list of locals who want a more safe and connected network of bike lanes and sidewalks in our Grand Valley. This will be presented to our local officials as part of the Trails Summit Final Report.

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Trail Pledge

There are many aspects to a vibrant, livable community, not the least of which is creating safe, efficient and enjoyable walking and bicycling opportunities. The Grand Valley’s topography and climate are ideal for bicycling and walking as a viable transportation choice and for recreation. A walkable and bike-friendly community has positive impacts on the local economy and stimulates economic development by making the area attractive for business relocation and retention and tourism, as well as for residents who enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle. Walkable/bikeable communities have been shown to improve citizens’ health, well-being and quality of life, to boost community spirit and livability, to improve traffic safety, and to reduce pollution and congestion.

I support local efforts to encourage a vibrant, healthy lifestyle through active transportation and recreation, allowing people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to walk and bike easily, safely and regularly in our community.

GJ Walking & Biking Trail Summit

Yes, you read correctly! Join GVB for the inaugural Trails Summit to highlight the importance of a walkable and bikable community here in our Grand Valley.  The Summit will bring together local businesses, leaders, engineers and citizens as well as a national visionary, Dan Burden!  Register at www.trailsummit.com today and be part of the conversation on March 8th!

 

Click on the poster to enlarge it and email us at grandvalleybikes@gmail.com to receive a poster to hang at work.

Grand Valley Bikes , your local 501c3 bicycle advocacy organization, applauds the City of Grand Junction of setting their goal to be “The Most Livable Community West of the Rockies” by 2025.  We appreciate the added bike lanes, sidewalks, wider shoulders, and trails that have been added as new projects have been built. The continuation of the Riverfront trail has been an outstanding example of adding to the livability of the Grand Valley. We encourage the City Council to continue adding multimodal facilities to create safer pedestrian and biking in Grand Junction and to continue toward being the Most Livable Community West of the Rockies.

GVB has seen many issues come up that highlight the need for pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure around district 51 schools, community parks, east-west bicycle corridors and connectivity to those areas. There is now an opportunity to improve and clean up some of the problem areas that have developed in past years. The City of Grand Junction is asking Grand Junction voters for permission to retain tax revenues to continue to fund projects that benefit the community and the economy. The full story can be found on the city's website.

A livable community allows everyone to move around safely, especially those that aren’t driving including elderly populations and school-age children. We want to welcome a burgeoning retirement community, who may target the Grand Valley as home, as well as young professionals looking for a great place to move to and raise children. A walkable, bikeable, livable community benefits all ages of people and improves the economy, health and of our community.

PLEASE take the two-question online survey. Perhaps suggest the City take this opportunity to make our Grand Valley The Most Livable Community West of the Rockies by 2025 by devoting upcoming funds for multimodal transportation infrastructure in areas where problems currently exist.

We want 100 miles of bikes lanes for Christmas

How would you improve the community of Grand Junction if you had $100 million dollars to spend?

The City of Grand Junction is asking Grand Junction voters for permission to retain tax revenues to continue to fund projects that benefit the community and the economy.  The full background story about the funds can be found on the City of Grand Junction’s website at http://www.gjcity.org/Administration.aspx?id=2147530954.

The two leading project ideas on the table target car-based investments and, we believe, don’t accomplish the city’s goal of becoming “The Most Livable Community West of the Rockies” by 2025.

Grand Valley Bikes has seen many issues come up that support the need for pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure around D51 schools, community parks, and just about everywhere you want to go in the Grand Valley. The City Council should be encouraged to add bike lanes, sidewalks and trails as a major component to any potential plans. (We’d like to see 100 more miles of bike lanes, but you can't get everything you want for Christmas.) A walkable, bikable, livable community benefits all ages of people and improves the health, environment and economy of our Grand Valley.

Please! Contact City Council and give your opinion:

1) Attend the Open House

Thursday December 6 at the Two Rivers Convention Center from 4-7pm

2) Take the online survey and give written comments

http://grandjunction.us.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9zRoABN5B4Hlfal

We know the holiday season is busy and fun and open houses are, well, not that fun, but if you love the simple pleasure of bicycling please take the time to comment before December 21.  This is a crucial topic with easy ways to be heard by the City Council.

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Also, on the state-level, CDOT is revising their Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Your input is encouraged through an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XVK9HSS. Deadline to respond is December 21.

Kids Get Schooled on Bike Safety

GVB just finished implementing more bicycle and pedestrian safety programs in our District 51 Elementary Schools.  Tope, Rocky Mountain, Dual Immersion Academy and now Fruitvale have embraced the Safe Routes to School program.  Don't take our word for it, check out the local news coverage by clicking on the links below. 
If your child's school isn't among those listed above, feel free to email us at grandvalleybikes@gmail.com and see if we can add your school to next year's list! 

News Channel 11: http://www.nbc11news.com/news/headlines/Fruitvale-Elementary-students-participate-in-bicycle-rodeo-173188401.html

News Channel 5: http://www.krextv.com/news/around-the-region/Kids-Get-Schooled-on-Bike-Safety-173222381.html 

Sept. 29 Junk Ride

The pedal-powered litter reduction effort along Rim Rock Drive was awesome!  Thanks to the GVB folks who helped make it happen on the bike seat, the NPS staff behind the scenes, REI for organizing a full spread of lunch and prizes, and the herd of bighorn sheep who yielded at the roadside to let us continue eastbound.
I look forward to next year's Public Lands Day and to coordinate something fun with the following weekend's Tour of the Moon.