Rep. Jeff Hurd is expected to introduce a bill that would transfer more than 2,000 acres of BLM land northeast of Glenwood Springs to Out of Bounds Ranch.

PETITION FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND STANDARD CROSSWALK MARKINGS

Town of Basalt, Colorado

To: Gloria Kaasch-Buerger, Town Manager, Town of Basalt
Cc: Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Region 3 Traffic & Safety

Request for Safety Action

We, the concerned residents, property owners, community members, and users of Basalt’s roadways and pedestrian crossings, respectfully request that the Town of Basalt promptly review and correct the multi-colored crosswalks located at:

1. Lewis Lane / Willits Road
2. Two Rivers Road / Cottonwood Drive

These are heavily used pedestrian crossings serving residents, families, children, runners, cyclists, schools, parks, businesses, and visitors. At both locations, significant pedestrian activity intersects with moving vehicle traffic, making visibility, consistency, and immediate driver recognition critical to public safety.

A crosswalk should be immediately recognizable to every driver, in all conditions. The current multi-colored pavement treatments do not provide the same familiar and standardized visual cue as conventional white crosswalk markings. Visibility is of particular concern at night and during wet or overcast conditions.

Safety Risks of Multi-Colored Crosswalks

The concern with multi-colored or artistic crosswalks is not simply their appearance. Crosswalks are traffic-safety environments where drivers and pedestrians must recognize and react to one another quickly and predictably. Potential risks include:

• Reduced nighttime visibility – Multiple colors become significantly less distinct after dark, while standardized reflective pavement markings are designed around visibility and recognition. The lack of nighttime visibility is a concern.
• Reduced visibility when wet or during poor weather – Rain, wet pavement, glare, snow, and overcast conditions can further reduce the contrast between colored pavement and the roadway. 
• Reduced contrast of the actual crosswalk markings – Bright colors and patterns can visually compete with or diminish the contrast of the white markings that identify the crosswalk. FHWA has specifically warned against colored treatments that degrade this contrast.
• Driver confusion and delayed recognition – Drivers are trained and conditioned to recognize standardized white reflective pavement markings. An unusual combination of colors and patterns may require additional visual processing before a driver recognizes the area as a pedestrian crossing. FHWA emphasizes uniformity and warns against treatments that might be mistaken for traffic-control applications.
• Potential distraction to drivers – Bright, unusual or artistic pavement treatments can draw a driver's attention toward the pavement itself rather than toward pedestrians, vehicles and other hazards. FHWA previously concluded that certain bright, distinctive crosswalk patterns have the potential to distract road users and reduce safety.
• Children may view the crosswalk as a place to play or interact – A colorful or artistic design can make the roadway appear more like a play area, public-art installation, or pedestrian space rather than an area that should be crossed promptly. Importantly, the current MUTCD specifically states that aesthetic crosswalk patterns shall not be designed to encourage road users to remain in the crosswalk, engage or interact with the pattern, or otherwise inhibit safe and efficient crossing.
• Potential false sense of security for pedestrians – A visually prominent artistic crossing may cause pedestrians to perceive the crossing as especially protected or safer than it actually is. FHWA has previously cautioned that crosswalk art could contribute to a false sense of security for both motorists and pedestrians.
• Difficulty for colorblind drivers – Reliance on multiple colors can reduce the effectiveness of the visual treatment for people who have difficulty distinguishing certain colors. Drivers that suffer from colorblindness are significant disadvantaged and unable to see the crosswalk when painted in color.
• Confusion with established roadway colors – Roadway colors have standardized meanings. Introducing multiple colors into the traveled way can create unnecessary ambiguity or resemble other traffic-control applications. FHWA specifically restricts aesthetic treatments from using colors that fall within standardized traffic-control color ranges.
• Possible traction concerns – Depending on the paint or surface-treatment material used, pavement treatments can affect traction, particularly when wet. If the paint used is not approved as a MUTCD paint, it poses a significant risk to braking action and skidding, especially during an emergency stopping situation. The current MUTCD advises that surface-treatment materials should be selected to minimize loss of traction and confirm with required preapproved materials.
• Loss of uniformity and predictability – A fundamental safety benefit of standardized traffic-control devices is that motorists can recognize them quickly regardless of where they are driving. Nonstandard treatments introduce another visual condition for drivers to interpret.
• No demonstrated safety benefit from decorative coloration itself – FHWA's prior reviews of aesthetic colored crosswalk treatments found no discernible improvement in pedestrian safety or crash reduction attributable to the decorative treatment.
• The Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), adopted in Colorado together with the Colorado Supplement, establishes uniform standards for traffic-control devices. MUTCD Part 3, Section 3C.03 states that “Crosswalk markings shall be white.”
• FHWA guidance further addresses decorative pavement and provides that decorative treatments must not replace or diminish required white crosswalk markings.

Community Request

We respectfully petition the Town of Basalt, in consultation with CDOT, to:

Promptly review both multi-colored crosswalks for safety and compliance with applicable traffic-control standards.

Restore the crossings to standard, high-visibility standard white crosswalk markings consistent with applicable MUTCD and Colorado standards.

Prioritize pedestrian safety, visibility, and immediate driver recognition over decorative pavement treatments within these crossings.

This petition is solely about pedestrian safety. Standardized traffic-control markings exist so motorists can recognize and respond to them immediately. At heavily used crossings—particularly those serving children and families—even a brief delay in recognition can have serious consequences.

We urge the Town to take this simple, proactive safety measure before a serious pedestrian incident occurs.

Respectfully submitted by the concerned community members of Basalt, Colorado.

I'm almost 30 and looking to get back out there. Where are all the youngish people hanging out these days? I have a great friend group already, they're just 35+ and married.

