1. Schmitz 1
Ricardo Olivera, Jacob Schmitz
SWOT Analysis Pueblo Walk and Wheel Program
Introduction
Our analysis of Pueblo’s walking and biking study mainly covered the area of Pueblo city
proper. This area includes the Central Business District, Colorado State University campus, and
natural areas including the Arkansas River, Lake Minnequa, Fountain Creek, and Lake Pueblo
State Park. Since neither Ricardo nor I have ever been to Pueblo, our project is relying on
Census data, aerial imagery, and a multi-use trail map provided by the City of Pueblo.
Strengths of Existing Walking and Biking Infrastructure
Upon observation of Pueblo’s current biking and walking map, there is ample evidence
of Pueblo’s commitment to improvement in these areas. Currently, Pueblo appears to have a
very well-established, interconnected web of exclusive bike lanes, marked shared lanes, shared-
road bike routes, and over 30 miles of multi-use trails. The highest concentration of walking
and biking infrastructure can be seen around the Colorado State University campus and the
central business district. This infrastructure appears to be only slightly less concentrated as you
travel Southwest of the CBD. This suggests that biking between and around the CBD and CSU is
very popular for commuters and college students. That being said, the biking and walking map
also shows these concentrated bike routes as being in very close proximity to the multi-use trail
system.
This close proximity to multi-use trails leading out of downtown suggests that biking and
walking for recreation is also promoted in Pueblo’s plan for connectivity. The concentration of
Pueblo’s multi-use trail system is very clearly existing around Scenic natural elements including
the Arkansas River, Lake Minnequa, Fountain Creek, and Lake Pueblo State Park.
2. Schmitz 2
Threats
Given the grant’s amount the best way to maximize its use would be to invest into campaigns
that reach a specific demographic, with that being said the only internal weakness would be to
miss this specific group. The next step then would be set which group would provide a higher
return per dollar, those who already drive to work or those who don’t. In terms of behavioral
change it take a long time to people to abandon the car as they main mode of commute, it
would take probably many campaigns and several years until a significant change could be
identified. On the other hand it may seem pointless to campaigning for those who already use
bicycles as they main way of commute. The maps for the year 2010 show how these two
groups of people are spread across the city, it worth the time attempting to identify who and
where both groups are clustered. According the Moving Pueblo Forward’s goals it seems that
the city seeks to touch both groups, both to inform the population about the existing assets and
to promote the use of bike among elderly and disabled communities. The community’s
reception of the campaign is something that is completely out of the city’s control, therefore
this is the only external threat to these specific city goals.
Opportunities for Walking and Biking Improvement
For opportunities we found three possible areas of focus in downtown Pueblo. All of
these neighborhoods share high workforce concentrations and low trends for walking and bike
travel.
The first neighborhood is located around Bellmont Elementary School, just south of the
CSU campus. The second neighborhood of focus is located North of Centennial High School and
Pueblo Country Club. The third and final area of focus is located along Lakeview Avenue,
specifically near Hellbeck Elementary.
3. Schmitz 3
A possible geographical reason for low walking and biking trends in the neighborhood
south of the CSU could be the nature of the street layout in this subdivision. Given the current
layout, there is only one subdivision entrance on the entire north side, which could possibly be
a bottleneck, and lead to more dense traffic. This neighborhood currently experiences mid-
level public transportation use and very low trends of walking and biking. Currently there exists
a shared lane on Bonforte Blvd. and marked separate lanes going North and South on Troy Ave.
and Jerry Murphy Road. Since a fair amount of biking and walking infrastructure exists, I would
suggest a public relations campaign to motivate the public in this neighborhood.
In the neighborhood north of Pueblo Country Club, there is the presence of many single
family residential homes and a very large high school. This large subdivision is bordered on the
south side mainly by car centric businesses and land uses. These businesses include multiple
car lots, and big box stores with large parking lots. Currently this neighborhood experiences
high public and private transport use. There are also very low walking and biking trends.
The Pueblo bike map currently shows a mix of shared and unmarked lanes. A suggestion for
improvement may be to mark Outlook Blvd for bikes, and maybe create better signage for
Ridge Drive bike lanes.
The Lakeview Ave. neighborhood currently has high private vehicle use, high walking
trends and low biking trends. Given the nature of this subdivision, there are few through
streets. A suggestion for this neighborhood could be to mark Hollywood Drive
(going North/South) and Lakeview Ave. (going East/West) for shared bike use.