Travel
Boulder Travel section has our TV travel series, on America, Beaches and 2 lane black top hi-ways. Plus news and featured Travel business profiles..
2013 Hessie Trailhead Shuttle Program Meeting – May 21 in Nederland
0May 15, 2013
Come out and meet the summer rangers and learn about the 2013 Hessie Trailhead shuttle program − Tuesday, May 21 at 6 p.m. at the Nederland Community Library
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County will run a free shuttle service again on weekends and holidays from June 2 to Oct. 6 to carry passengers from Nederland Middle/Senior High School to the Hessie Trailhead, a popular entry point for accessing the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.
The Hessie Trailhead shuttle program began last summer to address the issue of increased parking and traffic congestion on the way to the trailhead. This year it will be extended to include peak “leaf peeping” weekends in the fall.
While the trailhead itself is managed by the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests, the road that accesses the trailhead is managed and maintained by Boulder County. Parking near the trailhead and on nearby roads such as 4th of July Road is extremely limited, and Boulder County Parks & Open Space rangers are responsible for enforcing strict parking regulations in the area.
Rather than driving directly to the trailhead, visitors are encouraged to take the RTD ‘N’ bus to Nederland from Boulder or park at Nederland Middle/Senior High School and take the free shuttle instead.
An informational meeting to discuss updates to the shuttle program and to meet the rangers who will be in charge of parking enforcement this summer has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 21:
What: 2013 Hessie Shuttle Kickoff Meeting and Meet the Rangers Event
When: 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 21
Where: Nederland Community Library, 200 Hwy 72, Nederland (map)
It is not necessary to RSVP to the meeting, and family, friends and neighbors are all encouraged to attend.
Shuttle Service:
The shuttle service will begin Sunday, June 2 and will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays throughout the summer. The shuttle will also run on holidays over the summer including Independence Day (July 4) and Labor Day (Sept. 2). This year, the shuttle operation schedule has been extended until Sunday, Oct. 6 to accommodate the peak autumn leaf season.
Details:
- Park and catch the free shuttle at Nederland Middle/Senior High School (map)
- Take RTD’s ‘N’ route from Boulder and transfer to the shuttle at Nederland Middle/Senior High School
- Shuttle arrives every 15 minutes
- Leashed dogs are welcome on board on the shuttle
- Parking is for day use only; overnight users should make other arrangements
If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like more information or you would like to provide feedback, visit www.HessieTrailhead.com or contact Scott McCarey at smccarey@bouldercounty.org or 720-564-2665.
Related posts:
City of Boulder: Nightmare on Arapahoe postponed due to snow
0April 8, 2013
Temporary lane closures for tree removals along Arapahoe Avenue rescheduled for Monday, April 15
With a winter storm warning in effect for Boulder, the tree removal work that was planned for Tuesday, April 9, and Friday, April 12, has been rescheduled to April 15 due to the inclement weather forecast.
On Monday, April 15, there will be intermittent lane closures in both directions on Arapahoe Avenue between 18th and 19th streets from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Contractors working for the City of Boulder Urban Forestry Division will be removing three high-risk trees in preparation for the upcoming Arapahoe Avenue Reconstruction project. The two-lane section of Arapahoe Avenue, between Folsom and 17th streets, is in poor condition and in need of a reconstruction.
During the tree removals, traffic will be directed into the center lane. The work schedule is weather-dependent.
In the 1800 block of Arapahoe Avenue, two silver maple trees with significant trunk cavities and restricted root zones will be removed for safety reasons. In the 2100 block, a Siberian elm will be removed due to past storm damage. These are the only large trees planned for removal as part of the Arapahoe Avenue Reconstruction. The city has contacted adjacent property owners in advance and will explore opportunities to plant replacement trees.
The city’s Urban Forestry Division inspects street trees in neighborhoods and parks for structural integrity and safety using industry-set standards and techniques. For more information about the tree removals, contact Patrick Bohin with the Urban Forestry Division at 303-519-8750 or watch the video at vimeo.com/63247248.
