In celebration of Bike Month in Colorado, PaCMan hosted the 5th annual Manitou Springs Mayor’s Ride with a twist. This year we organized a dual (Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs) Mayors’ ride meeting in the middle at Adams Crossing to enjoyed a popsicle break. Check out the related Pikes Peak Bulletin article here. Thanks to Torie Giffin with the Buffalo Lodge and Allen Beauchamp for leading the Colorado Springs contingent and to PikeRide for providing eBikes.
Greetings from Pedestrian and Cycle Manitou (PaCMan)! We recently stopped by to chat with Rey Figueroa of Good Karma Cafe. Rey has chosen to live carless in Manitou Springs and shared with us about that experience. Here are his thoughts about his carless experience and ideas about how to get more folks to give walking and rolling as transportation a try.
How long have you been a resident and business owner in Manitou Springs choosing to live and operate a business without a vehicle?
I have been a resident of Manitou Springs for 8.5 years and an owner of a business without car for 3 years.
What are the pros/cons of living here and operating a business carless in Manitou?
The pros include the freedom and sense of mental and physical health it offers. Now, I am a better planner of my time and more productive when I drive as a passenger in an Uber or Lyft service. I get piece of mind of knowing that I am not a major contributor of a negative impact of contaminating the environment with fossil fuel gases/emissions.
The cons would be the immediate gratification of getting in a vehicle that you control to move from point A to point B. After all, it is a conventional illusion.
What infrastructure and/or esthetic improvement would have the most positive impact on your experience living and working carless in Manitou?
Walking around is so much more pleasant without vehicles or the noise disturbances that vehicles emit. It would be ideal to limit access to motorized vehicles only to the perimeter of a town or city.
What advice would you give someone who would like to try living in Manitou without a car but doesn’t know where to start or have much time?
Follow me for a week! Learn to simplify your life and improve your quality of life.
What do you think would increase the number of residents and business owners to live and work in Manitou without a car?
Don’t make excuses! Just do it! There has been major decentralization after this past pandemic. Corporations realized the need and benefits of allowing employees to work remotely. Walking or biking is beneficial in the long term. The need to establish convenient stores closer or in town has increased. People will get out and interact, and this makes a stronger community in all its aspects
What other form(s) of transportation do you use and what has that experience been like? I mainly walk and also use an E-Bike and a long board, and as I stated before Uber or Lyft services on occasion. Walking, cycling, and using a long board make me feel like a kid again at my middle age. I am very fortunate to do so and feel active, which has helped prolong healthy aging.
Meet Geri from Georgia who regularly visits her daughter in Centennial, drives her RV to Manitou Springs where she parks, and then uses her eBike to get around. She asserts her bike allows her to explore towns and shop much easier while leaving the RV parked. Love these stories from folks who Visit Manitou Springs using multi-mobility to get around!
Greetings from Pedestrian and Cycle Manitou (PaCMan)! We recently interviewed a local fourth-grader who chooses to walk to Manitou Springs Elementary School each day. Here is their perspective (they want to be anonymous) as well as a few words of encouragement asking other students to do the same.
And if you drive, please remember the following 2022 national dates: Wednesday, May 4, is Bike to School Day and Wednesday, Oct. 5, is Walk to School Day. We ask that you look for road users of all sizes, types and shapes every day to yield when pedestrians are using crosswalks.
Please remember that sometimes school children can be harder to notice, and we ask that you slow down and drive with awareness.
As the Colorado Department of Transportation asks in its Left Behind campaign, which aims to decrease the number of pedestrian crashes in Colorado, “Please drive safe and watch for pedestrians” so that we may all get home safely.
Thank you.
How long have you been a resident and why did your family choose to live in Manitou?
I’ve lived here my whole life. My family wanted to live near the mountains.
What are the pros/cons of walking to school in Manitou?
Pros: I live close to the school so it’s the easiest way to get there. I’ve actually only been driven to school twice, so I don’t really know any other way. A friend in my class who lives in my neighborhood has recently started walking home with me. It’s fun to have a friend to talk with on the way home. Sometimes I walk with other parents and kids, too. It’s a good way to get to know people in my community.
