HiYoSilver

May have an opportunity to commute to/in downtown Denver. Assuming there is no snow, what is it like to ride in the vicinity of 17th and Lawrence?

Is this a good idea? Is it safe or very dangerous?

thanks for the input.

DataJunkie

I have ridden in the area you refer to and never had an issue. There are a fair amount of cyclists in downtown. Plus, cars and trucks can not travel very fast through that area.
However, my normal route is from the Cherry Creek trail up market to RTD's Market Street Station. I say go for it.

bmclaughlin807

Downtown is cake compared to many other areas. People are used to cyclists, there are a LOT of them around. When the weather is bad I come from Auraria parkway up Market, then either down Brighton or Blake st to get to 40th and Brighton, where I work.

I've only ever had one person say anything when I was downtown, and he honked, and yelled out his window "Hey, buddy, are you gonna move over and let me pass, or what?" I yelled back, "Oh, I'm sorry, were you in a hurry to get to this bumper two feet in front of me?" ... End of story.

jamesdenver

It's not my commute, but I often ride downtown Denver. Some of the downtown grid has designated bike lanes, but even normal lanes are fine. Most streets are one way and three lanes. Most of the time I'm keeping up with traffic or passing them.

If commuting the length of 17th street I'd use 19th street instead. I THINK it has a bike lane and it's not nearly as busy as 17th street.

15th street and 17th street are the bus routes through downtown. Not a big deal and you'll end up passing them, butthey're smelly and you're more at risk to get "squished". Again just a caution, mostly downtown Denver is a breeze.

HiYoSilver

Thanks for the advice. I didn't think it would be a problem, but wanted to check.

we'll see how it goes. I may ask more questions later.