Today Denverites Ride Public Bikes. Tomorrow They’ll Speak Esperanto.

The Colorado governor’s race was always going to be one for
sustainable transportation advocates to keep an eye on. The likely
Democratic nominee, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, has built a solid
resume of support for transit and bicycling. But recent events suggest
the green transportation/livable streets stakes may be waaaaay higher
than expected.

Dan Maes: Don’t count him out of Colorado gov’s race just because he’s crazy. Photo: Denver Post

It turns out that Dan Maes, an insurgent with Tea Party cred vying
for the GOP nomination, already has his sights trained on Hickenlooper’s
transportation initiatives and their sinister origins.

The week after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Hickenlooper, and a few other guys in suits saddled up to try out Denver’s new bike-share system, B-Cycle, Maes weighed in on what this advance in transportation really means. Read all about the paranoia in the Denver Post:

Maes is warning voters that Hickenlooper’s policies,
particularly his efforts to boost bike riding, are “converting Denver
into a United Nations community.”

“This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed,” Maes told
about 50 supporters who showed up at a campaign rally last week in
Centennial.

Maes said in a later interview that he once thought the mayor’s
efforts to promote cycling and other environmental initiatives were
harmless and well-meaning. Now he realizes “that’s exactly the attitude
they want you to have.”

“This is bigger than it looks like on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms,” Maes said.

I work in the shadow of UN global headquarters and, being an
enterprising journalist, I’ve seen a draft of this plan. It goes like
this: First they lull you into submission with the public bikes. Then
they nullify the Bill of Rights, outlaw the English language, and strip
away your American citizenship. Then they seize your SUV.

Anyway… Before you dismiss Maes as a fringe character who just
showed too much of his crazy side to gain statewide public office,
consider this. Three days ago he was edging out his competition
in the race for the GOP nomination. If he’s elected, he’ll basically
control Colorado DOT’s billion-dollar annual budget. So, all you global
government-supporting bike riders out there, there’s no guarantee this
will be a laughing matter in November.