#StreetFail: No Walking to the Bus Stop, No Biking to the Bike Rack

Sometimes the irony of a #StreetFail is so rich, it’s hard to keep a straight face. The signage at the confluence of Colfax Avenue, 14th Street, and 15th Street is one of those cases.

Before continuing, keep in mind that this snafu occurs in the shadow of the Wellington Webb Building, the central city office where traffic engineers and planners decided these signs were a good idea.

There’s a lot of bike infrastructure near this location — the 14th Street bike lane, the Bannock Street bike lane, and the 15th Street bike lane. The signs you see in the top photo are an attempt to separate bike traffic from foot traffic by directing pedestrians one way and bicyclists the other.

But there’s also a bus stop here, and according to the signs, you’re not allowed to walk on the sidewalk to get to it (though biking and rollerblading is okay).

And then on the sidewalk where people are allowed to walk but not bike, there are a bunch of bike racks. This sidewalk also links directly into the 15th Street bike lane.

Are these signs a real impediment to walking and biking? No. But they’re an example of the disconnect between the instincts of people who plan streets and the instincts of people who use them.

People will always walk and bike the safest, most direct route available. The city’s insistence that people disregard their own common sense to reach their destinations is absurd.

Got a picture or video of something that’s making Denver’s streets better? Worse? Share it on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #SweetStreet or #StreetFail, and we may share it on the blog. You can email me as well.