The Arapahoe Avenue Reconstruction project includes reconstruction of the street into concrete, storm drainage improvements, and sidewalk, bus stop, and landscaping improvements, as space and funding allow.The reconstruction is planned to begin in late May 2013 and will be completed in fall 2013. The project is funded by the 2011 voter-approved Capital Improvement Bond, which allowed the city to leverage existing revenues to bond for approximately $49 million to fund projects that address significant deficiencies, such as this one, and high priority infrastructure improvements. A community stakeholder committee prioritized projects to be funded by the bond and Arapahoe improvements were given a high priority due to current deteriorating conditions.
For more information about the Arapahoe Avenue Reconstruction project, contact Noreen Walsh at 303-441-3266 or visit www.bouldertransportation.net > “Projects & Programs” > “Arapahoe Avenue.”
Related posts:
Work begins on a county master plan for mountain trails network
0April 4, 2013
Public hearings to begin April 18
Boulder County, Colo. – Local, state, and federal land-management agencies, to include the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Boulder County, City of Boulder, and City of Longmont are partnering to develop a long‐term, multi‐agency master plan for a network of access points and travel corridors for non‐motorized users in the foothills and mountains of Boulder County.
What: Regional Mountain Trails Master Planning
When: Meetings will be held from mid-April to mid-May, the first meeting will be held on April 18, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Eleven locations throughout the county, the first meeting will be held at the Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street, 3rd floor
The goal of the Regional Mountain Trails Master Plan is to connect communities and recreation areas in the mountains and foothills to regional trails in the plains. The plan will emphasize linking existing trails and trail systems.
“We are excited to collaborate with the community and our fellow land managers on this plan for trails that will direct our work as individual organizations toward a common goal for trails over the coming years,” said Justin Atherton-Wood, Resource Planner for Boulder County Parks and Open Space. “This plan will be drafted in a manner that is sensitive to the resources and values unique to this part of the region, and one that contributes to a more sustainable future for Boulder County.”
To help define the many unique opportunities and challenges of this effort, the partners are initiating a period of public outreach this spring to gather comments on the community’s needs, expectations, and concerns with the project. It is anticipated that this initial phase will result in a set of principles and community values that will guide the remainder of this year-long planning process.
For more information about the project and upcoming meeting dates and locations visit the project website:www.RegionalMountainTrails.com. Or contact Garry Sanfaçon, Public Outreach Coordinator, at 720-564-2642 or gsanfacon@bouldercounty.org.
by -BoulderCounty.org-
Related posts:
Boulder County: Coffee for carpoolers between Boulder and Longmont
0February 26, 2013
Coffee for carpoolers to help improve travel on State Hwy 119 between Longmont and Boulder
Longmont, Colo. – For the month of March, the ‘Diagonal Shift’ will be rewarding carpoolers who carpool at least four times during the month – about once a week – with two free coffees at either Ziggi’s Coffee House or Brewing Market (a $10 gift card). The program applies to people who travel along State Highway 119 through Longmont or along the Diagonal between Boulder and Longmont.
Those who carpool and send a picture of their carpool group from each day they carpool will be entered into a drawing for each member of the carpool to win free coffee for the month of April (up to a $50 value).
“We hope this incentive program will encourage people to try carpooling once a week in March and see if it works for them even after they have received their free coffee,” said Hannah Polow, Multimodal Transportation Planner, Boulder County Transportation Department. “The long term incentives of carpooling include gas savings, less wear and tear on an individual’s own vehicle, and a whole host of other benefits that trump driving alone.”
Follow these steps to enter the challenge:
1. Register at www.diagonalshift.com by March 8
2. Each week, fill out a survey via email
3. Send your carpool pictures to shift@bouldercounty.org if you want to participate in the free coffee for a month challenge.
4. Carpool must include at least one other person.
How do you find a carpool?
1. Create an account on iCarpool
2. Contact shift@bouldercounty.org to organize an on-site presentation/carpool matching meeting coordinated by the Diagonal Shift program free of charge.
The rules:
· You must have at least two people in your carpool (including yourself)
· Adult family members count (those who have a driver’s license)
· Any type of trip is eligible to work, to lunch, to the gym, to the grocery store, to school, etc.
