Regional Bike, Pedestrian & Transit Access Plan
RFTA provides transit and trails for the purpose of connecting communities with multimodal options. RFTA, and Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle Counties recently completed the Regional Bicycle, Pedestrian & Transit Access Plan, for a roughly 84-mile corridor extending from Aspen to Parachute.
Please CLICK HERE to download the Regional Bicycle, Pedestrian & Transit Access Plan.
PRESS RELEASE: Bikes, Boots and Buses….Oh My!
For release: Monday, December 7th, 2015
For more information:
Jason White, RFTA Assistant Planner
970-384-4968
jwhite@rfta.com
www.rfta.com
The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), and Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle Counties recently completed the Regional Bicycle, Pedestrian & Transit Access Plan, for a roughly 84-mile corridor extending from Aspen to Parachute.
The purpose of the Bike-Ped Plan is to establish a region-wide vision for bicycle and pedestrian accessibility and mobility, and to establish priority projects that strive to fully integrate the bicycle, pedestrian and transportation systems. “An example of an integrated system is enabling a bus rider to exit a bus, get on a bicycle at the station, ride down the Rio Grande Trailto one of the towns, and follow wayfinding signs to downtown amenities,” says Jason White, RFTA Project Manager.
RFTA was awarded a Federal grant in 2014 to conduct the Plan. Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle Counties provided matching funds and the Plan’s advisory committee consisted of staff from RFTA, CDOT Bicycle Pedestrian Program and the three counties. The working group diligently combined feedback from approximately 100 contacts to establish and prioritize projects by region and by county. High-priority projects for the region included the Lower Valley (LoVa) Trail in Garfield County, the Crystal Valley Trail in Pitkin County and a new bicycle-pedestrian bridge over the Roaring Fork River linking Crown Mountain Park to the Rio Grande Trail, in Eagle County.
According to the recent update of the 2014 Regional Travel Patterns Study, residents in the Colorado River and Roaring Fork River Valleys drive less and walk, bike and use transit two to three times more than the national average. RFTA believes that walking, bicycling and transit will capture an even greater share of mode split in the future due to the geographically constricted nature of the study area, its current land use constraints, shifting national demographics and the convenience of the increasingly popular VelociRFTA Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
Towns and cities around the country are also recognizing the economic and health benefits of a more bicycle and pedestrian friendly region. “Although each town or county has varying levels of bike-ped awareness and planning,” says Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Consultant Josh Mehlem, “when all combined this rural region is lucky to have so many alternative transportation options beyond the personal automobile, which enhances the high quality of life.” Mehlem’s firm, Alta Planning, was the lead consultant on the study.
RFTA anticipates that regional government staff can use this Plan to leverage forthcoming grants for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. To access the entire Bike-Ped Plan, please visit the RFTA website at www.rfta.com or the RFTA Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h6m9mfyj513m975/FINAL%20Regional%20Bicycle%20Pedestrian%20%26%20Transit%20Access%20Plan%202015.pdf?dl=0
Overflowing bicycle racks at RFTA’s Carbondale VelociRFTA BRT Station.
Graphic from the recent update of the 2014 Regional Travel Patterns Study.
