Transportaion
Let’s transform our system of transportation from one of the most likely things to hurt us into a source of wealth and joy.
Boulder has earned a reputation as one of the top places in the US for bikes. Our Pearl Street Mall is one of the best car-free spaces in the nation and a testament to Boulder’s ability to reallocate public space from motorists passing through to people who want to be here. And we have a top-notch team of technical experts with the tools to make transportation in Boulder anything we can imagine.
Yet most Boulderites feel they have no real option but to get in their cars, both within the city and when traveling to and from nearby towns. The overall cost of transportation to most residents is high. And our transportation system is one of our top causes of injury and death.
As a member of Boulder’s Transportation Advisory Board (TAB), I helped to launch the city’s next major upgrade of its bikeway system, a multiyear initiative called the Core Arterial Network that has recently gotten underway. I have also played a key role in establishing the e-bike incentive program for residents as well as meaningfully moving forward the large process of reform for car parking that could have a major effect on reducing traffic.
Also during my time on TAB, I have developed an understanding of how transportation affects livability issues throughout Boulder, gained a firm grasp of how to make effective and transformative transportation policy, and established strong relationships within the city and its partners for getting things done.
As a member of City Council, I will work to:
Codify the mission of a people-centered, transit-rich, car-optional, safe Boulder in our city code, public plans, and processes. Use the city’s full suite of resources to allocate rights, privileges, investments, and space towards these ends and ensure that budgeting, the responsibilities of departments and staff, interdepartmental coordination, and outwards advocacy is aligned towards these ends.
Further develop and widen the use of programs that manage travel demand through economic, behavioral, and administrative carrots and sticks. At the same time, improve our use of behavioral science in these programs to make it more natural and automatic for people to choose options that lead to cumulatively fewer vehicle miles.
Reform land use to reduce distances between endpoints by letting people live near where they want to go and creating more flexible and integrated uses rather than housing-only vs. retail-only. As part of this, make our streets systematically safe so that people walking or otherwise outside vehicles can have safe passage, including for kids, seniors, and people with mobility challenges outside vehicles.
Evolve our car-centric transportation system into an ecosystem of multiple interoperable modes. This means a plush network for bicycles and micro-mobility, which includes a more comprehensive grid of protected bikeways, secure parking and facilities to freshen up and stow things at destinations, and e-bikes accessible to all. It also means a high-frequency, comfortable system of public transit both within Boulder and to/from outlying locations.