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Realizing Alternative Transportation
in Colorado Springs through Education and Coalition Building
By Micah Lang
November 21, 2001
EV 421: Sustainable Cities
Project Overview
Using the enthusiasm and excitement that is created through an interactive, event-filled alternative transportation education week, a new alternative transportation citizens group will be formed in Colorado Springs. The purpose of this group will be to build community support for current alternative transportation plans that have been approved by the City of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Area Council Governments. The new alternative transportation citizens group will build community support through widespread, sector-specific education programs. The citizens group will also act as a nexus that connects the many different factions that are involved in alternative transportation, including nonprofit groups, businesses, and governments. The education programs that will be implemented by the new citizens group will break down the barriers to alternative transportation, improving the quality of life for everyone in Colorado Springs by reducing air pollution, reducing traffic, and protecting the environment.
The Problem
In cities throughout the United States automobiles control the lives of millions of people. Cars are no longer used out of convenience, but have become a necessity in order to commute to work, go to the store, and even to go to a park or enjoy the outdoors. With cars comes independence and freedom of movement, but there are also many problems in car dependence cities. Cars create noise, air pollution, which has detrimental health effects and contributes to global warming, increased levels of stress and wasted time because of traffic congestion, unsafe roads for pedestrians and bicyclists, and 45,000 people die in auto-accidents each year.[1] In the words of James Kunstler, “... Americans have managed to go beyond driving ourselves crazy with cars. There is a moral and spiritual dimension these problems that we are unable direction. We have the knowledge to do the right thing; we lack only the will to do the right thing. The inescapable conclusion is that our behavior is wicked, and that we are liable to pay a heavy price for our wickedness by losing the things we love, including our beautiful country and our democratic republic.”[2]
With 280 days of
sun per year, and usually mild winters for its location at the foot of the
Rockies, Colorado Springs would seem to be the ideal setting for biking and pedestrian
travel. This is far from the case,
however, with outward homogenous growth fueling the city’s spur away from its
long and storied alternative transportation past. In the first decade of the 20th-Century Colorado Springs had
a well-used street railway running along Tejon Street. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the city
had one of the most successful transit lines in the country. In 1980 approximately 1,500,000 rode
Colorado Springs transit.[3] Since 1980, however, the availability
and accessibility of alternative transportation has been steadily declining as
the city has grown.
Currently, and for the next 20 years Colorado Springs is expected to grow at a steady rate of 1.5 percent per year.[4] By 2020 this will result in a population of 441,000, an increase of 30 percent since 1998.[5]
Population growth in and by itself does not
spell the downfall of alternative transportation and create traffic
congestion. When population growth
is coupled with sprawl and decreasing density, however, travel distances are
increased and the viability of alternative transportation is reduced. Currently in Colorado Springs there is
a trend of decreasing population density, housing density, and employment
density, which according to city development plans will continue through the
year 2020.[6]
From: City of
Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com
In
the past few years the concept of induced travel has become a regular inclusion in transportation planner’s vernacular,
as more connections are made between sprawl and traffic congestion. According to the concept of induced travel,
increased road capacity has not been an effective congestion-fighting measure,
but instead generates additional traffic.[7]
Sixty-nine percent of the increase in driving from 1983 to 1990 was due to
factors influence by sprawl (such as longer car trips and commuters switching
to driving from walking or transit).[8] Population growth was responsible for
only 13 percent of the increase in driving.[9] The Surface Transportation Policy
Project found that a 10 percent increase in highway roads results in a 5.3
percent increase in the amount of driving (above any increases caused by
population growth).[10] Data for Colorado Springs is consistent
with other metropolitan areas that are building new roads and seeing increased
traffic congestion and VMT (vehicle miles traveled).
From: City of
Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com
A vast majority of the eastern expansion that is occurring in
Colorado Springs is in the form of homogenous, single-use development. Take a
drive on Powers Boulevard in Colorado Springs and one will see mile upon mile
of cookie-cutter housing developments, completely isolated from parks,
shopping, and business. Driving
along Academy Boulevard (because driving is the only way to navigate the
street) one will city an expansive concrete jungle comprised of parking lots,
monolithic cement structures,
and
clogged arterials of idling traffic.
