Undated Photo
DENVER -
You can ride your bike to the 16th Street Mall. You can put your bike on a bus there. But if you want to duck in to your favorite café or shop, don't even think about locking up your bike outside.
That's a no-no.
It's actually a long standing policy that applies city-wide. You have to lock up your bike on a bike rack, and that's not allowed on The Mall.
The Downtown Denver Partnership, which overseas The Mall, says the issue is safety.
"A lot of times you have a number of bikes stacked up there and they become a trip hazard," John Desmond, with the Partnership, told us. "What we have on the mall are trees lamp posts, things that can be damaged easily."
And, he ads, there are free bike racks, just a few feet from the mall.
But cyclists say there aren't enough of them.
"There's times when you ride around for blocks, looking for a place to lock up," one rider said.
They question why the city is promoting bike commuting, if you they won't allow you to park your bike if the Mall is your final destination.
Mayor John Hickenlooper just announced the city will used $250,000 dollars of Federal stimulus money to build new bike lanes.
"They encourage you to ride your bike around, then they don't give you enough places to lock up," cyclist Steve Carlson told us.
The solution to all this may be closer than it seems.
Downtown Denver Partnership is adding 100 new bike racks by October. They want people to ride their bikes downtown, but still stay with in the rules. They hope offering alternative places to park will do the trick.
That's a no-no.
It's actually a long standing policy that applies city-wide. You have to lock up your bike on a bike rack, and that's not allowed on The Mall.
The Downtown Denver Partnership, which overseas The Mall, says the issue is safety.
"A lot of times you have a number of bikes stacked up there and they become a trip hazard," John Desmond, with the Partnership, told us. "What we have on the mall are trees lamp posts, things that can be damaged easily."
And, he ads, there are free bike racks, just a few feet from the mall.
But cyclists say there aren't enough of them.
"There's times when you ride around for blocks, looking for a place to lock up," one rider said.
They question why the city is promoting bike commuting, if you they won't allow you to park your bike if the Mall is your final destination.
Mayor John Hickenlooper just announced the city will used $250,000 dollars of Federal stimulus money to build new bike lanes.
"They encourage you to ride your bike around, then they don't give you enough places to lock up," cyclist Steve Carlson told us.
The solution to all this may be closer than it seems.
Downtown Denver Partnership is adding 100 new bike racks by October. They want people to ride their bikes downtown, but still stay with in the rules. They hope offering alternative places to park will do the trick.
