Only two days after a bicyclist was killed in a hit-and-run accident, another bike-involved accident with serious injuries has been reported. That got us wondering about Denver's problem areas when it comes to keeping cyclists and cars out of each other's path.
Denver recently reviewed bike-involved accidents from 2008 to 2012, including crash narratives to get a really detailed look at dangerous areas for bicyclists. The whole report is worth a read; they found that millennials are more likely to be involved in crashes, among other things.
But what about lately? The city has installed more bike paths and has just generally grown a lot since then. To get a more current snapshot, I searched for bike-involved traffic accidents since 2011 within about 70 feet of an intersection.
Many of these 10 intersections tied in the tally with the same number of accidents. To break the ties, I expanded the search for bike involved accidents at the intersection to the blocks that feed them.
East Lincoln and Speer - 5 accidents in the intersection
I mean, come on, this one even looks confusing. Yet many navigate the area without incident; the last bike-involved traffic accident here happened in 2014.
North Lincoln and Colfax Avenue - 5 accidents in the intersection
There have been no bike-involved accidents at this intersection since 2013. Which makes sense to me since cars seem pretty unhappy with me when I ride on either of these streets.
15th Street and Wynkoop Street - 5 accidents in the intersection, 6 total near
Shocked? Probably not. Many people have noted the 15th Street bike lane's imperfections. You might be surprised to learn that 15th and Larimer, the area where the bike lane switches from the left side to right, has relatively few recorded accidents: only two.
Bike-involved accidents here happened more often in the evening. Four out of six happened after 6:00 p.m.
Curtis Street and Park Avenue - 5 accidents in the intersection, 6 total nearby
Happily, no accidents have been recorded since the installation of two nearby bike lanes on Arapahoe and Lawrence Street.
Alameda Avenue and South Broadway - 5 accidents in the intersection, 7 total nearby
Five out of the seven bike-involved accidents here happened between in the mid-afternoon and early evening.
East 16th Street and Park Avenue - 5 accidents in the intersection, 7 total nearby
Four out of the seven accidents in this area happened after 7 p.m. Might be good to make extra sure that you've got great bike lights.
West Colfax near I-25 - 7 accidents in the area
OK, so this isn't an intersection to bikers, but it is for cars. And cyclists traveling along Colfax were involved in accidents during the day and night. Four out of the seven accidents happened in 2011, so there's reason to believe the area has improved since then.
15th Street and Champa - 8 accidents at the intersection, 10 nearby
Yes, the second appearance of 15th Street, and by extension, its maligned bike lane. Unlike most intersections, where accidents happen both day or night, seven out of the 10 accidents here happened between about 6:45 a.m. and 5 in the afternoon.
East 11th Avenue and Lincoln Street - 8 accidents at the intersection, 10 nearby
Oh look, an intersection from my daily bike commute! Hooray.
Notably, this intersection has already seen two accidents this year. That means that there have been accidents despite the addition of a dedicated bike lane last fall. Fellow commuters from Capitol Hill have expressed concern that'll be hit by cars turning right while crossing Lincoln -- maybe they're right to be worried.
East 12th Avenue and Broadway - 8 accidents at the intersection, 12 nearby
Only two of the twelve accidents at this intersection happened after 2013. Four of the accidents in this area happened around 10 p.m. or later, so, again, keep those brights on, everyone.
Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated what kind of bike lane is on East 11th avenue. It is a dedicated bike lane.