Clearly, neither street is a friendly environment for anything except
automobiles. This scene is
reflected by the increasing dependence on SOVs (single occupancy vehicles) in
Colorado Springs.
Not only are people more dependent on the single occupancy vehicle for individual trips, they are also taking more total, separate trips each day.
From: City of
Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com
From: City of
Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com From: City of
Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com
People
in Colorado Springs realize that traffic and congestion are threatening the
high quality of life that they enjoy in Colorado Springs. In a November 1st, 2001 random survey
of 80 people conducted downtown, at Wal-Mart on Platte Street, and at Safeway
on Powers Boulevard, people from all backgrounds voiced their displeasure with
the current traffic and road situation in Colorado Springs. Forty-nine percent of the people
surveyed said that traffic and roads need to be improved in Colorado Springs,
when asked what they would change about the city. Alternative transportation, however, was not high and
peoples priority list. Only 7.5
percent of the people surveyed said that mass transit is an aspect of the city
that they would like to see improved.
In 1999, a 1/10 of one-cent sales tax increase to support improvements
to the Colorado Springs transit system failed miserably.
Surveys conducted by city and regional governments also showed that people are concerned about traffic congestion, but are not willing to use or pay for alternative transportation.
From: City of
Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com
From: City of
Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com
There are nonprofit organizations in Colorado Springs, such as The Clean Air Campaign, that understand the business community's reluctance to get involved with alternative transportation, if there is not a viable system in place. According to Steve Blanchard, of the Clean Air Campaign, "... the business attitude is that transit should be dealt with by the government."[11] It was this realization that prompted the Clean Air Campaign to create the Garden of the Gods TMA (Transportation Management Association). The showpiece of the TMA was a shuttle service called the Zip Bus, which transported employees from their offices to restaurants during the lunch hour, in order to reduce the number of cars on the road. Earlier this year, however, the Zip Bus was discontinued because of a lack of employee interest. Money giveaways, Denver Bronco tickets, and other incentives were offered for riding the Zip Bus, but none of these incentives were enough to counter the general opinion that the bus was an inconvenience when compared to driving. Commenting on the Zip Bus from the perspective of regional government, Rob MacDonald, director at the Pike Peak Area Commission of Governments, also mentioned that there was a lack of a supporting alternative transportation infrastructure supporting the Zip Bus, for it to be effective.[12]
Since 1980 there have been new transit services, but the population has increased 51 percent, further decreasing percentage of Colorado Springs residents that live within walking distance of transit lines.[14] Currently, the City of Colorado Springs transit system has 55 buses, 24 daily routes, 7 limited daily routes, and 7 night routes (that do not run past 10 p.m.). Daily routes run 6 days a week from 6:00 am to 7:00 p.m..[15]
Colorado Springs does not fair much better with carpooling and vanpooling. The organization responsible for both services in Colorado Springs is Ridefinders. The program has been in existence since 1979 and promotes ridesharing, bicycle commuting, school pool, telecommuting, and transit use through visits to employers, media advertising, community activities, and promotional events.[16] Approximately 2000 people are currently in the Ridefinders active database for carpooling.[17] There are currently eight-vanpools driving from Colorado Springs to Denver (there are no vanpool services within Colorado Springs), with a total of 85 riders.[18] This, however, is a small drop in the bucket. Everyday an estimated that 23,000 cars commute into Denver from the South via Interstate-25.[19]
In an attempt to encourage businesses and their employees to use alternative transportation, the Federal Transit Administration enacted a commuter tax benefit act that took effect in January, 2000. This act has had huge repercussions throughout the country, with nearly every city over 100,000 people creating or participating in a program that works with businesses to encourage the use of alternative transportation by employees. Tax benefits for the commute benefit programs fall under two broad categories, transit and vanpool, and parking.
