DENVER — Downtown Denver commuters might notice something out of the ordinary on several streets.
There are now new curb wedges on 15th Street between from Tremont Place and Arapahoe Street.
The curbs create small islands in a protected bike path, past the crosswalk, that are designed to protect cyclists and others.
“It’s great… as many as we can get,” cyclist James Woods told FOX31 about the curbs. “It makes me feel a lot safer out here.”
Safety is the reason Denver Public Works spent about $5,000 for the wedges and is planning to add them on 17th Street.
2019 has been a deadly year on Denver streets. At least 63 people have been killed in crashes and about 1/3 of them were either pedestrians or cyclists.
Public Works told FOX31 that so far, the curb wedges have been successful at slowing down drivers when they turn left.
Some drivers are not fans of the curbs, however. One described them as “terrible.”
Street signs remind drivers that they must yield to cyclists and scooters in the protected bike lane.
Public Works has plans to add more of the curb wedges to protected bike lanes, including one that is set for East 31st Avenue.