The mission/purpose of the Friends of the Fort Collins Bicycle Program, Inc., d.b.a. Bike Fort Collins is to increase participation in active transportation and advance bicycle culture and policy changes, creating safer streets and communities, while also creating an inclusive and empowering culture for all bicyclists, regardless of ability or identity. At itsessence, More Bikes. Safe Streets.
PROGRAM RESULTS
2022 marked a return to much of our programming that had been sidelined during the pandemic. Bike Fort Collins was able to deliver on its mission (and vision) with the following program highlights:
- Began the year calling attention to and supporting important 2002 bicycle-related State of Colorado legislation that ultimately led to the passage of Safety Stop/Stop-as-Yield and a Powerline Trails Bill requires utility companies to provide detailed guidance to communities on the development of long distance, multi-use paths under powerlines in order to satisfy permit requirements
- Hosted three Ride-Around-Town (RAT) Advocacy Rides (May, August, October) exploring different areas across Fort Collins through a bicycle safety lens
- Continued the recognition of cyclists who are especially inspirational via our You Know Me. I Ride a Bike. Campaign, featuring five more worthy individuals during the year
- In celebration of Black History Month, advocated for the induction of James Bethea into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
- Attended the annual League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit, meeting with Colorado legislators on two important programs within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: The Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program and the Healthy Streets Program
- Hosted the first in-person Ride of Silence since before the pandemic, honoring cyclists who have been injured or killed on America’s roadways
- Partnered with Spin Bike to help promote and highlight both the Spin Adaptive and Spin Access programs here within the City of Fort Collins
- Sat on an Advisory Committee for the redesign of the East Elizabeth and College Ave intersection by a group of engineering students from CSU.
- As part of our Safe Routes to School program (SRTS):
- Returned to near-normal programming, delivering SRTS programming to 19 schools
- In conjunction with a CDOT SRTS infrastructure grant, invited by the Thompson School to deliver an Education & Encouragement (E&E) program to Ponderosa Elementary School covering a new raised pedestrian crossing equipped with a Rectangular-Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB)
- Provided scholarships to City of Fort Collins’s summer bike camps for low-income youth
- Coordinated a 2nd Annual Walk/Bike-to-School Challenge for PSD schools in October, growing school participation by 300%
- As part of our Active Living program:
- As a follow up to grant received by the City of Fort Collins from the National Association of Commuter Transportation Officials (NACTO) to test the BFC initiated and newly developed Asphalt Art program, presented at the Colorado Public Health Parks and Recreation Collaborative 2022 Summit: For the Sake of Mental Health ~ How built environment, recreation, parks, and public health are creating hope, change, and optimism in the midst of a pandemic
- Continued Active Living program initiatives in partnership with the Larimer County Department of Health and Built Environment (LCDHBE) to:
- Created three additional point-of-view shot SRTS videos in Spanish as part of our “Let’s Ride video series, highlighting routes from low-income communities to middle schools, as well as a video that showcases an unsafe route (in addition to the initial videos in the series)
- Hosted Bike Repair Sessions for the low-income mobile home park communities of Poudre Valley, Hickory Village, and Cloverleaf
- Maintained a fleet of Community Bike Share bikes for the mobile home park communities of Poudre Valley, Hickory Village, and Cloverleaf
- Operationalized a Bike Donation Program that takes gently-used, functioning bicycles donated from community members and matches them with well-deserving recipients from low-income communities
- Larimer County completed the installation of the new “3-feet clearance” road signage installation that was spawned by our 2020 advocacy efforts, with the final signs being installed in spring 2022
- As part of of the 2021 eBike program grant received by the City of Fort Collins, and in partnership with Northern Colorado Clean Energy and Recycled Cycles, delivered and hosted a get together and a bike-tune up opportunity in conjunction with the recipients’ anniversary of receiving their bikes
- As follow up to the development of a Near Miss App that BFC was the initiator of in 2021, saw the introduction of a pilot tool that enables easy crowd reporting of near miss crashes around the region, and ultimately provide data to support the need for bicycle infrastructure improvements
- Fundraised, planned, and delivered the 3rd annual Wish for Wheels FoCo program delivering 290+ bikes to second-graders in PSD’s Title 1 schools
- Continued the Intersection/Facility Focus Initiative (introduced in 2020) – presenting tow sets of improvement opportunities to Fort Collins Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)
- Continued advocating for and supporting efforts initiated by OMBA to bring a Bike Park to Old Town, as well as formalize singletrack sidewalks within urban areas
- Gathered over 400 signatures from local residents pledging their support for our Vision to be the Amsterdam of the U.S. when it comes to bicycling
FINANCIAL & OPERATIONAL RESULTS
Bike Fort Collins achieved the aforementioned Program Results in accordance with financial performance depicted below, as well as accomplished the following other organizational and operational highlights:
REVENUE
EXPENSES
- Participated in Bike to Work/Wherever Day (BTWD), hosting two stations at Summer BTWD, including the Remington Bike Count Challenge, for the second year in a row
- For the first time since before the pandemic (2019), hosted the Bike From Work Bash following each, the Winter and Summer, BTWD
- Hosted a sold-out Tour de Pie ride as a paid registration for the first time
- Brought back Bike Prom for the first time since 2018 to great success, hosting over 200 paid attendees at The Lyric theater with a great band and an inaugural silent auction
- Working with other bicycle non-profits, as beneficiaries of the event, ensured New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat had all the volunteers it need to be held for the first time since before the pandemic
- Hosted a sold-out Tour de Farms ride, with presenting sponsors HSD Law and Pedego Electric Bikes
- Attempted to host Bike the Lights ride, but original date got postponed once due to extreme cold temperature, and the reschedule date 1-week later had to be canceled due to snow/ice.