A traffic garden is a mini, car-free street network where kids and new riders can practice biking, and road-safety skills in a safe, hands-on environment. It includes traffic circles, crosswalks, intersections, lane markings, benches, and shade trees, so riders can learn real-world street skills in a setting built for confidence and fun.

This is a great addition for families, young riders, and anyone learning to move around town on two wheels. Conoco Park is a city park on the east side of Lowell Boulevard, just north of Midway Boulevard, behind the convenience store and gas station.

Thank you to the City and County of Broomfield City and County of Broomfield for the Drone Shots!

📍 Conoco Park, 12804 Lowell Boulevard, Broomfield, Colorado 80020

Full Youtube Video here for sharing, just additional footage of kids riding, premiers at 7pm. https://youtu.be/GeY68Y8woRk

You want to know what ideology looks like when it hits pavement? Glass. More glass in these bike lanes than I've seen in years of riding these streets, and not the kind that falls off a truck by accident. Somebody's MAGA faithful, out celebrating whatever this administration's latest bike lane DEI grievance is, decided the appropriate response was chucking what looks like a dozen beer bottles across two miles of pavement. That's dedication. That's commitment to the bit.

There's a special kind of irony here, the kind that writes itself. The same crowd griping about wasted taxpayer money is now responsible for taxpayers footing the bill to send crews out and sweep up the wreckage of their own tantrum. Somewhere a bureaucrat is patting himself on the back. Somewhere a street sweeper is earning overtime. Nobody's laughing, but you'd think they'd at least see the joke.

I didn't stop for pictures of all that glass, and let's just say the reasons were biological and non-negotiable. Nature's timeline doesn't care about your documentation process. Figured I'd swing back on lunch and get the evidence then, real journalist hours.

Already flagged it to bikes@broomfield.org before I even got out of my chamois, and true to form, they had someone out with the street sweeper before I'd finished my matcha. That's the machine working the way it's supposed to. A few stray pieces got left behind, so I scooped those myself, no fanfare, just cleanup duty.

Say what you want about the politics of it, the shouting matches, the bottle throwing, the performative outrage. Broomfield's public works crew doesn't care about any of that. You call, they show up. That's worth saying out loud, even when everything else about the day made you want to shake your head.

If you spot glass, debris, or anything else fouling up the bike lanes around town, don't just grumble about it on here. Email bikes@broomfield.org They're responsive, they're fast, and clearly they've got practice.

EDIT for context: Plenty of MAGA politics in bike lanes these days. https://www.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/1ur8dd2/secretary_of_transportation_labels_bike_lanes_dei/?rdt=37457

8 kids with new-to-them bikes and lights. today! Helmet measuring tomorrow.

https://www.ridebroomfield.com/community-bike-kitchen

Broomfield PD is using the term "e-moto," but many residents (and retailers) still call everything an "e-bike," regardless of how fast or powerful it is. That label matters because it affects what license you need, where you can legally ride, and how crashes get reported.

Here's a quick reference sheet breaking down the three categories by wattage, speed, and what the law requires for each:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z0Vu6e5Q5FwjtiBgbXx_KItsCODmS2Gn/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117078903943671013087&rtpof=true&sd=true

The short version:

E-bike: Pedal-assist, 750W or less, up to 28 mph. Treated like a bicycle.

E-moped: No pedals required, 751W to 4,476W. Needs registration and a license.

E-moto: Electric motorcycle territory, 4,477W and above. Motorcycle endorsement or off-road registration required.

Happy to answer questions about the specs if anyone's curious; please be patient, I am at the shop working today.