Tipton Clarifies Rumored Bike Bill
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 Thanks to members who reached out to us with information from a recent Durango Herald article, which referenced a possible statewide bill to reduce funding for bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
Bicycle Colorado reached out to Rep. Scott Tipton, who was quoted in the article, and he assured us that no such bill was in the works. He also said that he is supportive of good bicycling facilities and believes that bicycling is an important part of the overall transportation mix.
As always, Bicycle Colorado is keeping a close eye out for any bike-related bills. Stay tuned to eNews for more information about the current legislative session.
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Bicycle Colorado Rides with State Patrol
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 Scott Christopher, Bicycle Colorado outreach manager, recently joined Master Trooper Shannon Schwanke for a day patrolling Colorado roads. Trooper Schwanke said that he does stop bicyclists, usually to offer education on obeying traffic laws.
“I focus on unsafe situations that could put the bicyclist at risk,” said Schwanke. Most enforcement during the ride-along involved speeding by motorists and expired vehicle registrations. Bicyclists observed during the day were following the rules of the road.
Schwanke has two key messages for the bicycle community: 1) Bicyclists can be ticketed for traffic violations; 2) The best reaction to aggressive motorists is to report the license plate number to theAggressive Driver Hotline (dial *CSP on your cell phone for ColoradoState Patrol).
This full-day experience with the State Patrol was an important component of Bicycle Colorado’s Share the Road program goals of education, communication and collaboration with state law enforcement. Bicycle Colorado thanks the State Patrol for teaching us about their enforcement work and allowing us to directly observe it on the road.
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Bill Addresses Safer Streets for Children
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 The 2010 Colorado legislative session just began and already legislators are discussing a safer streets bill. Sponsored by Rep. John Kefalas and Sen. Bob Bacon, House Bill 1147 makes a bicycle and pedestrian safety curriculum available to schools statewide, puts the state’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Policy into law, and prevents injuries by having minors wear safety helmets when using non-motorized wheeled transportation.
One major focus of the bill is reducing injuries from non-motorized wheeled transportation. Education, safety equipment, and non-motorized accommodations on roads are important factors to reducing injuries. HB 1147 covers each area while avoiding additional fines for youths (and their parents) who are not wearing helmets and removing any additional liability for a non-helmeted crash victim.
Bicycle Colorado works constantly to improve children’s safety on roads and thanks Rep. Kefalas and Sen. Bacon for wanting safer roads for children.
Stay tuned to Bicycle Colorado’s eNews for updates on this bill and its upcoming votes during the session.
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Colorado Ranks High in New Bicycling Report
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 Colorado is the fourth highest state in percent of commuters cycling to work, according to a report by the Alliance for Biking & Walking. “Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.” shows that 1.1% of commuters in the state currently bicycle to work.
Bicycle Colorado was ranked in the report as having the fourth highest advocacy capacity among statewide bike organizations in the country. The report also summarizes data from federal and state funding for biking to the benefits of bicycling on public health.
Bicycle Colorado is pleased with the high rankings and believes that coming years will display more gains for bicycling. “The benchmarking report data from 2008 does not reflect the new state bicycle and pedestrian policy which is going into effect. As a result, we are looking forward to greater improvements in bicycle safety,” said Bicycle Colorado Executive Director Dan Grunig.
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2010 Bicycle Events
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With popular bicycle events in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region already filling up, take a look at
Bicycle Colorado’s 2010 calendar of events that support our work and mission.
Starting with rides in May and continuing through summer and fall, bicyclists have great choices for riding in Colorado this year, including unique winter training opportunities. The calendar includes multi-day tours and single-day rides for a range of ability levels.
Look for Bicycle Colorado at many of these events in 2010, exhibiting at event expos, training volunteer Ride Ambassadors or offering educational materials to ensure a fun event!
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