A plan to expand bike access along the 16th Street Mall from the current Sundays to include Saturdays won easy approval from a City Council committee.

But before Wednesday’s 6-0 vote by the Infrastructure and Culture Committee, some members and a downtown resident expressed concerns about pedestrian safety and the behavior of some aggressive bicyclists. Some said red-light runs and near-collisions with pedestrians on the mall and other city streets are too frequent.

“It is up to the bicycling community to behave, frankly,” Councilman Charlie Brown said, or risk restrictions on mall access that will apply even to responsible bicyclists.

The proposal, which goes to the full council in coming weeks, would allow bicyclists only in the transitways. Those are shared by MallRide shuttles, horse-drawn carriages and, after 6 p.m., pedicabs.

For now, bicyclists would be allowed all weekend without restrictions on hours. Most speakers at Wednesday’s public hearing were supportive.

Responding to pedestrian safety concerns, the city’s urban mobility manager, Emily Snyder, outlined plans for more signs where bike lanes intersect with the mall. The city also plans to kick off the first Saturday of bike access with awareness campaigns and a media event. And police say they will consider increasing enforcement if there are problems.

Those plans gave some comfort to Hanna Weston, a retiree who lives on Larimer Street off the mall.

“We are not bikers,” she told the committee about her neighbors, “so we have to consider ourselves pedestrians. On that street, we are subject to bicycle riders who come from behind us. … We’re going to insist that safety for the pedestrians comes very, very close to the top” of priorities.

One aspect that slows bicyclists’ pace on the mall compared with bike lanes on other downtown streets is its design. Frequent red lights and the shuttles, which run up to 13 times an hour on weekends, should keep bicyclists from gaining much speed, Councilman Albus Brooks said.

Bike advocates said the mall also likely attracts more casual riders who are interested in spending time there than speedsters.

“I believe (that) by having more bicycles on the mall, it forces more eyes and more peer pressure amongst that group to have that safety,” Josh Davies, who lives in Lower Downtown, told the committee. “And so I think having more bikes rather than less bikes is actually going to increase the level of responsibility among that group, (along) with the education” campaign.

Jon Murray: 303-954-1405, jmurray@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JonMurray