Currently, employers can give their employees up to $65 per month to commute via transit or vanpool; the employer gets a tax deduction and saves over providing the same value in gross income. Or, employers allow employees to use pretax income to pay for transit and employers save on payroll tax (at least 7.65 percent). Or, the employer and employee can negotiate a combination of the two strategies.[20] Starting in January, 2002 the monthly tax benefit will be raised to $100, making the program even more attractive for businesses and their employees.[21]
Under current Federal Tax Administration laws, employers can give their employees up to $180 per month for qualified parking when the employee commutes via transit, vanpool, or carpool. Employers can also allow employees to use pretax income to pay for qualified parking and employers save at least 7.65 percent on payroll tax.[22] Vanpool or transit passes can also be provided in addition to qualified parking benefits, for a total benefit of up to $245 per month ($2940 per year). Currently, Ridefinder vanpool riders can participant in the national Commuter Check program and receive the tax benefits from their employers.[23] While the City of Colorado Springs transit system is currently not involved with any of these tax incentive programs, they are in the process of trying to bring the Denver and Boulder Eco Pass program to the city.[24] Without improvements to the existing transit system, however, the Eco Pass program will be a wasted effort on Colorado Springs.
With all of the benefits to using modes of transportation other than the SOV, (including reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality and minimizing the effects of global warming through a reduction in NOx, hydrocarbon, and CO2 emmisions, conserving natural resources, improving human health by riding a bike and walking and because of less air pollution, money is saved by sharing modes of transportation, stress is reduced by not driving alone in traffic, and ultimately the quality of life is improved) what is preventing Colorado Springs from incorporating alternative transportation in current developments already existing neighborhoods?
How to Address the Problem
Colorado Springs is caught in and a series of feedback loops, which are preventing the creation of a sustainable alternative transportation system. Currently, lax development regulations are leading to outward, homogenous growth. Outward, homogenous growth both increases the money to implement alternative transportation and increases dependence on the automobile for transportation. As the cost to implement alternative transportation rises, public willingness to fund alternative transportation decreases, which thus decreases the availability of alternative transportation, leading to decreased business participation in alternative transportation, decreasing alternative transportation use, resulting in an increased dependence on the automobile for transportation. The figure on the following page illustrates this point.
Through alternative transportation education, the feedback cycle can be broken and dependence on the automobile for transportation can be reduced. Without community support for alternative transportation, city plans will never be realized. The only way to build community support, is to educate the public from the ground up, targeting all sectors of the population. In the same survey that forty-nine percent of the people said that they wanted to see improved roads and a reduction in traffic, 72.5% of the people specifically mentioned the weather, climate, and or the scenery as a reason why they live in Colorado Springs. If, through education, people can come to see the connection between outward, homogenous growth, dependence on the automobile for transportation, and declining quality of life (something that day deeply value), then there is hope for alternative transportation in Colorado Springs.
By launching a citywide education campaign, which will consist of an alternative transportation event week, the formation of a new alternative transportation citizens group, and the implementation of sector specific alternative transportation education programs, alternative transportation can be put back on the map in Colorado Springs.
The Solution
Remedying the current transportation situation in Colorado Springs will be a long and involved process that will take many years. Colorado Springs has a rich and storied mass-transit history, but over the years the city's demographics have changed and now the automobile is king. In order for change to happen, it will be necessary to build support from the ground up, planting the alternative transportation seed in the public through education and building towards increasingly ambitious goals as the city's basic transportation problems are solved.
Currently and in the past, nonprofit groups such as The Clean Air Campaign have staged successful education programs, but there has never been a large-scale, coordinated alternative transportation education campaign in Colorado Springs. Whiff, the clean air superhero dog and Professor PureAir conduct interactive presentations at elementary schools in Colorado Springs, teaching students about basic environmental principles and simple ways to improve air quality in their neighborhoods.[25] Large-scale education programs such as this, with messages directed at a variety of audiences, could do much to educate the Colorado Springs populace about alternative transportation.
Despite the glaring absence of an adequate transit system, the haphazard nature of development, and a roadway infrastructure that is hardly conducive to walking or bicycling, there is not a lack of planning or vision within the City of Colorado Springs and the PPACG (Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments). In April, 2001 after 33 open public forums and much input from area businesses and government agencies, the City of Colorado Springs finalized its Intermodal Transportation Plan. The Intermodal Transportation Plan is a progressive, forward thinking document that identifies the need for drastic improvements of the city's current alternative transportation options (transit, walking, and biking). The Intermodal Transportation Plan also makes the link between traffic congestion and poorly planned growth. The current development trend in Colorado Springs of separate commercial and residential development, is increasing dependence on the automobile for transportation needs.
