On Friday, July 28th, Denver CALC, WalkDenver, and the Colorado Public Health/Parks & Recreation Collaborative led a community bike ride of neighborhood wayfinding projects completed earlier this year. Led by Jill Locantore of WalkDenver, around 30 cyclists rode on trails, streets, and even across Federal Boulevard (!) to see the new installations and discover connections for bikes and pedestrians in the city.
Riders convene at Decatur-Federal RTD station
The tour began at the Decatur-Federal Station and made its first stop along the Lakewood Gulch, where the West Colfax Business Improvement District recently added on-trail wayfinding in June. Dan Shah from the West Colfax BID explained the purpose, design process, and community installation for the project. The multilingual designs use colorful symbols to make it easy to see from a bike or on foot, and show how to access various destinations from the trail. Read more about the project here: http://westcolfaxbid.org/west-colfax-connects-to-activate-the-lakewood-gutch-with-wayfinding/
Dan Shah of the West Colfax BID introduces the new wayfinding signage on the Lakewood Gulch Trail
Multiple symbols, languages, and colors mark neighborhood destinations and trail connections.
Cyclists then rode south along the Platte River trail and then through the Valverde and Athmar Park neighborhoods to the new intersection mural on Nevada and Tejon, in front of Valverde Elementary. Kayla Gilbert of CALC provided background of this project; it was a result of a data challenge from Denver CALC last year, and was designed by a local muralilst to reflect the agricultural and multicultural roots of the neighborhood. Read more about the Valverde mural here: http://www.denvercalc.org/single-post/2017/06/02/New-Neighborhood-Mural-painted-by-Athmar-Park-community-members-outside-Valverde-Elementary
Intersection mural at Tejon and Nevada in the Valverde Neighborhood.
Group stop at Valverde Elementary
Group stop at Valverde Elementary
Finally, the tour made the trek across Federal Boulevard and into Barnum, where it visited the new pawprints and decals marking the Weir Gulch trail that winds through the neighborhood from Barnum Water Park. Kaye Boeke of the Barnum Neighborhood association described the community design and installation process, and the trail’s connection to surrounding parks and neighborhoods. The signage was also awarded to the neighborhood through the Denver CALC data challenge. Click here to read about the project in more detail:
Safety in numbers getting ready to cross Federal Boulevard!
Decal and pawprint wayfinding at the northmost point of the Weir Gulch Trail in Barnum Park (6th and Federal pedestrian bridge).
Decal with map of Weir Gulch Trail
Looping back over Lakewood Gulch, the ride ended just in time to escape the afternoon thundershower at Seedstock Brewery. This was the first bike tour hosted by Denver CALC and the Colorado Public Health/Parks & Recreation Collaborative, a coalition of government and community organizations aimed at improving the connection between parks and health in the region. Group rides are a great way to explore neighborhood destinations and connections, as well as introduce new cyclists to safely riding in the street. We were delighted to have cyclists of all ages and levels of experience at the ride-- we saw everything from road bikes to cruisers, and even a few Denver B-Cycles! We’re looking forward to more events celebrating active living, community-led placemaking, and neighborhood parks in the future. Have an event or an idea that could use our help? Get in touch with us at calc@denvergov.org!
Racing the storm at the end of the ride