Bike Safety & New Entrance to Meadowood
AUGUST 2024 - WE ARE REQUESTING YOUR FEEDBACK!
Are you concerned about the growing number of bike / ebikes on lower Meadowood Drive? Have you seen riders organizing their group in the middle of the road? Have you seen near-misses as riders enter Meadowood Drive? Have you helped riders who are lost?
The Problem
Currently, lower Meadowood Drive is perceived to be a shortcut for bikers and e-bikers heading to/from the Aspen Schools, the Aspen Rec Center, Aspen Highlands and the Maroon Bells. The Aspen bike paths currently connect with Meadowood Drive on a blind curve at a location we call the "Y".
- Car and truck drivers descending Meadowood Drive often cannot see bikers due to the sharp curve at the "Y."
- Bikers entering Meadowood Drive at the "Y" often "shoot out" into traffic at a high rate of speed.
- Bikers frequently continue up Meadowood Drive, mistakenly thinking that they will eventually connect with Maroon Creek Road.
- When the new bike path next to Maroon Creek Road opens (Fall 2024?), the volume of bikes and e-bikes is expected to increase.
The Proposed Solution
Do everything possible to keep bikers off of lower Meadowood Drive!
- Make it less appealing (and less obvious) that Meadowood Road is a shortcut.
- Remove two portions of the bike path (shown in red on the sketch below).
- Increase signage that makes it clear to bikers that they should stay on the bike path which goes around the Aspen Chapel.
A New, More Attractive Entrance to Meadowood ?
Key to the Sketch Below
Blue: Existing Bike paths
Green: New bike paths
Red: Proposed removal of bike paths
"Sign": Proposed location of a new Meadowood sign.