Traffic Circles In Denver Will Make Bike Travel Safer: City

DENVER, CO - From Denver Public Works: This week, Denver Public Works will install the city’s first neighborhood traffic circles at three locations on West 35th Avenue in West Highland. They will be placed at the intersections of Newton, Julian, and Raleigh. Denver Public Works will evaluate and monitor this new traffic calming treatment to see how it can help prioritize safe bike travel in this residential area.

The neighborhood traffic circles will be made of temporary materials including rubber curbing, signage and striping. This low-cost design will allow the City to monitor how the treatments affect traffic flow and enhance the visibility of people on bikes who cross the intersections. If the traffic circles are shown to be effective along the corridor at these three locations, then Denver Public Works will design permanent facilities, which would replace the temporary treatment with concrete.

The temporary treatment will remain in place through winter 2019, to give Denver Public Works a better understanding of how to best maintain and manage snow removal around the circles. The findings will be used to inform future neighborhood transportation plans and bikeways in the city.

Next year, Denver Public Works will install the first-of-its-kind neighborhood bikeway along West 35th Avenue from Navajo to Sheridan Boulevard, which will also prioritize bike travel along the corridor with increased comfort and safety.

For more information on this project, or to provide feedback, please visit denvergov.org/neighborhoodbikeways.

Image via Denver Public Works