A better experience for biking in Boulder

The City of Boulder is updating its bikeway and destination wayfinding to make it easier for people biking, rolling and walking to navigate in and across town.

Share Your Feedback

You can review and provide feedback on the sign design options and elements. Based on community feedback, we will refine designs throughout summer 2026.

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Design

Project Overview

Better bikeway wayfinding signage will help our community and visitors find comfortable, lower-stress routes to travel on and encourage more people to explore the city by biking, rolling and walking.

How would it work?

Boulder has designated comfortable, lower-stress bike routes around town that connect key destinations. To help people easily find these routes, we're proposing using route names and numbers on wayfinding signs, similar to highways.

People could follow these low-stress routes by their name or number.

  • Routes 1-9 would include multi-use paths, which are off-street gravel or concrete paths. See map of routes 1-9.
  • Routes 10-19 would include regional bikeways, including long-distance routes within the city and routes that go outside of the city. See map of routes 10-19.
  • Routes 20 and above would include remaining low-stress routes, like on-street bike routes and bike lanes. See map of remaining routes.

We would post bike symbols on existing signage for all other bike routes in the city, including high-stress routes and smaller neighborhood connections.

Try it out!

Watch the video below to see a simulated bike ride featuring the proposed signs in North Boulder.

Signage Examples

The first image shows an example of new signage. The other images show examples of current signage. 

Currently, we use green and blue Boulder bikeway signs. 

Green signs show destinations. 

Blue signs label turns, distance to other bike routes and key destinations like parks and schools, and bike facility types, which include: on-street bike routes, which are shared lanes with vehicles, on- and off-street bike lanes, and off-street multi-use paths.

  • Example bikeway signage

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  • Examples of blue and white bikeway signs

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  • Examples of green and white bikeway signs

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    FAQ

    Current bikeway signage is sometimes confusing, incomplete, and inconsistent, making it harder for travelers to reach their destinations.

    For example:

    • Wayfinding signage currently uses different terms, like “Bike Route,” “Bike Lane” and “Boulder Bikeways”.
    • Some signs point to bikeways without naming accompanying destinations the route can take people to.
    • Current wayfinding is often incomplete, with signage gaps along routes. You may see a sign for a turn to a destination but may not see a sign confirming you are on the right route or a sign indicating the next turn you need to make to reach the destination.

    While there will be a new family of signs that designates named and numbered routes along the spines of the network, the proposed wayfinding approach also aims to:

    • Provide a consistent experience, maintaining standard blue and green colors and style with existing signage.
    • Be easy to see and read. Have large text and contrast to be easy to read and understand, especially while moving.
    • Be easily produced and maintained in the city, so our sign team can continue to work efficiently.
    • Minimize sign clutter.

    The Lower-Stress Crosstown Bikeway includes north-south and east-west routes across Boulder. These routes are highlighted yellow on the city’s bike map.

    Standard blue and green colors and bike symbols follow national standards for roadway signage. Our Transportation & Mobility Department can also make and maintain these signs, which reduces costs.

    Bikeway and destination signage is most commonly placed at intersections: decision-points for people to continue on their current route or turn to a different route or destination. We usually install signage on existing signposts, with signs for multiple directions placed on the same signpost to limit the number of signposts needed and minimize installation and maintenance costs.