Biking in the Pueblo Area

City of Pueblo
Pueblo West
Lake Pueblo Trails

City of Pueblo

Enjoyable places to ride!

Why are there so few cyclists in the Pueblo area with some of the best weather year round and very little snowfall? While the rest of Colorado is under a blanket of snow, Pueblo is often still clear. The City of Pueblo has lots of tree-lined streets that are wide yet carry very little traffic and make great cycling routes.

  • One of the many benefits of streets on a grid system is you can always find a quieter street a block or two over from the main automobile routes.
  • We have 25 miles of concrete/paved multi-use trails along the Fountain Creek and Arkansas River extending from CSU-P to the north entrance of Lake Pueblo State Park.
  • We have a new 2.25 mile crusher fine trail around Lake Minnequa.
  • We have 37.6 miles of single track trails south of Lake Pueblo.
  • We have 10 miles of single track trails in Department of Wildlife areas north of Lake
  • We have over 20 miles of dirt utility roads in Pueblo West.

City of Pueblo Bike Facilities

Pueblo has many wide residential streets that can accommodate 2-3 lanes of motor vehicle traffic, on-street parking and sometimes 4-5 feet for a bike lane. The blue intermediate routes on the bike route map are roads that experience heavier traffic volume that may necessitate for bike facility improvements such as bike lanes or sharrows where roadway width is limited.

The challenge is finding the funding and prioritizing what routes need bike lanes or sharrows the most to encourage cyclists to ride, alert motorists to bicycle traffic and if passing distance is available or not, and improve the overall safety and flow of the entire roadway for all users.

Pueblo West

Pueblo West Infrastructure Regarding Bike and Walking Routes

Pueblo West is a semi-rural community with 32,000 residents spread over a 48-square-mile area with 402 miles of narrow, rural roadways. Limited funding for such a large road network prevents adequate maintenance. There are no sidewalks so people walking, cycling and driving must all share the road.

Most of our roadways do not carry much traffic but the traffic often travels faster than the posted speed limit. This may intimidate some in the community from feeling safe or enjoying their time outdoors. Many find the multi-use trails more enjoyable to walk or ride along and fortunately, Pueblo West has many options with off-road trails.

Highway 50

The Pueblo West community is divided into the more densely developed area south of Highway 50 and the less populated “north side” area north of Highway 50. Currently the only places to cross the highway from one side of the community to the other are at the traffic signals at Purcell and McCulloch.

  • McCulloch signal has a pedestrian crosswalk and countdown timer for the pedestrian signal at all four corners.
  • Purcell signal does not have a crosswalk
  • Neither location has pedestrian access to reach the traffic signal and right turn only lanes make the crossings more challenging to timid cyclists.

Highway 50 has a 12-foot wide paved shoulder separated from the travel lanes by a rumble strip. Adult road cyclists can enjoy a 25 mile ride west to Canon City without dealing with any traffic lights and very few intersections with other roadways! Several Pueblo West cyclists commute to work in the City of Pueblo by riding this wide shoulder east on Highway 50. This highway through Pueblo West and east to the city is rated a black diamond route and is not recommended for beginners or those uncomfortable with traffic even though interactions with traffic are distant and rare.

Roads:

Pueblo West has 212 miles of paved or chip sealed roads and 190 miles of gravel roads. The paved and chip sealed roads are generally narrow at a 20- to 22 foot entire road width while the few designated arterials are a little wider at a 24- to 30-foot width (Compared to 19-foot wide lanes in the Mesa Junction area of Pueblo!) Roads were not constructed on a grid so choices are often limited to the only route that connects.

Bike lanes:

There are no designated bike lanes in Pueblo West. The minimum federal standard for a bike lane is a 4-foot width.

Paved shoulder:

There are only a few roads with a paved shoulder for cyclists to use but these shoulders are also narrow at only a 1- to 2-foot width in most cases. Joe Martinez Blvd has a 5-foot paved shoulder from McCulloch to Idaho Springs. Industrial Blvd and Hahn’s Peak has 2- to 4-foot shoulders in the golf course area.

Taking or Sharing the lane with traffic:

Cyclists can safely share a 14-foot wide lane with moving traffic. If the lane is less than 12-feet wide (most lanes in Pueblo West are only 10- or 11-feet wide), a motor vehicle and bicycle cannot safely share the lane. Motor vehicles have to wait to pass slower moving vehicles like a cyclist, when it is safe to do so. Cyclists need to ride single file if a motor vehicle is within 300 feet in front or behind.

It is dangerous for cyclists to hug the far right side of the roadway as our roadways often are crumbling at the edges and motorists often forget or don’t pay attention to cyclists here. A study in England showed vehicles pass more closely to cyclists on the edge of the roadway. Close passing distance creates a dangerous situation leaving cyclists no escape if an obstacle arises, vehicle mirrors can hit the cyclist and the vacuum created by the moving vehicle can pull a cyclist into moving traffic. Motor vehicles need to leave at least 3 feet of space between the car and cyclist when passing and may cross the centerline if there is no oncoming traffic. The faster the moving vehicle, the more passing space is needed.

Cyclists are safest riding in the right 1/3 of the lane except near intersections where cars may try to turn in front of the cyclist. The cyclist is best served riding in the center of a narrow lane and controlling the traffic behind him/her until he/she is through the intersection. Cyclists are most visible this way to motorists and can help reduce the speed in intersections that makes a difference between life and death for a cyclist or pedestrian if hit.

Pueblo West Multi-use trails:

Improved trails:

Pueblo West currently has almost 2.3 miles of improved multi-use trails that include an 8- foot wide paved surface alongside a 4- to 8-foot wide crusher fine surface. An additional 4 miles of paved trail are awaiting construction through CDOT grants. These trails will connect Cattail Crossing, Swallows Charter Academy, Sierra Vista Elementary and Pueblo West High School and loops 3.5 miles around a residential area. Pueblo West Metro will construct 8-foot wide soft surface trails during the spring of 2010 to link higher density neighborhoods and link Desert Sage Elementary, Pueblo West Middle School and the Pueblo West library.

Unimproved trails:

Pueblo West has over 20 miles of dirt utility roads in the easement areas. Some of these trails are in excellent usable condition with the equestrian groups and various individuals maintaining sections of trail. But some areas need mowing or drainage improvements to improve connectivity and usefulness of the trail.