Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update- 09/16/09 Draft Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update
Goals
Note: The Planning Commission guided staff to move forward with the following vision statement and goals for the Draft Transportation Element. (May 2009) Vision Statement: Provide high quality transportation infrastructure and services across all modes to meet the mobility and access needs of all users. Goal 1 – Ensure Effective and Efficient Management of the Existing Transportation System. Manage and maintain existing transportation infrastructure and services in a cost-effective manner. Goal 2 – Minimize Environmental Impacts. Minimize the negative impacts of the transportation system such as air pollution, Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, noise pollution, water pollution, land and wildlife fragmentation, land disturbance and resource consumption. Goal 3 - Ensure Safety for All Modes. Ensure transportation system development and operations that result in safe and secure travel by all modes and that enable prompt and effective emergency response. Goal 4 – Support a Healthy and Sustainable Economy. Develop a transportation system that supports a vibrant economy and increases resiliency to economic fluctuations. Goal 5 – Ensure Equitable Access to the Transportation System. Ensure adequate transportation exists for all users regardless of age, income, or ability. Goal 6 – Enhance County Identity and Community Character. Develop a transportation system that preserves and complements the community’s identity and sense of place.
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Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update- 09/16/09 Draft Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update
Objectives and Policies (draft)
Note: The purpose of the following text is to introduce the Planning Commission to proposed objectives and policies for possible inclusion in the Draft Transportation Element, to be released in Fall 2009. The draft below represents the organizational framework, general concepts and potential language of the element, and will be modified per Planning Commission feedback and input gathered through the public process.
A. Provide a Multimodal Transportation System. Design, construct and manage the County transportation system to be safe convenient and comfortable pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, and other users. Provide convenient and affordable mobility options all for users irrespective of ability, income or personal vehicle ownership. (Introduced March 2009, revised June 2009) Support transit service. Provide fast, frequent, affordable and reliable transit service between communities both within Boulder County and from major Boulder County population and employment centers to major Front Range activity centers such as the North Front Range, the I25 corridor, Denver Central Business District and Denver International Airport. (Introduced June 2009) Enhance transit stop facilities. Provide high-quality stop facilities at stops along transit routes within unincorporated Boulder County. Appropriate facilities include bike racks/ lockers, shelters with benches, trash receptacles, schedule information and newspaper kiosks. (Introduced June 2009) Improve transit stop access. Ensure adequate sidewalk continuity to stops. Prioritize concrete projects within a ¼ proximity to regional transit stops. (Introduced June 2009) Design complete corridors. Within the County Transportation Standards, design and assign specific treatments for transit, pedestrian, bikes and motor vehicles for each roadway classification. Specifications should include (but not be limited to) facility width, mode separation (if appropriate), clear zones and minimum amenities (transit bench, etc). Place a priority on transit, pedestrian and cyclist’s safety over motor vehicle delay reduction when such trade offs are necessary. (Introduced August 2009) Enhance the bicycle and pedestrian network. Expand the bikeway, trail and pedestrian network to provide safe, comfortable and convenient connections throughout the County. The County shall encourage the planning and construction of bikeways and pedestrian walkways that shall be an integral part of the transportation system. (Introduced August 2009) Connections to new development. Bikeways and sidewalks shall be provided in new developments where warranted. Bikeways shall be provided to link residential and employment areas, commercial centers, recreational and open space areas, and educational facilities. (Introduced August 2009) Freight. Ensure that County Transportation Standards consider for freight vehicles or other long wheelbase vehicles. (Introduced August 2009)
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Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update- 09/16/09 Draft Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update
B. Facilitate Regional Coordination. Coordinate land use and transportation planning with local governments and agencies. (Introduced March 2009, revised June 2009) Transportation and Land Use. Work closely with CDOT, RTD, DRCOG, Special Transit, local governments and neighboring jurisdictions to develop a well-coordinated and sustainable land use and transportation system consistent with the goals of the County. (Introduced September 2009) Work with Local Communities. Support efforts by local communities to encourage sustainable travel. Encourage and support communities’ efforts to enable the use of non-motorized modes. (Introduced September 2009) Connecting Communities: Focus on travel patterns between communities and enabling multimodal travel between urban areas within the county. Provide appropriate levels of transportation services or facilities in the unincorporated County, while encouraging development to locate near appropriate transportation corridors within urban service areas. (Introduced September 2009) C. Move People, Not Cars. Implement a transportation system that safely moves people independent of an assumed mode. (Introduced March 2009, revised June 2009) Transportation Demand Management (TDM). Reduce the proportion of single-occupantvehicle (SOV) travel through Transportation Demand Management (TDM), telecommuting, and travel shifts to other modes including transit, carpooling, walking, and bicycling. Develop and adopt TDM programs to decrease vehicle demand on roadways during peak periods and that reward non-motorized transportation (transportation allowance, ETCs, showers installation at employment centers). (Introduced June 2009) Person capacity. Increase the overall person-capacity of the transportation network through the more efficient use of existing street rights-of-way. (Introduced August 2009) Evaluation. Plan, measure and evaluate transportation system performance with an emphasis on personal mobility rather than vehicle mobility. (Introduced August 2009) Decision Making. Develop the transportation system and consider proposed improvements based on a balanced evaluation of all modes. Use Vehicular Level of Service as one criterion for decision-making. (Introduced August 2009) D. Minimize Reliance on Petroleum. Create a transportation system that reduces demand for and reliance upon petroleum. (Introduced March 2009, revised June 2009) Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled. Set goals for VMT per capita reductions for 2015, 2020 and 2030. Encourage incorporated areas inside the county to adopt the same goals. (Introduced June 2009) Pursue Local Energy and New Technologies. Develop local sources of energy for transportation (PHEV to solar/ wind generated electricity, local biodiesel, Hybrid Fleet, Biofuels Promotion, Clean Car Standards for Boulder County etc.) and use new vehicle technologies. Participate in regional efforts to decrease use of GHG intensive fuels and increase vehicle fuel-efficiency. (Introduced June 2009)
