Follow this leader! Meet Denver City Councilwoman and Bike Hero Judy Montero!

Hey, Denverites! If you don’t already know her, BikeDenver is pleased to introduce our July Bike Hero: Judy Montero, District 9 City Councilwoman. Judy is leading the way when it comes to making our city a better place to ride a bike, so we caught up with her (barely!) near Commons Park to get the scoop.

Judy tells us that since most neighborhoods within her district are focused on sustainability, biking plays a big role for both her constituents and staff. “We try to pay attention to little details, but always as part of the larger plan,” she says. “We work with local organizations to get safe bicycles out to children and youth whose families may not be able to afford them. We worked with Salvagetti bike shop to put a stop sign in on Platte Street so it’s easier to ride between the two bike-pedestrian bridges. We’re also working to improve bicycle facilities near 10th and Osage to link mixed-income neighborhoods and also give Auraria Campus students a better route to school.”

Though she’s ridden bikes her whole life, Judy just started riding to work about three seasons ago. “I can leave the car at home 2-3 days a week in the spring and summer, and it’s really easy because I use the Platte and Cherry Creek bike paths.” She thinks a lot of people may be hesitant to ride to work because they’re fearful of traffic and may not be very familiar with city riding. For them she recommends planning routes that utilize the paths as much as possible at first so it’s not so intimidating. “Take baby steps until you build confidence,” she says. We think Judy’s got the right idea, and we thank her for leading our bike-friendly city by example!

[Submitted by Erin Hilmer]

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Bike Hero of the Month Awards highlight different people each month, and help encourage other people to bike by telling the Hero’s personal story. The goal of the Bike Hero Awards Program is to showcase the diversity of citizen-cyclists and the people who support them in Denver.

BikeDenver’s Executive Director Piep van Heuven says: “We introduced the Bike Hero awards because we want to encourage a friendly environment for and public image of bicyclists in Denver. One of the ways we can do this is to showcase the different faces of and great stories about people in our community, like Judy Montero, who ride bikes or help others get out there and ride. Through the Bike Hero awards, BikeDenver honors bicyclists of all ages and walks of life, from the first time bicyclist to the rain or shine bicyclist!  We all know people (our neighbors, co-workers, family members or community leaders) who inspire us to reach for the handlebars instead of the car keys. Take a moment to look around you and help BikeDenver recognize the people in our community who are making a difference for Denver, one ride at a time!”