The state of the trails - #lakewoodnews

The good news is Lakewood has a very comprehensive cycling trail system already in place.

The major work comes in connecting the trails already in place to make travel easier.

That's according to Bill Mahar, senior associate with Norris Design, described things at the City of Lakewood's second public meeting about its paved trails on July 27.

"We've gotten incredible feedback from residents so far," Mahar said. "Lakewood's riders have been really supportive and positive during the project."

Here are the highlights from the meeting:

1. The background: Lakewood is completing an assessment of the condition of five major trail corridors, how they connect and what can be done to improve the trails. The corridors include Bear Creek Trail, Kipling Parkway Trail, C-470 Trail, Alameda Avenue/Parkway Trail and West Line (13th Avenue) Trail.

This project is funded in part by Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Trails Program, and a grant from Great Outdoors Colorado, and focuses on the city's recreational trails system.

"We started this project in April, and the first half focused on the condition of existing trails," Mahar said. "We had around 250 respondents to our survey about Lakewood's trails, and the No. 1 thing we heard was better connectivity and wayfinding."

In their research, Mahar and Norris Design found the city has about 3,000 feet of missing trail links and 2,300 feet of deteriorating trails.

The meeting also considered connections for smaller parks, like Weir Gulch from Pierce Street to Sheridan Boulevard, Green Mountain Recreation Center to Alameda Parkway, Coyote Gulch from West Yale Avenue to Morrison Road and Kipling Street from Colfax Avenue to Crown Hill Park.

"The primary purpose of the survey is prioritizing the projects for the city," explained Ross Williams, facilities planner with Lakewood. "We're considering everything from the ease of work, to ownership and price."

With Lakewood's population on the rise, creating alternative travel options is going to be key to cutting down on traffic and congestion, said Gary Harty, cyclist and founder of Lakewood's Bicycle Advisory Team.

"I appreciate what the city is doing by looking at connectivity," he added. "If we focus entirely on auto options, and single family housing is on the rise, we're going to have all kinds of traffic problems."

Cyclists in attendance had specific questions about the trails they use every day, projects that aren't on the city's list, and the timeline for work.

"We ride a lot, not just for recreation, but for errands and work," said Doug Andersen, who attended with Miki Stuebe.

One of the issues Anderson and Stuebe were particularly interested in included better north-south connections, something many other attendees voiced support of.

"One of the reasons we love living where we do is because of the connections, and we're glad they're look at this," Stuebe added.

Input from residents and cyclists will be incorporated into a document to be presented to the city. The report will also analyze potential projects for priority and expense.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/The-state-of-the-trails,233346