· For the photos: you must include at least two people in your carpool in your pictures and those who send more pictures will have more chances to win (maximum of one picture/day/carpool)! Email pictures to shift@bouldercounty.org.
· Have more questions? Find your answers.
Related posts:
Summer nightmare on Arapahoe between Folsom and 17th
0February 24, 2013
Community invited to open-house meeting to learn more about upcoming Arapahoe Avenue Reconstruction project for much needed repairs
The City of Boulder invites the community to an open-house meeting for the upcoming Arapahoe Avenue Reconstruction project on Monday, Feb. 25, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Creekside Room at the West Senior Center, 909 Arapahoe Ave. Please attend the meeting to learn more about the proposed transportation improvements and the anticipated construction timeline, traffic impacts, and detours associated with the project.
Naropa U could be hard hit by the project.
Arapahoe Avenue, between Folsom Street and approximately 17th Street, is in poor condition and in need of a reconstruction. The proposed improvements include:
• reconstructing Arapahoe Avenue into concrete between Folsom and 17th streets, and potentially
continuing to 15th Street, as funding allows;
• reconstructing deteriorated sidewalks and driveways, installing ADA-compliant curb ramps, and
widening sidewalks, where space allows;
• extension of the student-drop off area and multi-use path on the south side of Arapahoe Avenue
along the Boulder High School property;
• improving underground utilities and installing storm sewers; and
• improving urban design, landscaping and transit stops, as funding allows.
Rocky Mountain Anglers could be seriously disrupted by limited parking and high foot traffic.
The reconstruction is planned to begin in late May 2013 and will be completed in fall 2013. The project is funded by the 2011 voter-approved Capital Improvement Bond, which allowed the city to leverage existing revenues to bond for approximately $49 million to fund projects that address significant deficiencies, such as this one, and high priority infrastructure improvements.
If you cannot attend the public meeting, but would like to view the meeting information and stay informed about the project, visit www.bouldertransportation.net > “Projects & Programs” > “Arapahoe Avenue.” For more information, please contact Noreen Walsh at 303-441-3266.
Related posts:
Tree removals require lane closures Feb. 25 through March 10
0February 20, 2013
The City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department’s Urban Forestry Division will require temporary lane closures around Boulder in the next few weeks to remove a number of large trees. Forestry staff has determined that these trees pose a public safety hazard due to internal decay, structural weakness and/or large dead branches overhanging streets, sidewalks and structures. This is routine work. Dates are tentative and weather-dependent.
On Monday, Feb. 25, there will be intermittent closures of Balsam Avenue between 14th and 15th streets from noon to 3:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Feb. 27, there will be intermittent closures of Norwood Avenue between 21st Street and Norwood Court from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Also on Feb. 27, the outside lane of northbound Broadway, north of Norwood Avenue, will be closed from noon to 3:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Feb. 28 and Friday, March 1, the southbound lane of Airport Road will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Southbound traffic will be directed into a center lane.
On Monday, March 4, the southbound and right turn lane of Spine Road will be closed north of Lookout Road from 8:30 to 11 a.m. All southbound and turning traffic will be directed through the left turn lane. Also on March 4, there will be intermittent closures of Merritt Drive from Ingersoll Place to Holmes Place between noon and 3:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, March 5, there will be intermittent closures of 55th Street between Blackhawk Road and Tenino Avenue from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Also on March 5, the outside westbound lane of South Boulder Road will be closed from noon to 3 p.m. west of Manhattan Drive.
On Sunday, March 10, the westbound lane of Valmont Road between 28th Street and 30th Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In addition to these tree removals requiring lane closures, contractors working for the Urban Forestry Division will remove two other large trees with significant cavities in their trunks and/or major branches. These include the following:
- A cottonwood tree at the Main Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., with a large trunk cavity.
