Mark your calendar and please join us at Kannah Creek Brewery from 5-7pm on Wednesday, December 15th, at the back of the dining room. We’ll toast the good work we accomplished in 2010, and recap what GVB has been up to and let you know where we are going.
Right now we need your help as there are great opportunities to get involved in shaping safe and accessible biking in Mesa County for the next 25 years by commenting on the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Please send an email and feel free to use our suggestions below. All comments can be sent to Ken Simms at Ken.Simms@mesacounty.us.
Grand Valley Bikes believes:
- Grand Junction needs multiple North / South corridors and arterial routes that are safe and accessible for bicyclists. We strongly feel that 1st Street and 7th Street need to be prioritized for improvements.
a. 1st Street – This would be the first and only continuously striped North / South corridor. The existing low volume and speed of cars combined with a relatively low price-tag makes for an irresistible bike route. GVB would like 1st Street included in the top ten non-motorized improvement projects.
b. 7th Street – Our 2009 survey says this is the most frequently bicycled road, yet the fourth-most-difficult place to bicycle. It would connect suburban areas, business district, and downtown to Riverfront Trail and is a great urban north/south corridor. Would probably require infrastructure changes and therefore include a higher price tag.
- Orchard Avenue is a viable East / West corridor that needs improvement so students, families, and commuters can have safe bicycle transport to their destinations. When combined with E ½ Road it connects Clifton, Mesa State College, St. Mary's Hospital, and the Mesa Mall area. It was voted the 2nd Most-Bicycled Route in our survey, but respondents also identify the need for continuously striped lanes for this long-distance and established bike route. Elm Street should be considered in this corridor.
- “Low-hanging fruit” projects that need simple and relatively inexpensive improvements to become great continuous bicycling routes should be prioritized over large and expensive improvements. In brief:
a. Orchard Avenue bike lanes
b. Grand Avenue immediately west of 1st Street where widening could create a safe bike lane through the five-way intersection and provide continuity from shoulders on Grand Avenue to the bike path on Broadway heading west.
c. Broadway/Hwy 340 bike lanes where shoulder space is already provided
d. Bike Lanes on Elm Avenue
e. Connecting 10th Street bike lanes with Cannel Avenue in order to intersect with Orchard Avenue.
- Address core commuting and connecting routes within the Grand Valley, not just recreational paths.
- Off-Street Trails - Our survey suggests off-street “greenways” have the most favorable conditions for and most inviting to bicyclists and should be increased in the Grand Valley.
- Majority of the off-street trails emphasize pleasure rides versus a non-motorized commuter route. Below are the off-street trails that provide a commuter route and we think should be prioritized.---
- Riverfront Trail (Palisade to Fruita)
- Leach Creek Crossing (24 Road)
- Beehive Drain
- 31 Road/ Lewis Wash
- Little Salt Wash
Please email us at grandvalleybikes@gmail.com if you have any questions.
