Starting off at Meow Wolf
This year’s edition of the “River and Acequia Cruise” served to kick off activities for “Bike-to-Work” week on Sat., May 13, and marked the beginning of the tenth year of “Community Cruises”!
Rufina St. bike lanes extend west all the to S. Meadows Rd.
As usual, this slow bike ride served to help Santa Feans and their guests learn to navigate the city through the use of urban multi-use trails, mellow connecting roads, and bike lanes along busier roads. For the first time, we linked Rufina St.’s bike lanes to downtown via the River and Acequia Trails in order to demonstrate the trickiest parts of a greater route that now extends across the entire city.
Recently-completed but little-known piece of Acequia Trail between Harrison St. and La Cieneguita St. at Hermanos Rodriguez Park
Brand new connection into Frenchy’s Field includes a newly-marked crosswalk on Agua Fria St.
About 20 participants, including several members of the City’s Bicycle and Trails Advisory Committee, made the journey from Meow Wolf to the plaza via Rufina St., Agua Fria St., and the River Trail. We were able to use, visit, and discuss several recently-improved connections to the River Trail, as well as participate in a River and Watershed event upstream from Frenchy’s Field. After arriving at the plaza for the City’s “CommUnity Day event,” a smaller group proceeded back to Meow Wolf via the Acequia Trail, a short stretch of Cerrillos Rd., and Rufina St.
River and Watershed Coordinator Melissa McDonald describes the City’s river work upstream from Frenchy’s Field
River and River Trail both flowing!
River Trail in Griego Park
River Trail in Alto Park
New connection to Alto St. at La Madera St.
Very tight squeeze at St. Francis Dr. to get to newly widened River Trail
Much of the newly widened River Trail is located directly on the curb – an on-street bike lane on W. Alameda as originally planned could not only serve on-road cyclists quite well but would also provide the critical five-foot buffer between the trail and motor vehicle traffic that national guidelines and City Code both call for
Crossing Alameda St. at Camino del Campo – another Bicycle Master Plan improvement serving pedestrians as well as bicyclists
Arriving at CommUnity Day at the plaza via W. San Francisco St.
Bike-pedestrian-only crossing of Sandoval St. at De Vargas St. A northbound bike lane could be striped along Sandoval here, from Alameda to Montezuma, to help link the plaza to the Railyard
Another bike-pedestrian-only connection allows W. Manhattan to function as a “bike boulevard” from the Railyard west.
Crossing the Acequia Madre at Kathryn St. to get to the Acequia Trail: Insert bridge here (it’s on the way!)
Acequia Trail near back of Ashbaugh Park
Yard sales on Otowi Dr. have become a regular Community Cruise feature
“Future” Acequia Trail to Maclovia Park is already a legal route through City open space
Cerrillos Rd. bike lane? Yes! But not for long to get to Harrison and back to Rufina St.
An even dozen completed the ride back to Meow Wolf
Thanks go to all of the participants, to Meow Wolf, to City Parks and Recreation Dept. for supporting SFCT’s involvement in the promotion of City trails, and to River and Watershed Coordinator Melissa McDonald for helping to make this another fun and educational “community cruise.”