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A youth group hikes north on the Foothills
Trail, north of Gateway Road in the Garden of the Gods... hopefully enjoying the
scenery in front of them.
2nd 'motorless morning' this year at Garden of Gods to last 7 hours Oct. 7
Sept. 19, 2018For the second time this year, Colorado Springs Parks has scheduled a "Motorless Morning" for the Garden of the Gods.
The effect will be that on Sunday, Oct. 7 from 5 a.m. to noon., no motor vehicles will be allowed into the popular city park.
The intent is to encourage nonmotorized travel, such as hikers and bicyclists. However, a free shuttle bus will be provided, and "the use of other power-driven mobility devices, which includes
The Garden of the Gods north parking lot, off
Juniper Way Loop, is perennially full in the summertime - reflecting the city park's
issues with vehicular traffic and lack of parking.
Westside Pioneer photo
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Near the Garden's most-used access - Gateway Road, from 30th Street - cars can be parked in the shuttle lot that the city created this year at the north end of the Rock Ledge Ranch lot. The shuttle will run between there and the Central Garden access at Gateway and Juniper Way Loop.
Such a bus had provided an optional, free service along Gateway Road this past summer.
Also being planned for the morning of Oct. 7 are “several activities” in the Central Garden area, “including interpretive stations and nature walks hosted by the Visitor and Nature Center,” the release adds. “Additional activities are being discussed, and a full list will be available at coloradosprings.gov/motorlessmorning prior to the event.”
At the other three main park entrances (Ridge Road, Garden Drive and Beckers Lane), cars will be denied during the seven-hour span by recently installed gates.
The Garden's first “motorless” day was April 22, receiving "overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community,” according to Kim King, City Parks administration manager. “That first event was a great way for us to test this concept, which we're now extending by two hours so visitors have more time post-sunrise to experience the park in this unique way. We are interested to see if this event is received as well in the fall as it was in the spring and will continue to gather data on how people are using the park during the event.”
The motorless idea came out of a consultant study on reducing Garden road congestion. The proposal, suggesting car-free days on a monthly basis, received strong support from attendees at a Westside public meeting when the study was presented last spring.
Westside Pioneer article
(Outdoors:
Garden of the Gods)
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