We build Bike Streets for advocacy groups across the country.
VAMOS is our initiative in our hometown.
Denver can have the best bike network in America within a year.
We have the tools to do it. Now we need the willpower. Let’s build the VAMOS Shared Streets Network now.
The Mayor and more than half of City Council made VAMOS part of their 2023 campaign platforms.
Anyone should be able to bike to any destination in Denver. Today.
Imagine a glorious Denver morning in April 2026. A 9th grader in Five Points skateboards to Manual High School. A mom in Westwood bikes to Lowe’s Mercado on Federal for groceries. A dad in Skyland bikes to work in Cap Hill. And a retiree in Montclair hops on his bike and rides to a pottery class in Congress Park.
They roll on quiet, tree-lined streets and rarely pass moving vehicles. It’s easy to relax and navigate to their destinations. They save money as they roll. Over time, their health improves, as does Denver’s air quality. Our carbon emissions decrease.
It may sound like fantasy, but we can make this real in just a few months if we play our hand right and build the VAMOS Shared Streets Network.
We have the ingredients to build VAMOS now
City Plans
The City’s growth plans mandate expanded access to low-stress bike routes. Tens of thousands of citizens participated in these planning processes and City Council approved the plans.
Shared Streets
In the early days of the pandemic, practically overnight, the City created “Shared Streets,” which reduce traffic cutting through neighborhoods and created havens for neighbors, walkers, and people rolling on bikes, skateboards, roller blades, etc. Now they’re bringing this successful program back.
The Low-Stress Denver Bike Map
The crowdsourced Low-Stress Denver Bike Map includes 500 miles of trails, protected bike lanes, and neighborhood streets, the vast majority of which are perfect for the Shared Streets treatment. The Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation, which represents Denver’s registered neighborhood organizations, has encouraged the City to adopt the Bike Streets Map.
VAMOS benefits everyone.
Save money on gas.
Get healthier.
Breathe cleaner air.
Make a difference on climate.
Move towards an equitable mobility system.
Reduce traffic congestion.
Fulfill the city’s plans.
Be a global leader.
VAMOS makes it possible for kids to get around Denver on their own.
Young people deserve the ability to move freely through their community. And parents need the time they spend schlepping to work, workout, our just chill.
How to make VAMOS happen
Paint the Streets
Teams of city workers and volunteers fan out across the Bike Streets Map with paint and stencils. In a matter of weeks, it’s easy for anyone of any age and ability to bike to any destination in Denver.
Reduce Cut-Through Traffic
Crews install signs and pre-cast concrete on neighborhood streets to reduce high-speed cut-through traffic while still allowing neighbors to drive to and park in front of their houses.
With these first two steps completed by 2027, Denver will have the most complete low-stress bike network in the country.
Measure the Impact
It’s not enough to say, “We have X miles of bike lanes.” What matters is how many people are using them. At each stage throughout the process, city workers and volunteers count bikes and identify what’s working and what’s not.
Activate New Folks & New Spaces
Events around town encourage people to see what it’s like to bike on VAMOS streets. Crews paint spaces for neighbors to activate with art installations, food trucks, paleta carts, basketball hoops, and bike mechanic stands.
Reduce Tricky Intersections
Over the following 2-3 years, crews install traffic signals to reduce the number of workarounds at larger street crossings.
Provide Digital Infrastructure
Make the city easy to navigate with high quality maps and turn-by-turn routing that sticks to the VAMOS network and doesn’t send you down Colfax.
Improve the Routes Forever
Our work is never done; a good product is never “complete.” Community members, teams from DOTI, and the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee continuously identify problem spots. DOTI staff are empowered to fix those quickly.
