Cyclist-motorist friction stirs up Deer Creek hornet’s nest

By Hank Schultz   |   July 17, 2009   |   2:47 PM

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Jefferson County has just unveiled a plan that could lead to banning cyclists on certain roads, most notably, roads in Deer Creek Canyon on the extreme southwestern edge of the metro area. The news has been traveling through the local cycling community like a stick through a nest of hornets. Read more about the nuts and bolts of the issue here.

I ride my bike a lot in the Deer Creek Canyon area, and I’m not alone. The turnout parking at the intersection of Deer Creek and South Wadsworth Boulevard is full to overflowing most summer weekends. I’ve watched the cycling traffic there steadily increase as the metro-area population has grown and the popularity of road cycling has boomed with Lance Armstrong’s celebrity.

The trouble the county commissioners are trying to address has been brewing for a long time. In the Deer Creek area, it began with the paving in the ’80s of the High Grade Road, a steep, switchback-laden connector between South Deer Creek Road and Pleasant Park Road, which leads into Conifer.

Some area residents opposed the paving, saying that traffic would increase as a result. They were right, of course. It seems to be axiomatic that improving roads works to create more traffic, rather than merely better accommodating the existing load. This challenging stretch has now become the crown jewel of the route as far as cyclists are concerned.

To its credit, the county already has taken some less restrictive measures. Where possible without extensive blasting, an uphill shoulder was added to Deer Creek Road up to the junction at the now-vanished settlement of Phillipsburg. And signage was added, mandating that cyclists ride single-file along the route.

I have witnessed asinine actions on the part of both cyclists and motorists along these roads. Some cyclists ride with a sense of moral superiority on their sleeve — “I’m getting up this hill under my own steam, you lardass,” the thinking seems to go — and they behave as if this entitles them to ride any way they want. Middle of the lane, two abreast, passing cars downhill, whatever. And some motorists I’ve seen seem hellbent to prove that there ain’t enough room for both of us by passing fast and way too close.

This latest fracas was ignited by a plan for an organized cycling event traveling up the canyon, which almost certainly would choke off auto traffic for the duration. It’s a totally inappropriate idea, considering the traffic load in the canyon and the very restricted sightlines, and when I first heard of it some weeks ago I knew it spelled trouble. I can understand the fury this must have aroused for canyon residents who already feel inconvenienced.

But before the county jumps to harsh conclusions, perhaps gathering some data would be in order. I have observed that the drivers who act the most frustrated are those who want to exceed the speed limit in the canyon. I have lived in the mountains myself, and I know how tempting it is to speed in order to shorten an already-long commute. I know how the big block of time you are forced to spend in your car when you live in a place like that can prey upon your mind. But does it serve the greater good to ban a whole category of legal road users in the interests of those who want to flout the law in order to save a few minutes going up or down the canyon?

Perhaps a timed comparison could be run, comparing driving times in the canyon run during no traffic and high cycling traffic times. I’m willing to bet that the difference WHEN DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT from Wadsworth to the Phillipsburg intersection wouldn’t be more than five minutes. If this delay were caused by increased auto traffic, motorists still wouldn’t be happy, but for the most part they would resign themselves. Why is it so different if the extra traffic is made up of cyclists?

Another test could be a blitz of heightened enforcement, both for cyclists and motorists. I have seen cars and especially motorcyclists roaring up the canyon at 60 mph-plus in places, yet in hundreds of trips there I have never seen anyone pulled over for speeding. Likewise, I’ve never seen a cyclist cited, even though many have clearly broken the law.

There is the issue of safety, of course. Cyclists are already banned from some roads, such as urban freeways, for that very reason. But in my opinion, the safety issue in Deer Creek is a stalking horse for irritation and resentment. Almost all the cyclists who ride in Deer Creek are relatively skilled bike handlers, are experienced in riding in traffic and choose to use the canyon even with the slightly increased risk it presents. It’s way too strenuous for the average Sunday bike rider. And let’s be honest: The cyclists in the canyon shoulder most of the risk, not the motorists.

So let’s turn down the temperature and see where that leads us. Cyclists who use the canyon need to take a step back from their individualistic, anarchic ways and do some self-policing if they want to continue to use the road. Limit groups to five, say. If you’ve got a bigger one than that, split up and maintain a gap of a few hundred yards between groups so motorists can pass safely. Ride single-file ALL THE TIME. And let’s bag the silly, confrontational idea of mass rides up the canyon.

Motorists have to come to grips with the fact that the strip of asphalt up the canyon is not a private driveway. It was constructed and is maintained with public funds. It belongs to everyone, and cyclists helped pay for it, too.

Categories: Hank Schultz, Journals

Tagged: cycling, deer creek canyon, jefferson county, roads, traffic