ThinkBike Workshop Fort Collins, Colorado

Mid April 2023, the Dutch Cycling Embassy hosted a ThinkBike Workshop in the City of Fort Collins, Colorado. Lennart Nout (Mobycon), Richard ter Avest (Goudappel), and Margot Daris (DCE) worked together with Courtney Geary on a program to make Fort Collins bike friendly. ThinkBike Workshops address all areas that can help communities become more cycle friendly. An integrated cycling policy is based on effective hardware, software and orgware. Building hardware (infrastructure and the built environment) is only one part of a comprehensive, sustainable strategy. Cycling also needs to be encouraged through software (the human side of mobility e.g., campaigning and traffic education). Meanwhile, orgware (the cooperation process between actors e.g., capacity building of institutions) is needed to strengthen the strategy on a broader, more long term basis.

As written in the City Plan, Fort Collins wants to promote bicycling and walking through infrastructure and programs. The city and region have facilities and services for biking and walking, and these amenities  should  be  enhanced  and  expanded.  Biking  and  walking  should  be  easy, convenient, comfortable, and safe activities or modes of transportation that are appropriate for all ages and abilities. Infrastructure should be paired with programs to provide the necessary information for residents, visitors, and employees to choose transportation options that support a healthy and economically sustainable lifestyle.

After introducing the workshop, we had a ‘Bike Bingo’ to get into the mood of working together. Brooke Struve presented about the opportunities provided by the Federal Highway Administration. It was very insightful to learn about all the measures taken in cities across the US. Richard and Lennart presented about Dutch network design and the design principles we use in the Netherlands. Afterwards, it was time to put theory into practice: a bike ride through Fort Collins! There were some lovely stretches but also areas that were less comfortable to cycle. The whole group felt it was more secure to cycle in a group than when you’re by yourself. The last part of the first day focussed on goal setting. What do we want in Fort Collins? What are the long term goals in terms of hardware, software, and orgware?

Day two was all about drawing and sketching. The group started with designing the several bicycle networks. Later on, they designed intersections and made cross section designs. On day three we worked on signalisation and roundabout designs. There were some very creative solutions with elevated bicycle roundabouts above the road. Finally, all groups worked on the posters that they presented to members of the Bicycle Advisory Committee. The results were pretty revolutionary and we cannot wait to see all the developments in the coming years in Fort Collins! 

The ThinkBike Workshop ended with a public screening of the documentary ‘Together We Cycle’ at the New Belgium Brewery. This documentary shows the cycling history in the Netherlands and why people cycle everywhere. Afterwards we had a great panel discussion with the Mayor of Fort Collins about improving cycling conditions. We look forward to seeing all the bike transformations in the coming years!