On November 15th, 2001 the PPACG voted on and approved "Destination 2025: Mobility Plan for the Pikes Peak Region."[26] This 128 page document, which was created with input from city, county, and regional governments, the Peak 21 transit group, the Trails Coalition, Colorado Springs Bicycling Club, the Clean Air Campaign, local businesses, and others, is a comprehensive regional transportation plan founded on the concept of sustainability and based on economic realities. During the citizen review period for the 2025 Mobility Plan for the Pikes Peak Region, several major themes arose and were subsequently incorporated into document. These themes include: · improve access to regional destination centers for all citizens, · promote the use of alternative modes of transportation, · protect and enhance the human and natural environments, and · improve public transportation.
A specific example from the plan is the creation of a new three-tiered transit system. Tier 1 would be comprised of a hybrid grid, multinode system with up to 106 buses. Tier 2 would include the addition of an express bus system with 20 to 22 buses and up to 16 park-and-ride lots. Tier 3 would add a bus rapid transit system with 20 buses on 4 rapid transit lines.[27] One of the most promising aspects of the plan is the prioritization of 308 total projects. Nine of top ten priority projects specified in Destination 2025, are for alternative transportation.[28]
With a detailed plan in place, all that remains is to procure the necessary funds and build support among the citizens of the Pikes Peak. As shown through numerous surveys and public comments on the ITP and the 2025 Mobility Plan, the citizens of Colorado Springs seek traffic congestion relief and better transportation planning. An all-encompassing public education program that drives home alternative transportation as a necessity for the preservation of Colorado Springs’ natural and social amenities, and an education program that focuses on the interconnectedness of the many components of sustainability, such as urban planning, air quality, water quality, energy use, traffic, and transportation, will turn the tide of public sentiment and create a populace that is willing to financially support the sustainable transportation plans which have recently been finalized.
Included in the 2025 Mobility Plan are specific objectives addressing public education: B-9) Encourage public information programs on transportation-related environmental issues, and D-9) Encourage public information programs on safety, rules of the road and alternative modes of transportation. While it is important that public education occurs during implementation of the new transportation plan, it is imperative that education occurs prior to implementation of transportation plans in order to gain the support of the public.
I will use the $10,000 Independent Community Fund grant to coordinate and lay the groundwork for an all-encompassing, citywide, alternative-transportation education program that will be carried out by a newly created citizen nonprofit group. The alternative transportation education program will be composed of four stages. The $10,000 provided by the grant will be used as seed money for stage-one of the alternative transportation education program.
Stage-One
Stage-one will be a citywide alternative transportation week, with speakers, music events, bike rides, alternative transportation relay races, demonstration vehicles, nature walks, and picnics, for the purpose of gaining public support for alternative transportation in Colorado Springs and to raise money that will go towards the creation of Colorado Springs’ first citizen nonprofit group that focuses solely on alternative transportation. Alternative transportation education week will be planned in coordination with the Clean Air Campaign, Voters Network, Ridefinders, city transit and transportation departments, local bicycling clubs, and other nonprofit groups. Event costs not covered by the $10,000 will be funded by donations from local businesses, governments, and utilities, which will benefit from cleaner air, less congestion, and a more sustainable Colorado Springs.
At all of the alternative transportation week events there will be a suggested donation, but no required costs so as not to discourage anyone from attending. Events will be held throughout the city in a variety of neighborhoods, so that a large and diverse portion of the city’s population hears the alternative transportation message.
A major theme of the alternative transportation education week will be tying the automobile to the decline in quality of life in the Pikes Peak the region. The natural beauty of the Pikes Peak region is the most frequently cited amenity to living in Colorado Springs by both residents and visitors. While Pikes Peak, and Pike National Forest will always provide the backdrop for the city, the region's air quality and small town charm are going the way of the horse-drawn carriage, as development is perpetually expanding the city limits and VMT are increasing faster than the population. Organizations such as the American Lung Association of Colorado will be asked to speak on the health hazards of air pollution. Nature walks, bike rides, and a mountain climbing event will be held to celebrate traditional means of transportation and to showcase the region's natural beauty, which is currently being threatened.