Cons: There is a lot of traffic and it’s normally very cold in the mornings.
What infrastructure and/or esthetic improvement would have the most positive impact on your walking to school experience?
One of my parents walks me across Manitou Avenue in the morning to make sure that I get across safely. If there was a crossing guard at the intersection of Manitou Avenue and Pawnee, I could walk to school by myself. Something that would be really cool would be a tube that transports kids up the hill to the school (Pawnee) and a giant slide on the library lawn to get back down to Manitou Avenue.
What advice would you give someone who would like to try walking to MSES but doesn’t know where to start or have much time?
If you live in downtown Manitou Springs, it might even take less time to walk than it does to drive to the school. Try meeting up with other kids or families in your neighborhood and walk together. I would walk with other kids who have never done it before, so they know what to do. Talk to your parents and neighbors and make a plan.
What do you think would increase the number of kids walking to MSES?
“If you see her, you can be her” mentality. Being inspired by other kids who walk to school would inspire others to do it, too.
What other form(s) of transportation do you use and what has that experience been like?
I also ride a bike and a scooter. Using these modes of transportation is fun and good exercise. I also use the Manitou shuttle sometimes and ride in cars when my family goes on long trips and when we go places outside of Manitou.
PaCMan, Pedestrian and Cycle Manitou Springs, is excited to announce that PikeRide ebike share has come to our community! Three stations are planned as a pilot for the first year to include stations currently in place at Schryver Park and the Beckers and Manitou Avenue Econo Lodge parking lot, and eventually a third location at Hiawatha Gardens. To observe the occasion, PikeRide and the Manitou Springs Creative District invite the community to a launch celebration on July 30th from 10 – 11:30 a.m. at Schryver Park.
What is PikeRide? PikeRide is a local nonprofit 501(c)3 offering electric bike share. Our mission is to elevate our community with a fun, healthy, planet friendly and cost-effective way to get around. It is a convenient, efficient, and healthy way to encourage locals and visitors to take short trips by bike, while making bicycling more accessible. Users simply download the PikeRide app on their smart phone and set up an account to get started. PikeRide operates more than 40 hubs with 250 bikes—all within a flexible dock less network.
PikeRide expands the traditional bike share model by offering electrically assisted bikes that reduce the effort needed to navigate Manitou Springs’ hilly terrain. Classified as Class 1 eBikes, PikeRide bikes offer pedal assist up to 15mph and can be used on roadways, in bike lanes, and on urban trails such as the Creek Walk and Midland Trails.
How much does it cost? PikeRide offers several different pricing structures including: Pay As You Go ($1 to start then .015/minute), Monthly pass ($35), Annual pass ($150) and a WeRide pass ($20). All three passes offer 90 minutes of ride time per day and the WeRide is for anyone experiencing financial hardship. More details about the WeRide pass and how to apply can be found at www.pikeride.org. PikeRide bikes can be ridden within the Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs city limits, but must be parked within the PikeRide service area which is indicated in the app. PikeRide bikes must be secured to a public rack or post when not in use to avoid fines. Trips ended outside of a PikeRide hub accrue a $1 convenience fee.
PikeRide ebike share offers a new transportation option to both visitors and residents. Benefits include reducing traffic, congestion, and pollution—to include Manitou’s carbon footprint, improving convenience and community health, and offering better access to bicycling both for transportation and recreation. Bike share also completes the final leg for those traveling by car or bus. It has been demonstrated that more people on bikes create safer streets for all users. It is proven that bike share has significant economic impact on cities as well. Bike share attracts more customers to nearby business and bike users are more likely to spend money within four blocks of a bike share hub. Bike share users spend considerably less time finding parking and more time patronizing nearby business. Cyclists also have more frequent interaction at businesses than those who drive cars, ultimately spending more money.
Come join us on July 30th to try out and use PikeRide share bikes as we celebrate this wonderful opportunity! Please visit www.pikeride.org to sign up for a membership.