A Cyclist For City Council District 8

So I must admit I'm shocked to have heard from two of the city council candidates after my post yesterday about Coleneighborhood.net's picks for the upcoming Denver City election.

First off, I'd like to thank Ms. Madison and Mr. Rasheed for reading and commenting on the site.

Second, I'd like to thank Ms. Madison and Mr. Rasheed for their clarification that in addition to Mr. Watson, each of them have bicycles in their history as well--Ms. Madison as an active cyclist, and Mr. Rasheed as a member of Mayor Hickenlooper's Biking Advisory Council from 2004-2006.

Why does that matter to me? Well, while currently I'm myopic about crime and safety in Cole, as well as bringing some key businesses in to drive the continued redevelopment of the area, at heart I believe the bicycle can solve many of today's problems.

I know, to many it may sound a bit crazy, but I do.

Childhood obesity? Get kids on their bikes. Adult obesity? How about cycling as a low-impact, fun and healthy adult activity? Concerned about traffic? Get more people on bikes for commuting. Dependence on foreign oil? Pollution? Ditto. Even the issue of gangs and keeping youth out of trouble has some relevance to cycling--Supposedly Fred Rodriguez, one of the top American competitive cyclists, credits the bicycle for keeping him from heading down the path of destruction that many of his friends did, growing up in urban Los Angeles.

Denver is a relatively bicycle-friendly city thanks to efforts by Bicycle Colorado, Bike Denver, and other advocacy organizations, but the bicycle needs to be taken into consideration in any urban planning to be done in North Denver, too. Glad to hear at least bicycling is on the radar of several of the candidates.

Finally, there is an exciting event coming to the Curtis Park neighborhood this summer--The Curtis Park Criteriums. Part of a multi-day amateur and professional competitive cycling and handcycling event, the race will bring 3-500 competitors and spectators to the Curtis Park area. The promoter, Beth-Wrenn Estes of the American Cycling Association, a former North Denver resident, conceived the event as a way to spotlight the area's unique and historic nature, as well as make a positive contribution to neighborhood youths (free bike helmets will be provided to many kids that take part in the kids races).

So how does this relate to city council and the above-referenced candidates? Well, thus far the organizers have received zero support or assistance from the city (Specifically, Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, who apparently told them "I'm too busy to even look at this right now") cutting through the red tape or exorbitant expenses they're fighting to make this great event a reality.

Since several of the candidates have some involvement with cycling and bicycle advocacy in their background, whomever the voters select, I am hopeful that the promoters of this, and other valuable area events, will receive more cooperation from city council.

As always, thanks for reading, and good luck to all the candidates in District 8 on the coming election day.