Every year in Washington State, the American Lung Association of Washington holds a fundraising bike ride, "Trek For Clean Air," and a fundraising mountain climbing event, "Climb for Clean Air."[29] Both of these events have much potential to raise money and awareness about transportation issues in Colorado Springs, given the large percentage of the population that enjoys outdoor activities.
Stage-Two
With the support and enthusiasm generated from alternative transportation week a new transportation citizen action group will be formed. The focus of this group will be to promote alternative transportation in Colorado Springs, educate the Colorado Springs populace about the benefits of alternative transportation, and act as a nexus that connects the many different factions that are involved in alternative transportation, including city government, the PPACG, local nonprofits, businesses, and citizens. The new transportation citizen action group will use existing groups, such as Alt-Trans (The Washington Coalition for Transportation Alternatives), as a resource for building an effective and powerful citizen action group.[30]
The first priority of the transportation citizen action group will be to design a citywide public education program in coronation with the Clean Air Campaign, Voters Network, local government, local nonprofits, and the PPACG. The goal of the education program will be twofold: 1) build public support for alternative transportation, and 2) keep the public abreast regarding city transportation planning, including the implementation of new programs and services.
The keystone segment of the citywide public education program will be the development and implementation of alternative transportation curricula for elementary school, middle school, and high school age children in Colorado Springs. In the "Program Advice" section of the EPA's Smart Travel Resource Center, directors from successful programs across the country stress the importance of instilling a positive mindset at an early age regarding the use of alternative transportation. [31]
Currently there is a plethora of alternative transportation curricula of all types, for children of all ages, that have been developed by an equally numerous and diverse number of the organizations across the United States. A large majority of the education materials that support these curricula are free, or available for a minimal cost. The Colorado Springs alternative transportation curricula will be developed by a team of volunteers comprised of educators and other interested community members. The curricula will be modeled after successful programs throughout the country, such as the Transit Curriculum for Twin Cities Schools in Minnesota, Teacher’s Guide the World Resources Car Trouble produced by the World Resources Institute, Let Kids Lead developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and How to Become a Smart Tripper in Washington State. The supporting materials for the curricula will be updated regularly to reflect changing traffic and air quality issues in Colorado Springs.
An ancillary component of the transportation citizen group’s education program will involve educating people and lobbying city government about the link between transportation planning, land use planning, and air quality. Alternative transportation will never be a viable option for Colorado Springs if development and outward expansion continues to be in the form of homogenous, single-use, ill-planned, epitomes of suburban sprawl. Developers need to be held accountable for planning roads that are compatible with alternative transportation and existing roadways need to be re-engineered so that congestion is not further exacerbated. City planners need to mandate that mixed-use, pedestrian and bike friendly development is the minimum standard for Colorado Springs. By allowing poorly planned sprawl to occur, city planners are essentially paving the way for increasing dependence on the single occupancy vehicle and thus greater VMT, reduction in air quality, and a lower standard of living in Colorado Springs. The specifics of how to plan alternative transportation friendly development and details of the explicit link between homogenous sprawl and dependency on the single occupancy vehicle can be found in a 110-page handbook published by the EPA in January 2001, called "Improving Air Quality through Land Use Activities."
Until the new transportation citizen group can secure a dedicated funding source, the group will rely on a variety of grants to fund operations and programs. Potential funding sources for the new transportation citizen group include that EPA's Office of Transportation Air Quality’s "Clean Air Transportation Communities" grant, environmental education grants, a grant from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, that EPA's "Sustainable Development Challenge Grants," and regional discretionary funds under the Clean Air Act.[32]
Working in correspondence with the business education program, which Ridefinders is currently developing in order to promote the increase in the allowable tax benefit for monthly alternative transportation use from $65 to $100, the new transportation citizen group will attempt to expand the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ "Pollution Solution" program to Colorado Springs. The "Pollution Solution " program is based on a piece of paper called a pledge card, which is distributed to commuters through businesses and is the commuter’s promise to use alternative transportation once a week during the high pollution season (November through March)[33]. Both the Clean Air Campaign and Ridefinders would benefit from the creation of such a program. The Clean Air Campaign could calculate emission and VMT (vehicle miles traveled) reductions based on the miles not driven. The "Pollution Solution" program would provide commuters with additional incentive to use Ridefinders’ carpooling and vanpool services.
