A cyclist was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries Saturday night after a crash with a motorist at 15th and Glenarm in downtown Denver, prompting police to shut down part of the area and warn drivers to expect delays.
The Denver Police Department said it was investigating a traffic crash involving a motorist and a cyclist near 15th and Glenarm that resulted in serious injury, according to a post from the Denver Police Dept. One person was transported to a local hospital following the collision, and the department cautioned that people should expect delays in the area while officers worked the scene.
A Protected Bikeway With a Turning Problem
The crash happened on a stretch of 15th Street that has functioned as one of Denver’s earliest protected bike lanes, or cycletracks, since it was retrofitted with rubber curbs and plastic bollards starting in 2014 to separate cyclists from car traffic near Upper Downtown landmarks like Glenarm Plaza and Denver Pavilions. Despite that physical separation, turning movements by motor vehicles across bike lanes remain a key vulnerability for cyclists on corridors like this one, according to discussions cited in the research record. The setup was designed to give downtown commuters a safer route, but the intersection where cars cross the protected lane to turn has long been flagged as a weak point in the design.
Colorado law requires drivers overtaking a cyclist traveling in the same direction to keep at least three feet of clearance at all times, and to wait behind or change lanes if that space isn’t available. It is not yet known whether a turning conflict, a right-of-way violation, or a signal issue caused Saturday’s crash, and police have not released that detail.
Part of a Rough Stretch for Denver Cyclists
Saturday’s collision came during a difficult week for cyclists and scooter riders across the city. A serious injury cyclist crash was reported at 13th Avenue and Humboldt Street two days earlier, and another occurred near West 13th Avenue and Knox Court on August 10. Hoodline covered the Humboldt Street crash in a separate report, a second serious crash the same week at Hampden and Sheridan involving multiple vehicles…