June is Bike Month in Colorado with many communities around the state participating in Bike-to-Work Day on Wednesday, June 25th. Here in Garfield County, our communities join together to celebrate BikeThere! with both morning and afternoon events across the County.

In our region, not everyone can bike to work. Many residents commute long distances from where housing is comparatively more affordable to work in up-valley locations. 

Driving is often required, but it is not always enjoyable. It’s no surprise to anyone traveling on major roadways in our County that traffic has increased significantly in the last decade – Grand Avenue in Glenwood Springs has seen an over 17% increase in vehicle trips over the last 5 years. Traffic is frequently congested even during non-rush hour timeframes. Many of us have been stuck in a road closure, or were unexpectedly late to a meeting trying to get across town.

However, many trips in the U.S. are less than 3 miles. Those look different for everyone, but in the Colorado River and Roaring Fork Valleys, they might consist of traveling to school, the grocery store, library, bus stop, or friends’ houses.

When it comes to your favorite way of getting around, what comes to mind? A frequent answer to that question, for many, is biking.

Replacing short car trips with bike rides offers compelling benefits. Swap all shorter trips for biking, and you’ve theoretically reduced car trips by 50%. Choose one no-car day a week, and you’ve cut trips by 20%. This translates to significant savings on maintenance, fuel, and insurance, while slashing your gas station visits and contributions to local traffic.

My personal tipping point came during February’s cold streak when my car battery died, costing me $300 to replace. I live and work in the same town, so I wasn’t driving much. I asked myself, why was I spending money on car maintenance, generally speaking, for a car I drove about once a week?

I made the leap: I sold my car and bought an e-bike. Now my e-bike replaces 99% of my single-occupancy car trips, supplemented by RFTA, Bustang, the Carbondale Downtowner, Ride Glenwood ON DEMAND, and occasional borrowed cars. At times, these alternatives require more planning but cost less and prove more enjoyable.

Many Garfield County residents are discovering e-bike life alongside me. In 2023/24, CLEER distributed 90 e-bikes through an eBikeThere Garfield County program. One e-bike recipient had never ridden a bike before. Now they’re using their e-bike for a quarter of their trips and have even started mountain biking – a great example of how biking can open the door to a more active, healthy lifestyle. Others are biking to the grocery store, filling panniers with their grocery haul.

Another fascinating and fairly recent development is the growth of bike share throughout the region. For example, WE-Cycle started their bike-share services in Carbondale in July 2023. In the first month there were over 8,000 bike rides. In April 2025, there were over 12,000 trips. Bike trips in Carbondale and across the County are growing thanks to accessible bikes and safe bike routes.

More and more people are choosing two wheels, and you could, too.

All Colorado residents qualify for a $450 e-bike tax credit when you buy an e-bike from a participating bike retailer. Holy Cross customers can stack an additional $50 rebate. With commuting e-bikes typically costing $1,500-$2,000, that’s substantial upfront savings.

If you’re ready to turn those short trips into bike rides, we’ve got just the event for you – with a chance to win a free e-bike.

Join Garfield Clean Energy, Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER), Garfield County Libraries, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), and many more partners for BikeThere! Garfield County. This family-friendly event takes place on Wednesday, June 25th, from 3 to 6 PM* at your local Library branch* to celebrate biking anywhere you can. We’ll have pizza, community booths, bike decorating and giveaways, bike rodeos, and free bike maintenance. You’ll also be able to register for the prize drawing, which also includes an e-bike, gift cards, a rafting trip, lift tickets, and more. Visit https://garfieldcleanenergy.org/bikethere/ for details.

Reducing traffic in our region requires big decisions, investment, infrastructure, and more. 

Luckily, you can BikeThere and actually do something about it. Leaving cars at home one day a week or for trips under 3 miles cuts emissions and gives you the freedom to skip traffic, gas stations, and parking headaches. Together, we can make everyday trips easier, cheaper, healthier, and way more fun.

Dova Castañeda Zilly is the clean mobility coordinator for CLEER (Clean Energy Economy for the Region), the nonprofit that manages the programs of Garfield Clean Energy.