Modeling its media campaign after the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s "Spare the Air" program[34], the new transportation citizen group will conduct regular media briefings to keep press interest high and to reach a greater audience. An integral part of the new transportation citizen group’s advertising strategy will be the creation of a dynamic, multifaceted website. Education materials and curricula developed by the group will be posted on the website and available for free download or printing. The website will also contain up-to-date information on the continuing progress of the implementation of city and regional alternative transportation plans.
Stage-Three
Within 5 years of the creation of the new transportation citizen group in Colorado Springs, enough support will be built to attempt another alternative transportation ballot initiative, to try and secure funding for the City’s and the PPACG’s transportation plans. Once funding for alternative transportation is secured in Colorado Springs, either through a ballot initiative, state funds, or federal funds, stage three will begin. Stage three will be convincing the public to use and embrace the new alternative transportation system. To do this the new transportation citizen group will work with city government officials to try and bring the "It All Adds up to Clean Air" program to Colorado Springs.[35]
Responding to the request of state and local transportation air quality agencies that are charged with adhering to The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and the Clean Air Act, a conglomeration of federal agencies have been collaborating on the creation of a public education program to be implemented at the community level. Currently, the program is still in the demonstration phase, with 12 communities throughout the United States receiving federal support in the form of market research, materials, funding, and a comprehensive toolkit to guide efforts. Colorado Springs would greatly benefit from both the funds and the guidance of such a program.
If national assistance is not available for advertising and promoting the new transportation programs, then other more creative solutions will need to be explored. One possibility that has worked well for the Lane Transit District in Eugene, Oregon is setting up a program where radio and television time is given to the transit district in exchange for advertisement of media events and public service announcements on buses.[36]
In addition to broad media campaigns, it will also be necessary to target specific sectors of the population. Throughout the country the most successful alternative transportation programs are those that work with employers to encourage carpooling, vanpooling, transit use, and other forms of alternative transportation. In the past, these programs have been marginally successful at best in Colorado Springs, but the problem was a lack of viable alternatives to the single occupancy vehicle, not the programs themselves. When Colorado Springs becomes connected to Denver via express bus routes, when bus routes within the city are extended to include the majority of businesses in their coverage area, and once the Denver and Boulder based Eco Pass program is brought online in Colorado Springs, using alternative transportation will become an economically viable alternative to the single occupancy vehicle for employers and their employees. When the services become available, all that will be needed is a strong initial education campaign to let businesses know that Colorado Springs is no longer in the Dark Age of alternative transportation.
Stage-four
Once alternative transportation in Colorado Springs is up to par with programs in cities of comparable size, the next step will be to set the standard for others to follow. Currently, it is impossible to predict what the innovative and cutting edge alternative transportation ideas of 20 years from now will be, but it is safe to surmise that zero pollution vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cell engines are a very real possibility. In June 2000 two fleets of hydrogen fuel cell power buses finished a three-year test phase with the Chicago Transit Authority in Chicago and the Coast Mountain Bus Company in Vancouver, British Columbia.[37] Transit personnel and bus riders in both cities gave rave reviews of the hydrogen fuel cell power buses, which were manufactured by Ballard Power Systems and XCELLSIS. By 2003 Ballard Power Systems’ latest fuel cell engine bus will be operating full-time in several European cities. Someday they could also be serving the needs of Colorado Springs citizens.
Another innovative program, involving neighborhood car-sharing, was started in 1999 as a public-private partnership supported by King County in Washington State.[38] Today, the company called Flexcar has grown to offer car-sharing services throughout Seattle, Portland, and Washington D.C.. Through the program, a network of vehicles is leased to interested neighborhoods. Individuals and businesses can reserve vehicles, or use them at their convenience, and pay only for the time car is used. This program is much cheaper than buying, or leasing a car and is much more environmentally friendly. Twenty years from now the sky will be the limit for alternative transportation possibilities in Colorado Springs.
Conclusion
Innovative, economically realistic plans have been created by the city and the PPACG. With community support and holistic planning, which will materialize through education, alternative transportation can be a viable option for everyone in Colorado Springs.
