Video: New 15th Street ‘Corner Wedges’ Slow Drivers When They Turn Onto Bike Lane

The Department of Public works installed rubber curbs and plastic posts to create “corner wedges” within five intersections on the 15th Street bikeway downtown earlier this month. The pilot project aims to slow drivers as they turn left at intersections, helping to ensure they yield to bicyclists and pedestrians.

Last month on 15th Street, workers installed rubber curbs to transform a bike lane into a protected bikeway. The city added a vertical dimension to the lane when they installed plastic bollards between the curbs last week, according to Nancy Kuhn, a spokesperson for DPW. The city’s contractor will soon start work on a dedicated bus lane on 15th Street.

Similar treatments are planned for 17th Street, including a protected bikeway and dedicated busway. Weather permitting, they will be installed by the end of the year, according to Kuhn.

Traffic deaths have risen sharply this year. Street safety elements like protected bike lanes and corner wedges are part of Denver’s Vision Zero Action Plan, which follow Mayor Hancock’s 2016 pledge to end all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.