Montbello Bicycle Course

RS&H designed the first-of-its-kind outdoor bicycle course training facility, Montbello Bicycle Course, to provide a safe environment for users to learn and become comfortable with the variety of bicycle facilities throughout the city and county of Denver.  

A design focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety

To assist the community with the increased adoption of bicycle facilities in Denver, RS&H designed an outdoor bicycle skills course to increase safety for bike and pedestrian users. In partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation and Safe Routes to Schools, the city selected a section of the Montbello Recreation Center parking lot to repurpose in a community with an active and diverse population. This safe environment was designed to allow users to practice and learn the variety of bicycle lanes accessible in the city.  

Creative thinking to overcome a unique design challenge

The shape of the parking lot created unique challenges for the design team since the area was segmented with curbs and islands that could not be removed. Through creative thinking, our team developed a design that incorporated these segments into eight distinct skills-development classrooms in a closed-circuit training facility. The classrooms begin with stopping, turning, and merging skills and become progressively more difficult, ending with roundabouts, a mini-city, different types of bicycle lanes, and intersection practice.  

Integration of realistic street conditions

The design team integrated as many realistic street conditions as possible to improve skills, knowledge, and comfort levels to encourage active modes of transportation. Signing and striping elements were implemented utilizing the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and Publications such as the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Bikeway Design Guide. Additionally, the team designed interactive yard signs for each classroom, including QR codes of YouTube training videos developed by the city.