On the morning of Tuesday, January 7, as the first substantial snow of the new year fell, Commuting Solutions and the Northwest Mayors & Commissioners Coalition (NW MCC) hosted the 16th Legislative Breakfast: Transportation Innovations for Climate Action in the Glenn Miller Ballroom at the University of Colorado Boulder. This esteemed annual event brings together civic and business leaders, state legislators, and transportation experts from the public, private and nonprofit sectors for an important dialogue around clean energy, transportation, growth and development, and how continued innovation at their intersections benefits Coloradans.
“We are excited to convene partners to discuss transportation priorities in the 2025 legislative session, and to elevate the needs of the northwest metro region. With sustained focus and momentum, we can make progress in fulfilling the vision identified in the Northwest Area Mobility Study, addressing impacts on climate and expanding safe, sustainable transportation options for all users,” said Audrey DeBarros, Executive Director Commuting Solutions.
Esteemed speakers at the event included:
- Colorado Governor Jared Polis
- Representative Meg Froelich, Colorado House of Representatives District 3, Transportation, Housing & Local Government Chair
- Debra A. Johnson, General Manager & CEO, Regional Transportation District (RTD)
- Elise Jones (Emcee), Executive Director, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
- Claire Levy, Commissioner, Boulder County
- Shoshana Lew, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)
- Kirsten Schuchman, Commuting Solutions Board Chairperson and Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Policy, University of Colorado Boulder
- Chancellor Dr. Justin Schwartz, University of Colorado Boulder
Governor Polis Discusses Northwest Rail and Enhancements to Multimodal Transportation Options
A key theme among all the presenters was the importance of progress at the intersection of transportation, housing, and climate impact. Governor Jared Polis expressed his commitment to completing the long-awaited Northwest Rail project. “Like many of you, I was upset that it wasn’t delivered in 2017. It’s seven years late, but rather than complain or settle for dates like 2040, we said, ‘Let’s get it done.” The governor is optimistic that Northwest Rail will be operational before the end of this decade.
The governor also gave an overview of the Colorado Transportation Vision 2035 and its goals to increase Coloradans use of multimodal transportation significantly in the next decade. “We want to bring increased service and choices to more Coloradans. Helping people get where they want to go quickly, at lower cost, and safely.”
Expanding Access to Safe and Reliable Transit in 2025
Shoshana Lew, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) [PDF] shared the success of the department’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, Bustang, and outlined other BRT projects in the works for the metro area. Debra A. Johnson, General Manager and CEO of the Regional Transportation District (RTD) gave an informative presentation covering RTD’s Strategic Initiatives. These initiatives, all inspired by feedback from customers and stakeholders within the districts service areas, cover elements like asset management, reliability, frequency, and safety. RTD is striving to bring ridership levels back to pre-COVID levels, and increasing frequency of service will help them achieve this goal. Those living in the northwest metro region will be pleased to know that, starting on January 19 RTD Service Changes will take into effect. These changes will increase frequency will double on the AB bus service from Boulder to Denver International Airport. Johnson shared that back in November, “RTD’s Board of Directors approved the 2025 budget that aims to add over 100,000 additional revenue service hours”. At this announcement, the room erupted in applause.
Acknowledging that “transit utilization and protecting the environment go hand in hand”, Johnson shared that RTD recently delivered it’s much anticipated Facilities and Fleet Transition Plan to guide the agency’s transition to operations that produce fewer emissions. The plan allows RTD to meet the goals established in the CDOT Transit Zero Emissions Vehicle Roadmap [PDF] and allows RTD to be eligible for federal grant funding.
Priorities for Safe, Sustainable Transportation
Chancellor Justin Schwartz of the University of Colorado Boulder welcomed everyone to campus and shared some of CU Boulder’s sustainability priorities and successes. He said, “As a university, we have tremendous opportunities to make sustainable transportation the cornerstone of our future and I’m committed to doing so. Clean, reliable, multimodal transportation is at the center of our planning efforts in projects like CU Boulder South, in the former Cinebarre property in Louisville which will provide much-needed transit-oriented housing for employees and students that is closer to campus so we can over time reduce the people commuting to Boulder over long distances.”
The Legislative Breakfast is an annual event hosted by Commuting Solutions and the Northwest Mayors and Commissioners Coalition.
