Colorado Springs Removes Barriers From West Colorado Avenue After Public Pushback

The concrete barriers that defined the initial crosswalk design on West Colorado Avenue in Colorado Springs have been removed. The change follows a period of public feedback that prompted city officials to revisit their temporary installations on the corridor.

Planners initially installed protected crosswalks last month as part of a year-long redesign. The original layout included center pedestrian refuge areas and solid concrete walls. Recent adjustments have scaled back the refuge zones and eliminated the barriers entirely. The city is now testing a revised configuration to determine how the street functions in daily use.

Ryan Phipps, the city's capital improvements manager, explained that the modifications were a direct response to resident concerns. He noted that pedestrians, particularly those of shorter stature, reported that the concrete walls blocked their sightlines. The barriers created a solid obstruction that made it difficult for walkers to see oncoming traffic.

First responders also influenced the redesign. Phipps stated that drivers attempting to yield to emergency vehicles often created blockages at the pedestrian refuges. To ensure fire and police units could move freely up and down the avenue, the city removed those specific sections of the design. Phipps described the process as an iterative search for balance rather than a correction of errors.

"Recently we made some adjustments to what we had initially implemented, and this is just that ongoing iterative process of testing what's working, what's not working as well as was originally anticipated," Phipps said. He added that the current phase is essential for observing how the design performs in practice.

Local businesses are monitoring the changes closely. Joe Kliche, manager of Centennial Cuts, a beef shop on the corridor, said the store relies on customer access to its door. The business sells cattle raised on a family ranch in Fowler, Colorado, in its third generation. Kliche said he supports the center lane for parking, which aids in loading and unloading, but noted that managers had expected more additional parking space.

Reactions to the new crosswalk setup remain mixed among business owners. Kliche described the stanchions rising in the middle of the street as a little weird. The latest updates reset this portion of the trial period, and city planners are now soliciting further feedback to judge the effectiveness of the changes.