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Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update- 09/16/09 Draft Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update
Construction materials. Use recycled asphalt products to the greatest extent feasible. (Introduced August 2009) E. Ensure Safe Access without Encouraging Unsafe Development. Require all existing and proposed developments have emergency response access while discouraging development in high hazard areas. (Introduced March 2009, revised June 2009) F. Minimize Impacts of Facility Improvements. Design and construct facilities that minimize impacts to the environment and reflect adjacent land uses and community values. (Introduced March 2009, revised 2009) G. Optimize Facility Management and Maintenance. Maintain and operate county transportation facilities at the highest level of quality, commensurate with available resources. (Introduced March 2009, revised 2009) Operations over Construction. Operational improvements should be implemented in a corridor before construction-based solutions. Reduce the need for new capital improvements through investments in operations, pricing programs, demand management strategies, and system management activities that improve the efficiency of the current system. (Introduced August 2009) Priority-based. Priority shall be given to the rehabilitation of the county’s arterial and collector transportation corridors. Road Improvements shall be programmed only after appropriate studies have shown the need for repair, increased safety or carrying capacity. (Introduced August 2009) Sustainable design. All new county facilities and developments should be designed to minimize future maintenance costs. (Introduced August 2009) Bike facility maintenance. On County owned or controlled land, the County shall maintain bike facilities in a reasonably safe condition. (Introduced August 2009) Gravel Road Paving. The minimum level of 500 vehicles per day, average daily traffic, shall be attained before the County will participate in the paving of county owned gravel roads. (Introduced August 2009) Manage Public Rights-of-Way (ROW). Manage existing Rights-of-Way (ROWs) and preserve public ROW for current and future community benefit. (Introduced August 2009) Equipment. The County shall, when cost effective and feasible, use equipment that minimizes use of fossil fuels and emissions of undesirable pollutants and shall incorporate reused or recycled products into the transportation system. (Introduced August 2009) H. Funding Sources. Explore multiple funding sources to achieve the transportation goals and objectives in a fair and equitable manner. (Introduced March 2009, revised June 2009) Special Interest. Local access roadways and other transportation improvements, that serve special interests or other more intense commercial, educational, private recreational or other similar uses, shall be maintained and rehabilitated through special assessments or other funding mechanisms. Primary funding responsibilities shall be assigned to the users benefiting from these improvements. (Introduced September 2009)
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Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update- 09/16/09 Draft Boulder County Comprehensive Plan Update
Partnerships. To improve, maintain, and insure the integrity of the transportation system, the county shall pursue to the extent possible funding partnerships and alternative funding sources. (Introduced September 2009) User Fees. Explore programs that charge drivers close to full cost of driving, including externalities, to help fund transportation enhancements. (Introduced September 2009) Off-site improvements. Offsite improvements associated with private development that are necessary to ensure the safety, environment and well-being of the County are the responsibility of the developer. (Introduced September 2009) I. Foster a Community Connection. To the extent possible, preserve, highlight and enhance Boulder County’s unique character, environment and rich history. (Introduced March 2009, revised June 2009) Context Sensitive Design Preserve and enhance public enjoyment of the environment, local communities, vistas, and facilities such as rural roads, bridges, trails, scenic overlooks, and landscape plantings through context sensitive design. (Introduced September 2009) Community Involvement. Work collaboratively with the public by providing access and meaningful opportunities to be involved in decision-making processes. Make decisionmaking transparent by sharing information and encouraging discussion. Recognize that public feedback is an important source of information for decisions about the development of transportation facilities and services. (Introduced September 2009) View corridors. Disruption of scenic views by transportation improvements shall be discouraged. Overlooks, trails and turnouts shall be promoted on recreational routes and in unique scenic areas. (Introduced September 2009) Buffer Strip. A visual buffer strip should be preserved along designated federal, state, or local scenic routes, to minimize safety concerns and environmental impacts and to preserve corridors for future transportation facilities. (Introduced September 2009) Natural Preservation. Every effort shall be made to preserve mature trees, landscape plantings, and other elements of the natural environment during the design, construction and maintenance of transportation improvements. Road, bridge and other transportation improvements shall be designed to enhance and protect the natural environment. (Introduced September 2009) Preserve cultural and historic resources. Consider the cultural and historical context of an area when planning and designing transportation improvements. Work with local residents to identify important aspects of community character that should be preserved and enhanced by transportation improvements. (Introduced September 2009) J. Ensure Equity for Low-Income, Elderly and Mobility Impaired Populations. Work to create a transportation system that provides transportation options for all income and special mobility populations. (Introduced March 2009, revised June 2009) Transit accessibility for low-income. Support programs that reduce the financial burden of transit fares on low-income families. (Introduced June 2009)
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