Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycle Infrastructure

Boulder Cyclists Ride to Protest Bike Lane Removal

3:28 PM EDT on October 1, 2015

Yesterday's protest. Photo:
Yesterday's protest. Photo: Moishe Lettvin
Yesterday's protest. Photo:

Cyclists in Boulder took to the streets yesterday to protest the City Council's unanimous decision Tuesday night to undo a large chunk of the Folsom Street protected bike lane.

A four-to-three-lane road diet and flexible posts to separate the bike lane from traffic had been installed on a 12- to 18-month trial basis, part of what the city called its "Living Labs" initiative, aimed at increasing the city's bicycle mode share to 30 percent by 2035. Segments of the road diet and bike lane protection will now revert to the previous design after a scant couple of months.

The removal marks only the fourth time an American city will remove a modern protected bike lane, according to People for Bikes. By most measures, the bike lane was working well. But City Council members caved to pressure from motorists who complained about slightly longer travel times.

The ride was reminiscent of some of the 2012 protests in Toronto when former Mayor Rob Ford ordered the removal of the Jarvis Street bike lane.

Photo: Moishe Lettvin
Photo: Moishe Lettvin
Photo: Moishe Lettvin

Participants were encouraged to write "love letters" to the short-lived bike lane. “Dear Folsom,” one person wrote, "my kids want to bike now because of you. I finally feel safe with my family.”

Photio: Moishe Lettvin
Photio: Moishe Lettvin
Photio: Moishe Lettvin

“Boulder used to be considered one of the most most bike friendly cities in the country,” Alana Wilson, one of the event organizers, said in the press release. “Unfortunately that no longer seems to be part of the Boulder brand.”

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Hush That Fuss

New BRT in Denver, the case for reimagining parking lots, and more in today's headlines.

March 29, 2024

Why We Care About Some Transportation Tragedies More Than Others

Why do we respond to major transportation disasters with so much urgency — and why don't we count our collective car crash epidemic among them?

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's first-in-the-nation congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Take Thursday’s Headlines Home, Country Roads

Heat Map reports on why rural Americans are resisting electric vehicles, and why it might not matter much for the climate.

March 28, 2024
See all posts