What We Heard

Thank you to everyone who responded to our Community Survey. We received many thoughtful and informational comments. Below is a summary of the responses.

Comments about the mode of travel choice: 
  • Distance is also a reason.
  • My children are young right now so I take them to school in a car. Later, I expect they will ride their bikes or the bus. However, until safety concerns are addressed where they have to cross Highway seven, from Pawnee Drive over to carriage Hills, biking won’t be an option. A lot of people need to cross Highway 7 at that location, where traffic is 50 mph and people turning and passing, but it is unsafe for kids, particularly during tourist season.
  • Health!
  • Healthy lifestyle
  • We would love to use the bus, but waiting at the highway is not safe and before COVID, there were times that the bus passed by because visibility is bad at the corner; which highlights the danger of kids waiting for the bus there. I also am not ok with having to ride all the way to Pinewood Springs. I KNOW that the bus used to drive Meadowview; that would be much better.


Comments about using Graves Ave if it was improved:
  • Fish Creek is our route
  • Graves is actually the closest route for us. But because of heavy traffic and no sidewalk we take a longer safer route.
  • It isn’t my children’s route to school. The safety concern that inhibits them from biking, even when they’re older, is having to cross Highway 7, from Pawnee Drive to Carriage Hills.
  • See my note above-that isn’t our route to bike. It is a driving route.
  • Wrong direction of travel for us, but I many children and adults using the side of the road to get where they’re going and think this is an excellent project that is happening.
  • Because that route does not get us from home to school. However, it does get us from school to the Learning Place. So improving that corridor would be a big help. And Graves Ave. is completely unsafe for all the children who do have to use it. But, you also need a way to get safely from Stanley Park to the Elementary School, and the Middle School (without going through the high school parking lot with no designated lane!!) Also, the school campus itself is not bike or pedestrian friendly to move between the buildings and the schools.
  • Not on route
  • My kids don’t live here. These questions are too narrowly focused on parents and ignores the voices of other impacted stakeholders. How are the voices businesses and residents heard? They may want the space along the road for parking instead of sidewalks.
  • Seguridad (safety)

Should the Town consider a “shared street” concept in which all users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists) share the common paved street space?

Shared Street Example

The public right of way (ROW) along Graves Avenue is 50 feet wide, and the two driving lanes occupy approximately 24 feet.  Of the remaining 26 feet, what do you believe is the greatest need?  
Comments
  • Complete the sidewalk on the southside of Graves Avenue. Connect the housing with interior pathways to the Community Drive sidewalk. Make no other changes. There may be an opportunity to create small pull in and pull out parking areas along the streets (no overnight parking allowed). This may help with short term parking or delivery vehicle requirements. Graves Avenue experiences significant traffic. To include bike lanes with significant side street traffic entering and exiting commercial businesses and apartment complexes would be very dangerous and defeat the purpose of safe routes. Snow removal is already a challenge and this will likely make that necessity worse. 
  • I have worked on Graves Avenue for 20 years and travel routinely on Manford and Graves Avenue. The foot traffic to and from school is very small. Parents take their children to school or they ride the bus. The same situation exists at the end of the day. Traffic during those school hours bears this out. I don’t believe this will change that parental pattern. The sidewalk along Manford Avenue gets very little school foot traffic. 

Comment Form Comments
  • I work at EVICS Family Resource Center, 1182 Graves Ave. Many families walk to our office to access services. Improved sidewalks would help tremendously. From our office we also frequently witness children playing at or near the street, and children walking to school without proper sidewalk access. We are very concerned for the safety of children and families who live in this area. Also, it is very dangerous pulling out of our parking lot onto Graves Ave, due to vehicles parked on the street blocking the driver’s view of moving vehicles and pedestrians. We have reported this concern to the EP Police Dept. No action has been taken. 
  • In the survey, there was minimal information about what a Shared Street is and how safe it can be with 10 mph speeds are in place, etc., I do hope there is ability/opportunity to actually inform the public before asking their opinion about whether to use or not. The design is referred to in the Estes Park Downtown Plan and it would be meaningful to educate the public at every opportunity. Benefits and challenges, etc., there are plenty examples of shared streets to demonstrate to the public. If desiring a traditional design, installing a multi-use path (10+ feet) on south side of Graves Ave and an 8 ft wide sidewalk on the north side of street will allow safe and separated pathways for residents and businesses to use. 
  • Hooray! I’ve been waiting years for a safe multiuser path along Graves Avenue. I realize this is under the umbrella of Safe Routes to School, but adults would use it too, simply for exercise, or getting to work, going to the store, etc. There will be a danger zone at the entrance to the various apartments/housing units/businesses along Graves Ave. I hope you will consider speed bumps or flashing lights or some other sort of warning at the driveways of these establishments. 
  • We own the complex at 1180-1218 Graves Ave. Appreciate you keeping in touch with us and just wanted to be on the notification email. We are open to either side of the street for the sidewalk. Just can’t disturb the detention pond, which the engineers are aware of. Thanks for keeping in touch 🙂 Peggy

Notification 2
We would like to see a way to get safely from the bike/pedestrian path that circles Lake Estes (and goes to Stanley Park) to the Elementary School, and the Middle School (without going through the high school parking lot with no designated bike/pedestrian lane!!) Also, the school campus itself is not bike or pedestrian friendly to move between the buildings and the schools. We would like to see safer access between the schools for both bikes and pedestrians. Thank you for your consideration! Graves Avenue is completely unsafe and it would be a step in the right direction to make that safer for children walking to and from school, and also for children going between school and the Learning Place. Thank you!
Graves avenue seems to have quite a bit of traffic coming on to Graves from both the North and South side. My concern would be that someone coming on to Graves could possibly hit pedestrians or bikers if things are not marked well enough.
My grandson crosses Community Drive all the time, his home is on the corner between Graves and Brodie.As well as a sidewalk we need a crosswalk at Graves and Community. A crosswalk light like the one installed at the traffic circle would be helpful or at least during school have a safety patrol and it could be the kids. Give them some responsibility. The way people speed on Community and drive through the parking lot at school and the rec center is very concerning.
There needs to be something much larger on highway 7 to denote the crosswalk – flashing lights and a pinchpoint like in Boulder. Not just at this spot, but also at first street and Lexington.

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Map Comments
  • There needs to be something much larger on highway 7 to denote the crosswalk – flashing lights and a pinch point like in Boulder. Not just at this spot, but also at first street and Lexington.
  • My grandson crosses Community Drive all the time, his home is on the corner between Graves and Brodie. As well as a sidewalk we need a crosswalk at Graves and Community. A crosswalk light like the one installed at the traffic circle would be helpful or at least during school have a safety patrol and it could be the kids. Give them some responsibility. The way people speed on Community and drive through the parking lot at school and the rec center is very concerning.
  • Graves avenue seems to have quite a bit of traffic coming on to Graves from both the North and South side. My concern would be that someone coming on to Graves could possibly hit pedestrians or bikers if things are not marked well enough.
  • We would like to see a way to get safely from the bike/pedestrian path that circles Lake Estes (and goes to Stanley Park) to the Elementary School, and the Middle School (without going through the high school parking lot with no designated bike/pedestrian lane!!) Also, the school campus itself is not bike or pedestrian friendly to move between the buildings and the schools. We would like to see safer access between the schools for both bikes and pedestrians. Thank you for your consideration! Graves Avenue is completely unsafe and it would be a step in the right direction to make that safer for children walking to and from school, and also for children going between school and the Learning Place. Thank you!