- A silver maple tree at 1743 Mapleton Ave. with large cavities in its major branches
City park and neighborhood street trees are inspected annually for structural integrity and safety by the Urban Forestry Division using industry-set standards and techniques. For more information, contact the Urban Forestry office, 303-441-4406, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Related posts:
Free, expanded bus services to provide safe transportation New Year’s Eve
0December 28, 2012
The City of Boulder, University of Colorado Student Union, RTD and Via encourage New Year’s Eve revelers to take advantage of:
· free HOP bus service from 7 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, until midnight on Tuesday, Jan.1, 2013;
· free Buff Bus, Black, Gold and Silver Line Late Night Transit bus service from midnight until 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan.1, 2013; and
· free RTD bus services, including the SKIP, JUMP, BOUND, DASH, BOLT and SkyRide routes, from 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, until 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013.
Hop abord if you’ve been drinking
In addition to the free bus services that are being offered, the University of Colorado Buff Bus and Late Night Transit services will expand coverage to larger areas of the city. The Buff Bus will provide service on Broadway south to Greenbriar Boulevard, on Baseline Road east to 30th Street, and on 30th Street north to Arapahoe Avenue. The Silver Line will extend service on Broadway north to Iris Avenue. The Black Line will extend service on Moorhead Avenue south to Table Mesa Drive. The Gold Line will extend service from areas east of downtown to 30th Street between Arapahoe and Iris avenues. These expanded bus services will allow passengers to safely access most areas of Boulder while celebrating the New Year. Passengers do not have to be University of Colorado students to ride and may ask any bus driver for information if they are unsure about which bus route to take.
The HOP bus and all RTD bus services will operate on the regular weekday schedule on New Year’s Eve and on a holiday schedule on New Year’s Day. The normal weekday services will return on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013.
For more information about the free HOP and Late Night Transit bus services, call Via at 303-447-8282 or visit www.viacolorado.org. For bus route maps, fares, schedules and other information, visit www.rtd-denver.com and www.goboulder.net.
For real-time arrival and departure information for the HOP bus, visit www.nextbus.com.
Related posts:
CU Boulder research team finds massive crevasses and bendable ice affect stability of Antarctic ice shelf
0December 7, 2012
Gaping crevasses that penetrate upward from the bottom of the largest remaining ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula make it more susceptible to collapse, according to University of Colorado Boulder researchers who spent the last four Southern Hemisphere summers studying the massive floating sheet of ice that covers an area twice the size of Massachusetts.
But the scientists also found that ribbons running through the Larsen C Ice Shelf – made up of a mixture of ice types that, together, are more prone to bending than breaking – make the shelf more resilient than it otherwise would be.
The research team from CU-Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences presented the findings Dec. 6 at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in San Francisco.
The Larsen C Ice Shelf is all that’s left of a series of ice shelves that once clung to the eastern edge of the Antarctic Peninsula and stretched into the Weddell Sea. When the other shelves disintegrated abruptly – including Larsen A in January 1995 and Larsen B in February 2002 – scientists were surprised by the speed of the breakup.
Researchers now believe that the catastrophic collapses of Larsen A and B were caused, at least in part, by rising temperatures in the region, where warming is increasing at six times the global average. The Antarctic Peninsula warmed 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit since the middle of the last century.
The warmer climate increased meltwater production, allowing more liquid to pool on top of the ice shelves. The water then drained into surface crevasses, wedging them open and cracking the shelf into individual icebergs, which resulted in rapid disintegration.
But while the meltwater may have been responsible for dealing the final blow to the shelves, researchers did not have the opportunity to study how the structure of the Larsen A and B shelves may have made them more vulnerable to drastic breakups – or protected the shelves from an even earlier demise.
CU-Boulder researchers did not want to miss the same opportunity on the Larsen C shelf, which covers more than 22,000 square miles of sea.
“It’s the perfect natural laboratory,” said Daniel McGrath, a doctoral student in the Department of Geography and part of the CIRES research team. “We wanted to study this shelf while it’s still stable in order to get a better understanding of the processes that affect ice shelf stability.”
McGrath worked with CIRES colleagues over the last four years to study the Larsen C shelf in order to better understand how the warming climate may have interacted with the shelf’s existing structure to increase its vulnerability to a catastrophic collapse.
