[BikeLongmont] bicycling article in Times-Call 5/26/2004

[Richard Masoner]

Here's an article about the Bicycle Friendly Community award. It'll 
disappear from the Times-Call website around 10 A.M. Thursday.

    http://www.longmontfyi.com/local.htm#story3 
<http://www.longmontfyi.com/local.htm#story3>

They don't archive their stories; I hope Nenad doesn't mind the 
copyright violation too much.

The story includes a photo of Jacob Morgan leading a group of cyclists 
down Francis Street last Saturday. The caption doesn't mention that 
Jacob and the "Rainbow Riders" rode from Fort Collins to protest in 
front of Marilynn Musgrave's office on Main St.

  http://www.longmontfyi.com/Assets/Pics/pic0526L3.jpg

RFM
--

Two-wheel worthy

By Pierrette J. Shields
The Daily Times-Call

LONGMONT -- Buzz Feldman has owned High Gear Cyclery and biked on the 
streets of the city for 18 years.

The past five years, though, he has seen improvements that have made his 
commutes and joyrides smoother. Now, the effort behind that 
transformation has earned Longmont a nationwide designation as a Bicycle 
Friendly City.

"It has largely been an attitude change on the part of the city, and the 
city deserves kudos for that," Feldman said.

Last month, city officials received word that Longmont won a 
bronze-level award, a designation from the League of American Bicyclists 
that publicly acknowledges safety, facilities and education for 
bicyclists in a community.

Phil Greenwald, transportation planner for the city, said he doesn't 
think that just a few years ago Longmont would have been in a position 
even to apply for the designation.

But for 2004, Longmont joined the ranks of nearly 40 other U.S. 
communities that earned one of the awards, thanks in large part to 
additional facilities.

Greenwald said the city's addition of on-street bike lanes on Airport 
Road, Nelson Road and Pike Road; bridges over the St. Vrain River at 
Price Road and Lefthand Creek east of Main Street; and new underpasses 
at Ninth Avenue at the Oligarchy Ditch, Main Street at Lefthand Creek 
and Pike Road at Lefthand Creek all are integral to the designation.

According to the league, other factors considered in passing out honors 
included educational programs, promotional efforts to get more people 
riding, law enforcement efforts to keep riders safe and future plans.

Feldman, a member of Bicycle Longmont, said he was skeptical about the 
chances of the city qualifying for the designation but was convinced by 
another board member.

"He said if we apply for it, if nothing else, it should show us where we 
need to improve," he said. "Boy, that was an eye-opener for me."

The designation recognizes cities for "commitment to providing safe 
accommodation and facilities for bicyclists, and for their efforts to 
encourage bicycling for fun, fitness, and transportation," according to 
a prepared statement from the league.

Since the awards were established in 2002, no platinum-level awards have 
been given out, said league spokesman Patrick McCormick.

Boulder received the only gold award in 2004. Three silvers were 
conferred and Longmont was among seven bronze winners this year.

While the designation doesn't come with any monetary opportunities, such 
as grant eligibility, Len Marques, a civil engineer with the city, said 
that accommodations such as those the city makes for bicyclists are a 
quality-of-life issue and can attract new residents and companies.

"It just shows the city's involvement that we're taking bicycling and 
bicycling infrastructure very seriously," he said.

Feldman said in years to come, the city's main challenge will be 
connecting existing routes and working with the school district to 
develop safe routes to schools to encourage more children to walk, bike 
or skate to school.

Longmont also boasts 47.5 road miles with striped lanes on both sides, 
about 15 percent of the city's total road miles. There are also seven 
miles of off-street bicycle and pedestrian trails.

A special June event is in the works to celebrate the designation.

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