A survey of 500 Denver voters found that four in five people support the city’s plan to add 125 miles of bicycle lanes by 2024, with majorities even agreeing that bike infrastructure should come at the expense of parking and travel lanes.

“Increasing mobility options in Denver is a non-partisan issue that crosses ethnic, gender and generational lines,” said Chris Keating of Keating Research, who performed the survey. “It’s noteworthy that voters are overwhelmingly supportive of the city’s efforts to move quickly to implement programs that make it easier to get around Denver safety without putting more cars on the road.”

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they have access to a bicycle, and 60% ride at least “a few times per year,” if not more frequently. By contrast, only 30% have ever ridden an electric scooter. Of those who did ride, 70% of bicyclists and 64% of scooter riders felt very safe or somewhat safe in Denver.

The poll also showed majority support for dedicated bicycle lanes, infrastructure improvements planned to achieve the “Vision Zero” policy of eliminating traffic fatalities, and installing bike lanes even if that meant giving up parking spaces or travel lanes – which 60% of people answered in the affirmative.

The survey took place via telephone from Jan. 23-27. Approximately two-thirds of respondents were reached by cell phone and one-third by landline. More than three-quarters of respondents did not have children younger than 18. If a Denver resident had voted in any November election since 2016 or had registered to vote since 2018, they were eligible to be randomly selected. The partisan affiliations of those in the survey sample were roughly equal to the proportion of registered Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters in the city.

Denver Streets Partnership, which advocates for multimodal transportation options, paid for the survey. The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus 4.4%.

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to state that Denver plans to build 125 miles of bike lanes total by 2024.

Mobility survey by Keating Research