Eyes on the Street: Broadway Gets a Pop-Up Protected Bike Lane

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A rider takes one of the first rides on Broadway’s temporary protected bike lane. Plastic bollards or dinky plants won’t actually protect anyone from a car, but they’ll help get people used to the idea of a street for every type of traveler. Photo: BikeDenver

Today marked the first visible step in what could be Denver’s most important bike infrastructure project: a protected, two-way bike lane that runs north to south on Broadway. This morning, Mayor Michael Hancock, the Department of Public Works, BikeDenver, and South Broadway merchants launched a temporary version of the bike lane between 1st Avenue and Bayaud Street to show people the possibilities.

The demo, which BikeDenver dubbed “Bikes on Broadway,” reallocates one travel lane to give people on bikes a place to ride. It’ll last all weekend, and Streetsblog Denver will report the results of the pop-up next week — how many people rode it, whether it reduced speeding, and economic impacts — next week.

For now, check out photos from the first day of Bikes on Broadway:

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Mayor Michael Hancock launches Bikes on Broadway. Photo: BikeDenver
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Signs, paint, and some plastic pylons is all it took to show Denverites the potential on Broadway. Photo: BikeDenver
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Department of Public Works planner Dan Raine gets his hands dirty. Photo: Twitter via Nathan Batchelder 
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Photo: BikeDenver
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BikeDenver Executive Director Molly North. Photo: BikeDenver

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