McGrath presented two of the group’s key findings at the AGU meeting. The first was the role that long-existing crevasses that start at the base of the shelf and propagate upward – known as basal crevasses – play in making the shelf more vulnerable to disintegration. The second relates to the way a type of ice found in areas called suture zones may be protecting the shelf against a breakup.
The scientists used ground penetrating radar to map out the basal crevasses, which turn out to be massive. The yawning cracks can run for several miles in length and can penetrate upwards for more than 750 feet. While the basal crevasses have been a part of Larsen C for hundreds of years, the interaction between these features and a warming climate will likely make the shelf more susceptible to future disintegration. “They likely play a really important role in ice-shelf disintegration, both past and future,” McGrath said.
The research team also studied the impact of suture zones in the ice shelf. Larsen C is fed by 12 distinct glaciers, which dump a steady flow of thick ice into the shelf. But the promontories of land between the glacial outlets, where ice does not flow into the shelf, allow for the creation of ribbon-like suture zones, which knit the glacial inflows together and which turn out to be important to the ice shelf’s resilience. “The ice in these zones really holds the neighboring inflows together,” McGrath said.
The suture zones get their malleable characteristic from a combination of ice types. A key component of the suture zone mixture is formed when the bottoms of the 12 glacial inflows begin to melt. The resulting freshwater is more buoyant than the surrounding seawater, so it rises upward to the relatively thinner ice zones between the glacial inflows, where it refreezes on the underside of the shelf and contributes to the chaotic ice structure that makes suture zones more flexible than the surrounding ice.
It turns out that the resilient characteristics of the suture zones keep cracks, including the basal crevasses, from spreading across the ice shelf, even where the suture zone ice makes up a comparatively small amount of the total thickness of the shelf. The CIRES team found that at the shelf front, where the ice meets the open sea, suture zone ice constitutes only 20 percent of the total thickness of the shelf but was still able to limit the spread of rifts through the ice. “It’s a pretty small part of the total ice thickness, and yet, it still has this really important role of holding the ice shelf together,” McGrath said.
Other CU researchers involved in the Larsen C project were Konrad Steffen, former director of CIRES; Ted Scambos, of CIRES and CU-Boulder’s National Snow and Ice Data Center; Harihar Rajaram, of the Department of Civil Engineering; and Waleed Abdalati, of CIRES.
Related posts:
Boulder to surprise shoppers with FREE parking this holiday season
0November 20, 2012
What’s better than shopping local in downtown Boulder? How about getting free parking coupons from the city to shop! City of Boulder parking services will roll out several parking promotions for the holiday season to encourage patrons to visit and shop downtown Boulder.
Holiday parking promotions
- FREE 3 hour parking coupons (Friday, Nov. 23 – Saturday, Dec. 22)
Parking enforcement officers will surprise random shoppers each day by handing out free parking coupons; the coupons will be good for three hours of free parking at any downtown parking pay station. Parking enforcement officers will be on the lookout for customers en route to pay stations (that have yet to pay), and give them a coupon. Customers will place the coupon on their dash, just like a pay station receipt. The coupon is only valid for the day it is received. 
- 30,000 one hour free parking coupons (Friday, Nov. 23 – Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013)
The city will be providing downtown merchants with 30,000 one hour free parking coupons. These coupons will be honored at the St Julien and the 15th/Pearl garages only. Inquire at your favorite downtown merchant! - One hour free parking coupons in local ads and mailers
One hour free parking coupons will also be available in Downtown Boulder holiday ads (running through the holiday season in local publications), and in 12,000 mailers sent out by Downtown Boulder, Inc.
F
Related posts:
CU :$20 million instrument package set for integration on Mars spacecraft
0November 19, 2012
A $20 million remote sensing instrument package built by the University of Colorado Boulder, which is leading a 2013 NASA mission to understand how Mars might have lost its atmosphere, has been delivered to Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo., for spacecraft integration.
