City News
This is news from the city of Boulder, about the city or any of its departments
Boulder Police to increase crosswalk enforcement for September
Sep 18th
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.
Boulder to test green bike-lanes
Sep 13th
Cyclists and motorists traveling north along Folsom Street will notice something new at the intersections of Canyon Boulevard and Pearl Street – green bike lanes. As part of a pilot project, the City of Boulder’s Transportation Division has installed the new pavement markings to promote community awareness and increase safety for both cyclists and motorists. The city is testing the green bike lanes’ effectiveness with reducing “right hook” collisions, which involve a motorist making a right turn and accidentally colliding with a cyclist traveling in the same direction in the adjacent bike lane, as depicted in the attached diagram. Citywide, approximately 14 percent of all motor vehicle collisions involving cyclists have been attributed to right hook collisions. The intersections of Folsom Street and Canyon Boulevard (#2) and Folsom and Pearl streets (#12) were identified among the top 15 most common collision locations. These statistics were included in the Safe Streets Boulder Report, a study of motor vehicle collisions involving cyclists or pedestrians during a 40-month period between January 2008 and April 2011.
The new pavement markings on Folsom Street are the first phase of the pilot project, with additional green bike lanes planned along Colorado Avenue and Table Mesa Drive this fall. Evaluations to test the effectiveness of the markings will include field observations and an online community survey to gather input from cyclists and motorists. The green bike lanes are a traffic engineering component of the city’s three-part action plan to reduce the number of traffic collisions in Boulder through engineering, education and enforcement. The Heads Up Boulder: Mind the Crosswalk campaign was launched this summer to help educate the community about three new crosswalk safety ordinances and the Boulder Police Department will be proactively enforcing the ordinances at Boulder’s busiest intersections this fall. The new pavement markings were installed on Thursday, Sept. 6, using a preformed thermoplastic material that includes an anti-skid layer to reduce slipping. Boulder is joining other communities such as Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Wash.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Los Angeles, Calif.; and San Francisco, Calif. in experimenting with bike lane pavement markings. The attached photo shows the green bike lane at the intersection of Canyon Boulevard and Folsom Street and the attached diagram depicts a right hook collision.
The new pavement markings on Folsom Street are the first phase of the pilot project, with additional green bike lanes planned along Colorado Avenue and Table Mesa Drive this fall. Evaluations to test the effectiveness of the markings will include field observations and an online community survey to gather input from cyclists and motorists. The green bike lanes are a traffic engineering component of the city’s three-part action plan to reduce the number of traffic collisions in Boulder through engineering, education and enforcement. The Heads Up Boulder: Mind the Crosswalk campaign was launched this summer to help educate the community about three new crosswalk safety ordinances and the Boulder Police Department will be proactively enforcing the ordinances at Boulder’s busiest intersections this fall. The new pavement markings were installed on Thursday, Sept. 6, using a preformed thermoplastic material that includes an anti-skid layer to reduce slipping. Boulder is joining other communities such as Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Wash.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Los Angeles, Calif.; and San Francisco, Calif. in experimenting with bike lane pavement markings. The attached photo shows the green bike lane at the intersection of Canyon Boulevard and Folsom Street and the attached diagram depicts a right hook collision.
CU president pushing for completion of US 36 bus rapid transit
Sep 12th
President Benson met with 36 Commuting Solutions and members of the US 36 Mayors & Commissioners Coalition on September 7 to discuss the delays in completing the corridor investments, including the RTD Bus Rapid Transit and Northwest Rail systems.
Due to the delay in completion of Northwest Rail for the foreseeable future, President Benson and the coalition believe that it is critical to complete true Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as soon as possible. The President has pledged his help to engage corridor executives and our transportation partners to ensure the BRT system is in place by the opening of the managed lanes in 2015, including a dedicated vehicle fleet, greater service frequency, real-time travel info and station area improvements.
Benson said that success will only come through collaboration and stressed the importance of working with RTD, CDOT, businesses, communities and groups such as 36 Commuting Solutions to collectively solve the problem. “We all have a vested interest, and working together will help us all meet our common goal,” said Benson.
“We understand RTD’s cash flow to complete their remaining FasTracks investment to the corridor is delayed, but we believe there are other federal and state funding opportunities we need to collectively pursue,” said President Benson. “The corridor has my full commitment to keep these highly important projects moving forward in order to make US 36 the multi-modal corridor we truly need for it to be.”
DRCOG Approves $15 million for Phase 2 of the US 36 Express Lanes Project
<during their August board meeting, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) committed $15 million for Phase 2 of the US 36 Express Lanes Project, which will extend the express lanes from 88th Street to Table Mesa.
“This new funding from DRCOG brings us closer to completing Phase 2 of the project,” said 36 Commuting Solutions Chairperson, George Gerstle. “Though progress has been made, it is imperative that we secure the remaining funding needed to finish Phase 2 in order to make US 36 a truly multi-modal corridor.”
For more information on Phase 2 of the US 36 Express Lanes project,
