STK Steakhouse at 1550 Market Street has a permitted loading zone on Market Street between 15th and 16th streets. During the day, the curb in front of the restaurant is used for unloading, but after 5 p.m., it is used for valet service and rideshare pick-ups and drop-offs.
According to Loren Hansen, the chair of the Mayor Bicycle Advisory Committee, the arrangement is forcing cyclists into a lane used by cars and six different bus routes, putting them at increased risk. This comes as complaints about blocked bike lanes increase in Denver, and, for Hansen, "it's hard to see something like that veto regular residents that want to get down Market."
"You're asking me to go right back into traffic. It's kind of like [telling] a pedestrian, 'there's no sidewalk here, just go in the street.'" Hansen says. "A two-ton car is more dangerous than a bike."
The valet service has been operating at STK since this spring, when the city approved a permit for the steakhouse and Summit Valet, a Centennial-based contractor. The protected bike lane in front of STK connects to routes on the Cherry Creek Trail and the Auraria Campus, and cyclists and scooter riders often use it to get across downtown. Hansen says he rides in that bike lane "semi-regularly," and has been seeking a compromise about the blockage with the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI).
"I can definitely attest to folks on the [bicycle] committee that have ridden it more regularly. As a result of the changes, riding it they may take an alternate route," Hansen says. "Ideally, the bike lane would be clear. A better compromise would exist beyond just making that loading zone a de facto block in the bike lane. ...I'm hoping to get the original restoration of the street."
Hansen says he reached out to the ONE Group, the international company that owns STK Steakhouse, but hasn't heard back. In a statement to Westword, the ONE Group says that it complies with the city-issued permit for a valet inside its loading zone.
Hansen says he reached out to the ONE Group, the international company that owns STK Steakhouse, but hasn't heard back. In a statement to Westword, the ONE Group says that it complies with the city-issued permit for a valet inside its loading zone.
“STK Denver followed all required procedures with the City and County of Denver to secure permission for its valet operations and use of the loading zone formally entitled at the end of the bike lane," Judy Lee, a spokesperson for the ONE group, said in a statement. "Its valet operator was issued an official permit by the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) for such use.”
The bike lane in front of STK was also affected by the recent removal of flex posts, the white columns or bollards used to protect bike lanes from cars. In June, DOTI replaced flex posts on Market and Blake streets with Zippers, which are small but heavy dividers made by the Spanish company Zicla. Cyclists complained that Zippers make them more vulnerable to being hit by a car. Likewise, DOTI said it had made the changes for aesthetic reasons and "to improve sight lines" into business windows.
According to DOTI, STK has complied with the rules of its permit. However, the city "will be reaching out to STK and their valet operator, to ensure permitted expectations and compliance with valet ordinance requirements are adhered to," DOTI spokesperson Cynthia Karvaski adds.
Past Blockage by STK Steakhouse
Cyclists have been vocal about their opposition to STK's valet permit, which allows the restaurant to use the end of the bike lane for passenger loading and unloading from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. In March, Councilman Chris Hinds, who represents the area, responded to complaints from his constituents by emailing DOTI to ask if STK had a valet permit. In the email, he noted that "I've definitely seen numerous cars parked in the bike lane in front of STK, defeating the purpose of installing protected bike lanes in the first place."
In the email, Hinds brought up another conflict with STK related to blocking people's way. In May 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting down businesses, Denver City Council passed an ordinance allowing restaurants to serve customers in outdoor settings as long as they didn't block sidewalks and streets. STK opened a patio, which juts most of the way into the sidewalk, and in the winter, it set up a wide tent around the patio that violated disability laws requiring businesses to leave five feet of space, according to documents from the Denver City Attorney's Office.
The 2020 sidewalk issue was resolved after STK agreed to pay to move bike racks and nearby posts and adjust its tent to provide more room on the sidewalk, according to documents from the Denver City Attorney's Office.
But that's not the only safety issue cyclists are dealing with on Market Street.
In the email, Hinds brought up another conflict with STK related to blocking people's way. In May 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting down businesses, Denver City Council passed an ordinance allowing restaurants to serve customers in outdoor settings as long as they didn't block sidewalks and streets. STK opened a patio, which juts most of the way into the sidewalk, and in the winter, it set up a wide tent around the patio that violated disability laws requiring businesses to leave five feet of space, according to documents from the Denver City Attorney's Office.
Posts from the denver"They chose to occupy the entire sidewalk with their patio, making that side of the block impassible to people who can't easily hop up/down curbs (like me)," Hinds, who's in a wheelchair, wrote."Given their willingness to ignore ordinance in the past, it gives me less trust in STK's willingness to operate under their authorized zones."
community on Reddit
The 2020 sidewalk issue was resolved after STK agreed to pay to move bike racks and nearby posts and adjust its tent to provide more room on the sidewalk, according to documents from the Denver City Attorney's Office.
In an April email responding to Hinds, DOTI program manager Ryan McCann explained that STK's valet permit is "intended to support downtown's activation," and that the permit was limited from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. to "minimize bike/vehicle/bus conflicts."
In an August 7 Reddit post complaining about the STK valet, local cyclists mentioned the restaurant's history of blocking right-of-ways.
In an August 7 Reddit post complaining about the STK valet, local cyclists mentioned the restaurant's history of blocking right-of-ways.
But that's not the only safety issue cyclists are dealing with on Market Street.
Flex Posts Removed
According to DOTI, some flex posts on Market Street were removed to make room for STK Streakhouse's valet to pull in and operate alongside cyclists, cars, and buses.
"This past spring, we made some adjustments near STK where we noted some mixed movements between people on bikes and their valet operations and the bus lane," Karvaski says. "We removed some bollards to give STK more space to operate to create a safer and more predictable environment for all."
Hansen says that DOTI told him the valet permit and the removal of the flex posts is happening "on a trial basis," but the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee already sees both actions as a "step back" from improving bike infrastructure. He feels like cyclists are butting heads more often with DOTI and the department's current direction with bike infrastructure.
"It does feel like we're having to more reactively fight battles and more proactively defend bike infrastructure," Hansen says. "But, looking at the STK issue, it's still in a gray area and not totally resolved."
