Mountain Biking: Rubber side down- Time for a TurnaroundWell, my friends, things are finally looking up, and good timing, too, since I’m sure you’re all sick of me bitching. Recent bike build, including wheels… fun! In what feels like a fairly short time, I’ve come from sitting around … Continue reading → […]
- This Raised My PulseHey, baby… wanna ride? I may be injured, but I’m not dead yet. I can still have racy thoughts. Here’s more info. In other news, UBI was an awesome success! I had a blast. I highly recommend it. Overhaul day…. … Continue reading → […]
- Time for a Turnaround
- Edgy Veggie
Wetlands area in eastern Boulder scraped without permit
It’s almost funny to hear the word “wetlands” in such a dry place, but it’s true, we’ve got ‘em right here in Boulder. You can see where with the wetlands layer of the city’s interactive map.
Here’s a quick preview:
Wetlands areas are highlighted in green.
That map might look eerily familiar to you if you’re a bike commuter in Boulder, and that’s because a lot of our bike paths run along greenways here. For example, you can easily make out part of the Goose Creek greenway trail there between 26th and 28th Streets in the bottom left of the map.
Well, if you want to do anything to these areas, you’ve got to go through certain protocols. Apparently, the city didn’t do that before going in to clean up a wetlands area northeast of 47th and Valmont. They’ll be paying a little extra to replant in the area as a result, but it sounds like the work would have been approved if they’d gone through the rigmarole.
Where would you put Boulder bike-share stations?
Considering that the city is “finalizing” a contract for a Boulder bike-sharing program akin to Denver’s B-Cycle, it’s time to start nerding out with maps, which is my favorite part of any day.
So I’m asking you folks, here and on Twitter and Facebook, where would you put Boulder bike-share stations?
It’s pretty clear that there would be a station or two on Pearl, right? Let’s assume you’d have one on the east end, the west end and, for the heck of it, let’s say one on 13th.
Where else? Let me hear you.
Check out the B-Cycle map (PDF) for inspiration.
A partial map of B-Cycle stations in Denver.
Boulder bike-sharing program in the works
Edwin Chan, 50, of Hong Kong, rides a B-cycle he rented in downtown Denver. | Jeremy Papasso/ Camera
I haven’t personally tried B-Cycle down in Denver, but the Earth Day launch of the bike-sharing program had a lot of people in Boulder asking questions like, “Why did Denver beat Boulder to a bike-sharing program?” and “Does Boulder need a bike-sharing program?”
It looks like Boulder bike-sharing might reignite in a few months:
Martha Roskowski, the program manager for GO Boulder, the city’s alternative transportation program, said the city is working with B-cycle and Boulder Bike Sharing to finalize a contract. The bikes, she said, could be available by early spring.
“We are really excited,” she said of the prospect of bringing bike-sharing back to Boulder. “It’s not a done deal until the contract is finalized, but at this point, I am optimistic.”
In the 1990s, the city supported the “green bikes” program, which relied on donations and volunteers to maintain free bikes that were shared throughout the city.
And then there are sentiments like this one:
“I wouldn’t use it, since I already have a bike,” said Joshua Morriston.
Green Drinks Boulder: February at Bacaro
Last night was one of my favorite Green Drinks Boulder events yet. Even though it was pretty chilly out, it was the easiest for me to get to, as it was just across the street from the ol’ office.
The crew at Green Drinks Boulder in Feb. 2010 at Bacaro
Have a merry (and efficiently lit) Christmas in Boulder
Nick Haupt, with City of Boulder, wraps a string of lights around a tree on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder | Daily Camera
The Christmas lights on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall will be bigger, better and more energy-efficient this year.
The city will light up about 35 trees this holiday season, instead of the usual 19, and all of them will be wrapped in electricity-sipping LEDs.
The city spent about $10,000 dollars this year to buy 1,000 new strands of LED lights to add to the ones they’ve purchased in past years, enabling all-LED decorations.
“The lights definitely add to the holiday mood down here, and — adding the lower-energy-use lights — we can do it in an environmentally friendly manner,” said Lisa Green, Boulder urban parks manager.
Downtown Boulder’s lights budget this year is about $40,000, or 20 percent more than in previous years. Despite the economy, officials said, that’s money well spent because they bring visitors downtown.
Read the full story at DailyCamera.com.
30th Street bike path eminent domain filing
Rebecca Maret and her son Soren ride over the bridge south of Pearl Street intersection on 30th Street. Photo: Joe Rogers For the Camera
The proposed 30th Street bike path that has been causing a bit of a stir in Boulder — some folks are upset that it would require taking down a few trees — has hit a new controversial milestone. The city, unable to buy land for the proposal from a business there, has filed an eminent domain petition.
The Camera has the full story on the bike path eminent domain development, and here’s the quick-hit update: Read more