The remote sensing package designed and built by CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics consists of the Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph, or IUVS, as well as its electronic control box, the Remote Sensing Data Processing Unit, or RSDPU, both under contract to NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Known as the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, the $670 million NASA mission set for launch in November 2013 is being led by CU-Boulder Professor Bruce Jakosky. The mission is designed to explore and understand how the loss of atmospheric gas has changed the climate of Mars over the eons, said Jakosky, also associate director of LASP.
“With the delivery of this package, we are shifting from assembling the basic spacecraft to focusing on getting the science instruments onto the spacecraft,” said Jakosky, also a professor in the geological sciences department. “This is a major step toward getting us to launch and then getting the science return from the mission.”
According to David Mitchell, MAVEN project manager from NASA Goddard, “The remote sensing package team built a system that meets all technical requirements and delivered it on schedule and on budget. I look forward to the instrument’s next level of integration onto the spacecraft and ultimately the science it will provide.”
The IUVS collects UV light and spreads it out on a spectra that is recorded using imaging detectors, said Mitchell. As the “brains” of the instrument package, RSDPU receives and executes commands telling the IUVS when and where to point.
“As the ‘eyes’ of the remote sensing package, the IUVS allows us to study Mars and its atmosphere at a distance by looking at the light it emits,” said Nick Schneider, a LASP research associate and lead IUVS scientist for MAVEN. “Ultraviolet light is especially diagnostic of the state of the atmosphere, so our instrument provides the global context of the whole atmosphere for the local measurements made by the rest of the payload,” said Schneider, also a faculty member in the APS department.
The CU-Boulder remote sensing package will be turned on for its initial checkout 21 days after launch, said NASA officials. Later, in the “cruise phase” of the mission from Earth to Mars, the package will be powered on twice more for “state-of-health checks” and in-flight calibration.
MAVEN will be the first mission devoted to understanding the Martian atmosphere, with a goal of determining the history of the loss of atmospheric gases to space through time, providing answers about Mars climate evolution. By measuring the current rate of gas escaping to space and gathering enough information about the relevant processes, scientists should be able to infer how the planet’s atmosphere evolved over time.
The MAVEN spacecraft will carry two other instrument suites. The Particles and Fields Package, built by the University of California Berkeley Space Science Laboratory with support from LASP and NASA Goddard, contains six instruments that will characterize the solar wind and the ionosphere of the planet. The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer, provided by NASA Goddard, will measure the composition and isotopes of neutral ions.
“Three of the big milestones in an instrument builder’s life are the day you get selected to fly on a mission, the day you deliver the instrument to the spacecraft to get ready for launch, and the day that it gets where it’s going and data starts flowing back from space,” said Mark Lankton, the remote sensing package program manager at LASP. “The remote sensing team is really happy to have gotten to the second milestone, and we can hardly wait to reach the third.”
CU-Boulder also will provide science operations and lead the education and public outreach efforts. NASA Goddard manages the project and is building two of the science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin is building the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., provides navigation support, the Deep Space Network, the Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.
“Our CU-Boulder IUVS instrument will be the most capable ultraviolet spectrometer ever sent to another planet,” said LASP instrument scientist William McClintock. “Data from the IUVS will help planetary scientists rewrite the textbooks about the upper atmosphere of Mars, and we are fortunate to have a top-flight engineering team here at LASP that allowed us to design and develop such a sophisticated instrument.”
Clues on the Martian surface, including features resembling dry lakes and riverbeds as well as minerals that form only in the presence of water, suggest that Mars once had a denser atmosphere that supported liquid water on the surface, Jakosky said. CU-Boulder’s participation in Mars exploration missions goes back to 1969 when NASA’s Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 missions launched.
MAVEN is slated to slide into orbit around Mars in September 2014, and, after a one-month checkout period, will make measurements from orbit for one Earth year. The MAVEN science team includes three LASP scientists from CU-Boulder heading instrument teams — Schneider, Frank Eparvier and Robert Ergun — as well as a large supporting team of scientists, engineers and mission operations specialists.
MAVEN also will include participation by a number of CU-Boulder graduate and undergraduate students in the coming years. Currently there are more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students working on research projects at LASP, which provides hands-on training for future careers as engineers and scientists, said Jakosky.
