C4C maintains a strategic plan that contains advocacy goals. Both of them are regularly updated. Below is a summary of C4C’s current and recently updated advocacy goals.
At the state level, C4C supports the principles that are in the current draft of the upcoming CDOT 10 Year Plan, namely maintenance, safety, and mode choice. The 10 Year Plan is an important document that guides CDOT’s work for 10 years at a time. By establishing these principles at the state level, it allows them to flow down to regional governments, counties, and municipalities. They are exactly the principles that C4C would elect to support.
CDOT’s priorities are shifting towards the same priorities Boulder County has established. They are also the same priorities that C4C endorses. Maintain what we have and reconcile our funding to that, intervene to fix safety where the evidence indicates the need, and invest in solutions in the form of network multi-modalism.
Also at the state level, C4C supports meaningful driver’s certification processes established by legislation and/or partnerships that begin in elementary, middle, and high school curriculum (reference Minnesota and Washington State) and are repetitive in adulthood. C4C works with Bicycle Colorado on legislation and is doing the same in this case. Infrastructure is slow and expensive to adapt. In some cases, it’s impossible to adapt. Accordingly, users need to be reminded and stay informed of the contract they enter into upon operating a vehicle.
In Boulder County, where C4C’s work is focused, C4C continues to support the design and construction of the North Foothills Bikeway. On a slow basis, C4C is introducing the possibility of seeding the construction of that facility from the City of Boulder to Lefthand Canyon Drive, a five mile and $40M section, with $1M from the community. In exchange, naming rights are negotiable.
A rendering of what the North Foothills Bikeway may look like. This is one of the most dangerous roads in the state for cyclists. The TMP calls for separating vulnerable user traffic. The dividend is the return of safe and appealing travel on the corridor.
Next, C4C continues to work with Bike Jeffco on Highway 93 Golden – Boulder. C4C is attempting to at once stay aligned with Bike Jeffco’s position on the project and C4C is asking for the design standard on the right-of-way to be reconciled. Currently, there are three different plans that affect the roadway. C4C prefers Boulder County’s proposed network multi-modal plan for the corridor.
An exercise in patience, Highway 93 crosses multiple jurisdictions and multiple plans. Thanks to Bike Jeffco for persisting on this project to make it more like what 119 Boulder – Longmont will be, a safe and appealing right-0f-way with choices to access work, services, and play.
Careful to be mindful of eastern Boulder County, C4C is watching to see how it can support the construction of BERT. Another important east county project is a late 2025 feasibility study for a separated bikeway between Boulder and Louisville/Lafayette. The plan is to let this take place and then keep pushing it through to design and construction.
The BERT is now a matter of funding, otherwise it’s a no-brainer–let’s do it!
C4C constituency frequently asks about a mountain connection to the west. This is a complicated topic on which C4C keeps an open mind and an eye for opportunity. In the meantime, government can only do so much at once.
A problem with connections to the west is the cost to build in topographically constrained right-of-way. The Peaks to Plains Trail in Clear Creek Canyon will approach $500M by the time it’s done, $25M+ per mile. A “legacy” or monumental facility, this kind of funding is not widely available and it takes away from more affordable projects. On a map, Boulder Canyon would be a great place for a similar path…someday.
Looking ahead, there are two important opportunities coming. One, Boulder County will update its Transportation Master Plan. This plan governs what can and cannot be done, regardless of funding. Two, Boulder County may examine a ballot issue to raise its transportation sales tax in 2027. A delicate issue, Boulder County has some important needs it would like to fund. The question is, is there room for funding to increase the rate of construction on Boulder County’s popular multi-modal plan? For decades, the tax has been a penny on $10. It was renewed in 2022 by 81%. It’s a part of what makes Boulder County a great place to live.
Feel free to contact C4C staff person, Matt Muir, with questions at matt@c4community.org and thanks for supporting C4C.