It was exactly one year ago today that Pedal Fort Collins got its start. Originally envisioned as a local transportation resource as well as an advocacy tool, so far Pedal has been exactly that, with:
- articles on new infrastructure that’s headed our way,
- reviews on old infrastructure as well as recently completed projects,
- guides on how to get input to the City on problem spots around town,
- explanations on Colorado and Fort Collins traffic code as it affects all users of the road,
- alerts regarding transportation related events including opportunities to communicate with City planners, bike-related celebrations and educational opportunities, and
- information on the overwhelming economic benefits of creating and supporting a truly multi-modal Fort Collins community.
Also, thanks to Pedal Fort Collins, curb cuts were added between the Poudre Trail and N. Shields after sidewalks were originally poured with no way for bicyclists to comfortably travel between the sidewalk/trail and the street. This is a great example of the power of a watchful eye and a persuasive response upon an entity (Larimer County) that’s not particularly used to building bicycle infrastructure.
West side N. Shields where it connects up with the Poudre Trail.
The Pedal Fort Collins website has seen over 1,600 active users with 1,960 unique page views in just the past month. In terms of social media, Pedal has 426 followers on Facebook, 289 on Twitter, and 216 on Instagram.
Of course, the end goal is to reach anyone that moves in the city of Fort Collins, whether they’re walking, biking, skateboarding, taking the bus or driving a car. All forms of transportation affect who we are as a community — not just how we get around, but how we spend (or waste) our time, how safe our city is, how clean our city is, and what our urban planning and growth look like. It’s a foundational component that we often take for granted. But once we start to pay attention to the effects of all of these various forms of getting around, we start to see how some forms of transportation create a more resilient community than others.
Canberra Transport Photo – Australia
Pedal Fort Collins has evolved over the past year. The original plan had been to include regular articles by others introducing themselves and telling why they bicycle or use other forms of sustainable transportation. But the response to calls for entries was rather tepid. So that quickly fell by the wayside. (If you’d like to tell your story, though, the “Under the Helmet” series can always be revived.)
I had also planned on writing regular stories about our local Bicycle Friendly Businesses. (I had a wonderful time learning about the bike friendly program at the Health District of Northern Larimer County, but then my BFB contact became busy with other things and I haven’t pursued any more interviews. But again, if you own or work at a Bike Friendly Business and would like to be featured here on Pedal, just let me know.) Even if I don’t get back to covering BFBs, it looks like Bike Fort Collins might start taking that on, so check out their new blog if you’re interesting in learning more.
Regular updates about transportation related events (whether meetings hosted by the City, classes, fairs, or social gatherings) were originally posted on a weekly basis. These posts garnered very little interest and were cut down to monthly updates and were finally ended altogether.
The focus of the site seems to have resolved around a few central questions. In terms of infrastructure, safety & rules, and transportation culture:
- What have we got?
- What are we getting?
- Why are we getting it?
- When is it happening?
- What role do I play as a Fort Collins resident?
- And occasionally, What’s going on in other places that we should be looking at?
I’m always open to new ideas. Guest posts are welcomed (as long as they remain within the scope of the site). And partnerships are what makes the world go ’round. So I’d love to connect if you’ve got thoughts you’d like share.
In the meantime, thanks for a great first year! And keep on pedaling!