Related posts:
Boulder renewed as a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists
0October 19, 2012
Across the U.S., bicycling is on the rise – thanks in part to communities like Boulder taking steps to make riding easy, accessible and safe. Today, the League of American Bicyclists (LoAB) announced the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) and renewed Boulder’s standing as a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community. The Platinum award recognizes Boulder’s continued commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investments in education, infrastructure, policies and promotion.
“We are excited that Boulder recognizes that simple steps to make biking safe and comfortable pay huge dividends in civic, community and economic development,” said League President Andy Clarke. “Bicycling is more than a practical, cost-effective solution to many community challenges – it’s a way to make Boulder a place where people don’t just live and work, but thrive.”
The BFC program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks by allowing them to measure their progress toward improving bicycle-friendliness. The free program provides a roadmap for building a Bicycle Friendly Community and the application process itself has become a rigorous educational tool.
In September, the league announced the “Diamond” level designation to raise the bar for communities like Boulder to move beyond Platinum. The LoAB will visit Boulder in December to conduct an audit and work with the local cycling community on creating clear goals to achieve Diamond status. The primary measure of Diamond designation is the number of people riding and community satisfaction. The five levels of the award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve.
“Boulder’s Platinum designation renewal recognizes many years of sustained effort by the community, city staff and local policy makers,” said Director of Public Works for Transportation Tracy Winfree. “It is a great accomplishment and celebrates the community’s commitment to bicycle friendliness. Given the City of Boulder’s ethic of ‘continuous improvement,’ we appreciate the league’s challenge for communities like Boulder to reach beyond Platinum to the new Diamond designation.”
Since the BFC program’s inception, more than 500 communities have applied and there are now 242 Bicycle Friendly Communities in 47 states across America. To learn more about the Bicycle Friendly Communities, visit www.bikeleague.org/community.
Related posts:
Boulder County: Traffic nightmares in SE county
0October 11, 2012
Several projects to affect travel in southeastern Boulder County
Alternate routes, modes suggested
Boulder County, Colo. – People traveling throughout the southeast part of Boulder County next week are advised to use alternate routes or modes of transportation.
Baseline Road will be closed west of 95th Street from Oct. 15-24 so that Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the City of Lafayette can replace the railroad crossing at that location.
That project is in addition to the Boulder County Transportation Department’s reconstruction of the intersection at 76th Street and South Boulder Road and the Colorado Department of Transportation’s ongoing reconstruction/widening of Highway 7/Arapahoe Road from 75th Street west to Cherryvale Road.
The three projects will be underway simultaneously beginning Monday, Oct. 15. Additionally, water line work is being done on Baseline Road near Platt Middle School.
The Boulder County project at 76th and South Boulder Road is replacing the roadway at the intersection. One westbound through lane on South Boulder Road and both eastbound lanes will remain open; 76th is closed to through traffic. This work is expected to be completed by Nov. 2.
Recommended alternative routes/detours:
- Louisville and southern Lafayette residents should use South Boulder Road
- Central Lafayette and southern Erie residents should use Highway 7
- Northern Lafayette and Erie residents should use Isabelle/Valmont roads, Lookout Road or Highway 52
Recommended alternative modes:
- Use RTD bus service
- JUMP from Erie/Lafayette Park-n-Ride along Highway 7/Arapahoe Road
- DASH from Lafayette/Lafayette Park-n-Ride along South Boulder Road
- BV from Superior/Louisville Park-n-Ride
- Carpool
- Shift commute time to earlier/later to avoid rush hour congestion
For more information, please contact the Boulder County Transportation Department at 303-441-3900 or transportation@bouldercounty.org.
Related posts:
Fifth annual Lighten Up Boulder safety campaign offers discounts for bike lights
0September 28, 2012
As fall sets in and the days get shorter, the City of Boulder, Community Cycles, the University of Colorado (CU) and local businesses are teaming up for the fifth annual Lighten Up Boulder safety campaign to encourage the use of bike lights for nighttime riding. The campaign offers 10 to 20 percent discounts on select bike light accessories at participating Boulder businesses.
