By Lindsey Smith
As a bicyclist in Boulder, I feel like the most loved and most hated person at the same time in this town.
I know I’m hated. Cars hate me, pedestrians hate me, fellow cyclists hate me and pedestrians walking their dogs truly despise me. I also know I’m loved. As a cyclist, I’m part of the overall future solution to the city’s traffic plan and environmental plan. I’m also just a mom with a cargo bike taking her two giggling kids to and from school getting so many smiles and waves from people. How can we as a local community be so polarized on the same issue? You love me, but you hate me.
The past few weeks there have been so many bicyclists and pedestrians struck by cars. Several of them children on their way to school, and I know all of them don’t make the local papers, as our school notified us of a close call last week.
My request is this:
White and green paint isn’t enough to keep us safe. City of Boulder public officials can do more. They should do more. Hard decisions have to be made, about prioritizing bike safety over car convenience. Bike lanes are used as parking spots, keepers of trash cans, marathon runners training ground and rogue door opening spots. They’re not safe lanes for cyclists, and especially children, to use. Until the average parent feels safe enough to ride with their kids, the system isn’t good enough, and people will continue to drive instead of bike.
In 1970, Al Bartlett proposed the idea of Boulder Bikeways, which led to the creation of the Boulder Creek Path. Bartlett believed that “kids should have a way to get to places, like school and the Boulder Reservoir, without having to risk their lives on heavily traveled streets.” The dream of the bike path became “volatile” and was not popular. Almost 50 years later, can you even imagine Boulder without the Creek Path? It’s the darling of Boulder. It all came out of bike safety concern. Now public officials should imagine the next darling of Boulder. What could that be? Dream big, I beg you. The world is getting warmer; time to dream big.
Everyone with a license: We all get one spin on this rock, that text isn’t that important. If you hit me, it will ruin my life and yours. If you hit a child, imagine how that will feel. We all, including cyclists, need to slow down and relax. Take a collective deep breath and just slow down. That 30 extra seconds isn’t worth taking my life or the life of a child.
You may hate me, I get it, but I’m here to stay. So let’s Taylor Swift and Katy Perry this whole thing. I’ll make you a proverbial batch of chocolate chip cookies and promise to do better if you can do the same.
Lindsey Smith lives in Boulder.
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