Statement to the Fort Collins City Council to Start Bicycle Program

Presented by Rick Price, Tuesday, June 7, 2005

Contact 484-8489; Rick@ExperiencePlus.com

My name is Rick Price. I own a small business at the north end of Mason Street on Martinez Park. We run bicycle and walking tours in 12 countries around the world.

I came out this evening to ask what happened to Bike Month in Fort Collins?

Until two weeks ago if you could find the schedule online it was for 2004.

Now that we have a schedule it consists of one event - bike to work day. Last year there were two pages of events.

Greeley's Bike Month schedule runs to 4 pages and Loveland's is 3.

Two years ago this week the League of American Bicyclists sent a representative to this chamber to present the Choice City with an award: The League wrote to you at that time, and I quote:

"The League is delighted to honor Fort Collins with the Bicycle-Friendly Community designation. Thanks to its long-term commitment to better bicycling, people in Fort Collins benefit every day from reduced traffic, better air quality, and improved public health. These benefits translate to increased quality of life, higher property values, and heightened community spirit.”

Last month we won this award again, for the third year in a row.

We're among just 7 communities in the country to receive this award.

Why aren't we bragging about it for Bike Month?

Have we decided we don’t want any more awards like this?

I'd like to go over a little history of planning for bicycling and walking in this town.

There's the Fort Collins Bicycle Program Plan from 1995.

The goal of this Plan was "to help build a city where bicycling for transportation is an easy choice to make."

There's the Fort Collins Pedestrian Plan from 1996.

It vowed to "make substantial investments to make walking a viable and attractive mode of travel."

Our City Plan from 1997 updated just last year envisions Fort Collins as "The Walkable City" and affirms that "the City will improve safety and encourage increased transportation bicycling through a comprehensive, on-going set of education programs targeted at motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists of all ages."

City Plan further states that "The city will work with school districts, civic groups, private businesses, and others to help find resources to support this effort and to reach the broadest possible audience."

The Fort Collins Transportation Master Plan updated last year incorporates much of this same language.

The Bike Plan called for facilities to be built. And we did that - we spent millions and won acclaim for doing so.

Then EVSAG - the Economic Vitality and Sustainability Action Group came up with their Action Plan in January. They want to

1) "Infuse city government with new and creative ideas."

2) "Protect natural areas and open spaces" and

3) Explore the "retirement niche seeking an active lifestyle."

The original Bike Plan called for a comprehensive program of educational outreach, encouragement and law enforcement to involve and engage our citizens to become active and to get out of their cars and to use all these great facilities that we built.

That program never happened. Oh, Smart Trips cajoled and encouraged people to get out of their cars, but you can hardly call it a comprehensive program.

The reason we have such a reduced Bike Month in Fort Collins is that we have no Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. The position has been vacant now for almost a year.

There was no decision to fire her or to eliminate the position. Nobody said - "we need to stop doing this".

She just left, and took the Fort Collins Bicycle and Pedestrian Program with her.

What kind of program is that?

Here's what I'd like to see you do to fix this situation.

1) Reinstate our bicycle and pedestrian coordinator immediately.

2) Ask the city's PR department to tell the world about our Bicycle Friendly Community award. Tell the Chamber, tell the DDA, tell the Board of Realtors - tell everyone. This is something to brag about!

3) Finally, ask the Transportation Department to create a Task Force right now to explore the best possible way to work with:

Parks and Recreation, Natural Resources, Air Quality, The Senior Center, Police Services

And every other city and county agency that has an interest in this issue to FINALLY implement the Fort Collins Bicycle Program that we've been waiting for now, for ten years.

One of the first things this Task Force should do is to sit down with the Economic Action Group and work with them on a strategy to implement the standards defined in City Plan.

Thank you.