RiNo’s River North Brewery transformed into a neighborhood bicyclist’s paradise for the celebratory launch of Bike Streets’ ‘Destinations,’ an event complete with a complementary bike valet and mechanic along with one ‘Passport Stamp’ toward a free beer after three rides for all those who biked over to partake in the community gathering.
With the launch of its latest active transportation initiative, Bike Streets is connecting the everyday bicyclist with local Denver businesses within biking distance, rewarding them for their peddling efforts and highlighting the significant economic payoffs of a bike-centric city.
Bike Streets is a community-led project initiated to meet gaps in the city’s evolving cycling infrastructure. Denver has plans in the works for 230 new miles of bikeways, as part of a 20-year vision for developing a network of accessible bikeways throughout the metro area.
However, Bike Streets contends many of these lanes are currently on or being planned for busy arterial roads, not necessarily safe or welcoming for the neighborhood cruiser.
“We’ve been operating with one simple, straightforward idea, and that is people of all ages and abilities should be able to bike anywhere in Denver today, not in 50 years,” said Avi Stopper, founder of Bike Streets during a presentation at the River North launch.
To meet the challenge, Bike Streets created what it calls a Low-Stress Denver Bike Map, a 500-mile network of quiet bicycle-friendly streets. First launched in 2018, the map was drafted by numerous “neighborhood captains” who used local knowledge of their neighborhoods to create these “low-stress” routes.
“What makes good routing possible is local on-the-ground knowledge,” said Stopper.
Last summer, the organization launched the Bike Streets app, making it even easier for bicyclists to access the crowd-sourced map through turn-by-turn navigation right from their phones. Currently, at over 33,000 miles biked with the technology, the app features weekly challenges and surprise adventures.
Bike Streets also organizes group rides, which Stopper describes as “rolling parties,” along with running the Bike Streets Club that offers raffles, workshops, and merch.
The launch of Bike Streets’ Destinations also came with several other updates, including launching the Bike Streets app for Android and the app’s “Passport” feature which rewards riders who trek to destinations on the app with a unique passport stamp.
Partnering with over 100 Denver businesses and organizations, these destinations include cultural institutions like the Denver Botanic Gardens and library branches, along with concert venues and activities such as Levitt Pavilion and Washington Park Recreation Center.
In the mix are numerous restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops from Spinelli’s Deli and Market to High Point Creamery.
When riders type in a listed destination, the app will show the location’s available bike parking with very scientifically calculated “steps” away from the business’s front door.
The app will also detail any “Reward for Riding,” such as half off your first beer for peddling to Monolith Brewing or a free coffee when you bike three times to Novo.
In addition to connecting community members to their neighborhood businesses, the destinations initiative also intends to meet common transportation challenges in Denver, such as parking.
At the launch, Devin Cammack, Director of Facilities at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, described parking as an “existential crisis” for the museum.
Cammack said improving biking infrastructure makes the museum more accessible, improves environmental sustainability, and also creates a more equitable mode of transportation, as Cammack noted, “not all of our employees can afford a car.”
For businesses and organizations in more residential areas, such as Swallow Hill Music, parking can also limit the music school’s accessibility.
Jessy Clark, Chief Executive Officer at Swallow Hill, confirmed it is possible to bike with a guitar on your back and that many staff members bike to work.
They recently installed bike parking to accommodate the increased interest.
Clark shared that when she asked her employees why they bike to work, they noted their top reasons were reducing traffic, but also having a more enriching commute.
“That feedback included, I get to wave to my neighbors, talk to people on the street, pet a dog, all these things you can’t do if you’re driving a car,” said Clark.
The increased community cohesiveness of biking is something Craig Broek, Director of Operations at The Table Public House, another Bike Streets location, also noted at the launch, saying, “Driving a car is an individual sport, and when you bike, it’s a community event.”
Overall, biking is good for business, noted Jill Locantore, executive director of the Denver Streets Partnership, who stressed her excitement about the project during the launch.
Locantore pointed to several studies, including one from Portland State University, that found that while people who drive to establishments like restaurants or shops typically spend more per visit, bike riders visit more frequently and therefore spend more overall.
“Sales-tax revenues and other ways of measuring business impacts remain the same or increase when we add bike parking to business districts,” Locantore said.
“Active transportation has so many benefits, including safety, public health, and economic vitality,” said Annelies van Vonno, a bicycle and pedestrian transportation planner with CDOT, at the launch.
“It also helps us to meet our greenhouse gas reduction requirements, as well as improve our air quality and advance community connections.”
Vonno noted the total economic and health impact in Colorado is $1.6 billion from bicycling (2015), emphasizing that the city is passionate about all forms of active transportation.
“It is a big part of how we see the future of the transportation system in Colorado,” she said.
image source from：https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/04/15/bike-streets-launches-app-to-incentivize-bicycle-transit-to-local-businesses/