Bike light coupons can be printed from the GOBoulder.net website or picked up during business hours at the following locations:
- the GO Boulder office at 1739 Broadway, second floor,
- the Community Cycles shop at 2805 Wilderness Place, Suite 1000; or
- the CU Bike Station on campus at the University Memorial Center (UMC).
The coupons can be redeemed at any of the eight different retailers listed on the coupon and are valid through Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012.
The campaign also reminds cyclists that biking at night without proper lighting is both illegal and unsafe. Without bike lights, cyclists cannot see what’s ahead and drivers cannot see cyclists. The Boulder Revised Code requires all cyclists traveling between sunset and sunrise to equip their bikes with both a mounted white light on the front and a red reflector on the back (B.R.C. 7-5-11: Bicycle Headlight and Reflector Required).
“Riding your bike at night without adequate lighting can result in dangerous situations for you and others, as well as a $50 fine,” said Bicycle/Pedestrian Transportation Planner Marni Ratzel. “We hope that this campaign will encourage more cyclists to mount lights on their bikes, making nighttime travel in Boulder safer for cyclists, drivers and pedestrians.”
For access to bike light coupons, bike maps and safety tips, visit www.goboulder.net.
Related posts:
Major cone zone alert east Boulder County
0September 26, 2012
76th Street closed at S. Boulder Road beginning Monday
Boulder County, Colo. – Access to 76th Street from South Boulder Road will be closed from Monday, Oct. 1 until Friday, Nov. 2 to allow the Boulder County Transportation Department to reconstruct the 76th Street / South Boulder Road intersection.
The intersection reconstruction includes replacement of the concrete paving on 76th Street, improved intersection geometry, new pedestrian crossings and reconstructed traffic islands.
No vehicles including bicycles will be allowed access on to or off of 76th Street between South Boulder Road and O’Connor Road during the closure period. South Boulder Road will remain open; however, lane closures and minor construction delays are anticipated.
All users should exercise caution when traveling through or around the construction zone. Detour routes are being posted on Cherryvale Road to the west and 95th Street to the east. Local traffic can access properties on 76th Street from north of O’Connor Road.
The closure dates may be extended in case of inclement weather or unforeseen conditions. Visit www.BoulderCounty.org/Transportation or call 303-441-3900 for project updates and additional information.
Related posts:
Boulder Police to increase crosswalk enforcement for September
0September 18, 2012
Starting on Sept. 17, 2012 and going through the end of the month, officers from the Boulder Police Department will increase safety enforcement at city crosswalks as part of “September Crosswalk Safety Weeks.” At its Sept. 18 meeting, City Council will be designating Sept. 17 – 28 as September Crosswalk Safety Weeks as part of the ongoing “Heads Up: Mind the Crosswalk” public education campaign. Police at the University of Colorado will also be stepping up enforcement on and around the campus.
Earlier this year, several new ordinances went into effect. The three 
ordinances in the Boulder Revised Code are:
- “Stop at crosswalk required” [7-4-77] stipulates that when one vehicle stops to yield for a person in a crosswalk, another vehicle going the same direction in an adjacent lane cannot overtake and pass that vehicle.
- “8 mph speed limit for bicycles in a crosswalk” [7-5-5] establishes a speed limit of 8 mph for bicyclists during the immediate approach, entry and traversal of any crosswalk that spans a roadway.
- ”Pedestrian obedience to traffic signal required” [7-5-15(f)] targets the use of flashing crosswalks (those with flashing yellow crosswalk signs) by requiring a person crossing to enter the crosswalk with the warning device activated.
Boulder police, along with officers from the University of Colorado Police Department, will focus their safety efforts on high-incident crosswalks, many of which are on or near the university campus.
Police will also be keeping an eye on school zones. At the same time, the Boulder Valley School District is educating students about crosswalk safety with activities such as assemblies, art projects and events planned during the designated Crosswalk Safety Weeks.
Fines for breaking these ordinances range from $50 to $125. Drivers may also receive points against their license.