Timeline
|
July 2002 |
June 2003 |
June
2003 |
November
2008 |
July
2020 |
|
Stage-1: Begin
Planning Alternative Transportation Week. Coordinate efforts with local non-profits, government, and
businesses. Line-up performers,
speakers, and events.
|
Stage-2: Formation of the new alternative
transportation citizens group.
Begin fundraising and planning education programs/campaigns. |
Stage-3: Begin organizing a alternative transit ballot initiative,
or begin planning a new alternative transportation implementation
education/media campaign. |
Stage-4: Colorado Springs sets the national
standard for alternative education. |
References
“ALT-TRANS, The Washington Coalition for Alternative Transportation.” http://www.alt-trans-org/alt-trans November 17, 2001.
“American Lung Association of Washington.” http://www.ala.org November 17, 2001.
Blanchard, Steve. The Clean Air Campaign. personal interview. November 12, 2001.
Blewitt, Craig. City of Colorado Springs Transportation Planner. personal interview. November, 16, 2001.
"Chapter 7: Preferred Plan." Destination 2025: A Mobility Plan for the Pikes Peak Region. http://www.ppacg.org
“CLEANING UP: ZERO-EMISSION BUSES IN REAL-WORLD USE--A report on the XCELLSIS/Ballard Phase 3 Fuel Cell Bus Program.” Ballard Power Systems. http://www.ballard.com November 17, 2001.
“Commuter Solutions, Plus other Transit Solutions.” Lane Transit District IN: “Smart Travel Resource Center.” US EPA. http://yosemite.epa.gov/aa/strc.nsf November 17, 2001.
“Deaths and Death Rates from Accidents, by Type: 1980-1996.” Statistical Abstract of the United States 2000. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005124.html November 20, 2001.
DuVal, Linda. “Springs-Denver Bus Service in Works.” The Gazette. November 6, 2001.
"Existing Public Transportation System." Chapter 7 IN: Destination 2025: Mobility Plan for the Pikes Peak Region. Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments. http://www.ppacg.org
Felfchow, Mike. City of Colorado Springs Transit Planner. personal interview. November 16, 2001.
"Fiscally Constrained Project List." Destination 2025: A Mobility Plan for the Pikes Peak Region. http://www.ppacg.org
“Flexcar.” Flexcar. http://www.flexcar.com November 20, 2001.
Kunstler, James. “Chapter 3: Car Crazy." Home From Nowhere: Remaking Our Everyday World for the 21st Century. Simon and Schuster, 1996.
MacDonald, Rob. PPACG Director. personal interview. November 13, 2001.
Oatman-Gardner, Annie. Voter’s Network. personal interview. November, 11, 2001."Transportation History." Colorado Springs Government. http://www.springsgov.com November 14, 2001.
“The Pollution Solution.” Denver Regional Council of Governments IN: “Smart Travel Resource Center.” US EPA. http://yosemite.epa.gov/aa/strc.nsf November 17, 2001.
“Section 2: Key Trends and Public Sentiment.” City of Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com
"Section 7: The Transit Element." City of Colorado Springs Intermodal Transportation Plan. http://www.springsgov.com
“Smart Travel Resource Center.” US EPA. http://yosemite.epa.gov/aa/strc.nsf November 17, 2001.
“Spare the Air.” Bay Area Air Quality Management District IN: “Smart Travel Resource Center.” US EPA. http://yosemite.epa.gov/aa/strc.nsf November 17, 2001.
“Tax Benefits." Commute Benefit Programs. http://tmi.cob.fsu.edu/act/taxbenefit.htm November 12, 2001.
“Traffic Congestion Driven by Sprawl." Surface Transportation Policy Project. http://www.transact.org November 8, 2001. FROM: "Why are the roads so congested? A companion analysis of the Texas transportation Institute's data on metropolitan congestion." Surface Transportation Policy Project.
“Transportation Air Quality Center, Transportation-Related Grants Database.” US EPA. http://yosemite.epa.gov/aa/grants.nsf November 17, 2001.
“Transportation and Air Quality Public Initiative: It All Adds up to Cleaner Air.” IN: “Smart Travel Resource Center.” US EPA. http://yosemite.epa.gov/aa/strc.nsf November 17, 2001.
"Whiff." Clean Air Campaign of the Pikes Peak Region. http://www.clnair.org/whif.html November 15, 2001