Colorado Springs cyclists applaud downtown plan, but drivers may not be cheering – WBNews

In a few months, downtown Colorado Springs will become more walkable and bike-friendly. The prospect was cheered by many in the local biking community who attended an information session Wednesday at the Lon Chaney Theatre about an upcoming downtown road projects, applauding whenever a new bike lane was mentioned. But drivers might not be as enthusiastic – to create space for cyclists, lanes would be reduced and parking spaces removed. Susan Edmondson, CEO of Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, reminded the audience that the Experience Downtown Master Plan “isn’t a bike project.” “It’s about connectivity,” she said. “Whether that person is on foot, in a car, on a bike, on a skateboard, in a wheelchair, walking their dog, whatever it may be. We take all of that into account. Our job downtown is always the pedestrian experience.” The plan calls for completing construction of the U.S. Olympic Museum and a pedestrian bridge linking it to America the Beautiful Park; enhancing streetscapes so the area can serve as a public space for year-around activities and festivals; and converting one-way Bijou and Kiowa streets to two-way east of Cascade Avenue. The installation of new bike lanes and buffered bike lanes could start as early as May and be completed in the fall, said Kathleen Krager, the city’s traffic engineering division. The work will be done on Weber Street from Rio Grande Street to Pikes Peak Avenue; Pikes Peak from Cascade Avenue to Colorado Avenue; Cascade from Colorado to Platte Avenue; and Cucharras…more detail