I moved up here alone about 5 months ago and haven’t really made that many friends and thus haven’t really gone out, but some of my friends from home are coming this weekend for my birthday and we wanna go out but don’t know where. I’m in glenwood but would be down to go to carbondale, any suggestions? for reference we’re early 20s

Register so I make you a gift! Must be 21+

https://luckyranchlab.com/tour/p/zj2tocvjv8ydvest7uvtoquoi8n58n

I have Adventure park, Iron mountain, yampah, slope and hatch, sweet coloradough, biking the rio grande, fishing roaring fork on the to do list. Am I missing anything? TIA

Been hearing great things about the El Dorado so we went in and talked to their team. They just launched what they're calling their most complex cocktail menu to date which features locally sourced ingredients and solid mocktails for non drinkers. Anyone else had a chance to check them out? https://roaringforkvalleyguide.com/blog/el-dorado-bar-lounge-carbondale-cocktails/

Hello kind people of the valley. I had my fixed gear/single speed stolen over the weekend from Carbondale park and ride. I already called RFTA and they said they didn’t take it. If someone happens to spot it somewhere I would greatly appreciated I just put some money into it and it sucks that it’s gone now. The picture attached is an older picture, I swapped the stem and bars with a shorter black stem, and wide MTB bars with black deity grips. It also has new BMX platform pedals with Origin8 foot straps and a new specialized Romin Evo Comp seat. It’s a Black Mercier Kilo TT. I think a key identifier also is that it still had a purple chain on it.

If you happen to see anything or find it in a ditch I would greatly appreciate hearing about it. Thank you and have a great day!

Cash reward if found as well.

Has anyone done this lately? Flows look ok. Are there any major hazards? First time this river. Planning to go Friday Aug 14 in a ducky. #rafting, #whitewater

I’m looking at moving into an apartment in Glenwood Springs. I was looking into Six Canyon, but have heard some bad firsthand experiences from others in the valley. The Meadows is an alternative I’ve heard about and want to look at. Does anyone have experience at either or both places?

Hey all, my partner and I are prioritizing a trip in September and unfortunately aren’t planning on going down to Telluride for Camp Alderwild at the end of the month. Curious if there’s anyone here in the valley who’d want two face value 2 days passes? We live in Glenwood, but will wind up doing a digital transfer so it’s not strictly necessary for us to meet face to face. $500 total, and worth every cent. We had an incredible time last year and we wanna make sure someone local gets the same opportunity.

Anyone into weightlifting around here. I've been at it personally for over 5 years now self coached and equipped now. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there near El Jebel that loves oly lifting as much as I do.

This explains so much.

Such a great patio at Bosq! We had the 5-course tasting last week, and it was incredible. Definitely recommend checking it out!

August 12: Explore Books hosts author Heather Hansman in conversation with Jody Cardamone, for a discussion of Heather’s latest book, Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America’s Love for the Wild.

Heather Hansman is an award-winning freelance writer and celebrated author of Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow. She’s Outside Magazine’s environmental columnist and a contributing editor at Backcountry Magazine.

Sorry for the rant, years of frustration compiled below.

After spending time in quite a few of the mountain valleys in Colorado, the RFV is by far one of the most underwhelming when it comes to Celiac GF options and unfortunately this is home base.

There’s a lot of ‘gluten free’ around here without much knowledge on why cross contamination is a problem.

I’ve been told by bartenders in Aspen that Coors Light is gluten free, and have gotten flack when I ask how things are prepared in the kitchen. This is not normal service.

To be fair I’ve had some ok success in Glenwood, albeit limited in comparison to similar mountain communities.

Carbondale and basalt IMO are a joke from experience (RIP Hominy).

I’ve had better dialogue about gluten free in Yampa and Paonia than here for fucks sake.

With that being said I hope I’ve just had (a lot of) bad luck. Are there any celiacs or others with Celiac GF knowledge that know if I’m missing out on anything?

Thanks!

Are there any exotic pet vets in the valley? We need someone who is familiar with chinchillas. They can be anywhere from Aspen to Junction

Hey all, I’ve got a bunch of fun mushies going, and it’s more than I’ll be able to eat. Wanted to put it out there and see if anyone would be interested in the extras.

I am moving to the area next week and looking for a morning running buddy. DM me or comment if interested

hello, wondering what the cheapest option for internet is in csrbondale (downtown area) that people would recommend thanks!

Palm Tree Crew, Major Food Group and 8K Capital have acquired the purchase of the River Valley Ranch golf course — an acclaimed, 187-acre championship course set in the Crystal River Valley in Carbondale, the partners announced.

River Valley Ranch golf course, a lauded mountain course with robust amenities that was listed at $24,500,000, will be the site of a project that combines Major Food Group’s restaurants with Palm Tree Crew’s event and lifestyle offerings to create a new golf experience, according to a press release. The partners envision a destination that pairs championship golf with fine dining and a social calendar meant to outlast a round.
……

What do y’all think about this?

Hey yall! I’m in a bit of a pickle, and am looking for resources, advice, maybe a pet sitter, roommate and/or anything that may help.
I moved into the valley at the end of February. Moved in with mom for the last couple months of her lease with the plan to go to Grand Junction to help with some family matters (Alzheimer’s care). Things changed, then plans fell through and I found myself living out of my truck with my dogs.
Mom moved in with her boyfriend, they’re both still helping but there’s already dogs on that property.
I’ve applied to a few apartments with no luck. Just started a job at the roaring fork club, so I have income going, but now I’m contending with finding a place for my dogs while I’m at work. Primarily need help with dogs on Friday’s and Saturday’s. I appreciate any advice or suggestions.