On-Street Bike Lanes

Most of Denver's on-street bicycle lanes are located on roadways with stripes; these are the streets that are routinely plowed every time snow accumulates. Crews will make every effort to plow through the bike lane to the curb whenever possible; however, during swift, heavy snowfalls, bike lanes may become snow packed. These snowy/icy conditions may linger in the bike lane several days after a storm depending on temperatures, particularly in shady locations. Call 311 or use Pocketgov to report problem areas.

Throughout the winter season, people on bikes should be prepared to ride in a shared lane condition, utilizing the outermost lane available and may consider alternate transportation options based on health, ability, weather conditions and equipment. People on bikes may need to consider alternate routes and utilize the city’s trail system. People are also encouraged to winterize their bikes and have the right tires for navigating winter conditions.

Protected Bikeways

DOTI plows the city’s protected bikeways and many pedestrian bridges. Denver uses a smaller plow for the protected bikeways that has a broom attached, as well as a material spreader that can drop liquid deicing material as appropriate, based on weather conditions. Our snow program is built to be able to hit each protected bikeway between one and two times per 12 hour shift (addressed with the same frequency as the main streets) if there are no obstacles, such as vehicles parked in the bike lane. If there is a lot of snow to push, it will take longer to complete snow removal operations on the protected bike lanes.

Off-Street Bike Trails

Denver Parks and Recreation maintains the City’s network of off-street bicycle and multi-use trails. Any snow accumulation on a trail greater than one inch will be plowed to the channel side (or down slope side) within 12 hours after the end of a snow fall event. Snow that can’t be accessed by machine will be removed manually. Ice accumulation on the trail will be treated with gravel and/or environmentally safe chemical products.