'It Was Treacherous Out There': Cyclists Say Bike Lanes Are Snowpacked And Icy One Week After Storm

DENVER (CBS4) - One week after a storm dumped several inches of snow in Denver, the city's Public Works Department is working to clear icy residential roads. CBS4 talked with a cyclist who said bike lanes are also a concern.

"It was treacherous out there many of the bike lanes were iced over or slushed over," Bryan Hinmon said who was biking to work for the first time on Tuesday.

David Mintzer, who has been biking to work at Denver Health for more than a decade, says this week's commute was particularly bad.

"I was riding on the two feet of pavement and the car is behind me honking asking me to move over, but it was all ice and snow so there's no way. It just kind of creates conflicts for everyone," he said.

Some cyclists have been documenting their rides over the last several days, showing a number of the city's protected bike lanes were still covered in snow.

"It seemed a heck of a lot safer to be in the middle of the road or in the tire treads where you could find some pavement," Hinmon said.

With 9 miles of protected bike lanes across the city, Denver Public Works now has a designated plow, small enough to navigate those lanes. Their goal is to have those bike lane plows make one to two passes every 12 hour shift. It's in line with the plows hitting the city's main roadways, but maybe not enough for some.

"I think they need to figure out how and when to use them. One pass clearly isn't cutting it," Mintzer said.

While drivers and cyclists don't always see eye to eye when it comes to issues on the road, they seem to agree about this round of snow removal.

"I think the city needs to come up with a better plan put more resources into the streets," Mintzer said.

If you see snow packed in those protected bike lanes, Denver Public Works recommends reporting the area to 311 so maintenance crews can address the issue.