Boulder stands out as one of the most progressive cities of its size in terms of transportation, smart growth, and climate change policy. Boulder has offered transit service since the 1990s, and yet, with an aggressive target of 75% non single-occupancy travel for all trips by 2025, the City found it was not on track to meet this goal.
Nelson\Nygaard worked with the City to develop a renewed vision for transit to help reduce solo driving and attract a growing number of in-commuters. The renewed vision for transit was grounded in extensive community outreach, documentation of the existing system, and an outcome-based analysis of future scenarios for developing transit systems in Boulder and the surrounding communities. We created an innovative Design Your Transit System tool that allowed community members to prioritize investments in real-time information, enhanced regional service, and a subsidized pass program.
We recommended immediate, near-term, and long-term steps, including enhancing complete streets, improving regional travel, supporting travel demand management, and monitoring sustainability initiatives. The Transportation Master Plan was adopted unanimously by City Council in August 2014.
Just months after adoption, Nelson\Nygaard is already working with the City to implement bus rapid transit service on US 36; to adapt transit routes to serve the Boulder Junction transit station; and to apply for a TIGER grant to develop a new circulator bus route serving East Boulder.