GO Boulder - Great Options in Transportation

Since 1989, GO Boulder has been working to create an innovative and balanced transportation system that sustains the quality of life valued by Boulder residents, employees and visitors. GO Boulder creates and promotes "Great Options" in transportation to increase the travel choices available to our community. With the help of other institutions, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and our regional partners, GO Boulder addresses our transportation needs for today and tomorrow.

MISSION

Achieve the objective of the Updated Transportation Master Plan (TMP): 

 "Stay the course of no long-term growth in auto traffic."

To reach this objective, single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips need to be reduced from 44 percent of all trips to 25 percent by the year 2025 with no more than 20 percent of roadways congested.

What does GO Boulder do?

• Develops innovative programs such as the Community Transit Network (CTN) of high frequency HOP, SKIP, JUMP, BOUND, DASH, STAMPEDE and BOLT buses (with a Transportation Master Plan that envisions an additional seven high frequency services to this system of the next 20 years).
• Enhances the transit system with user friendly amenities such as attractive and safe shelters, real-time transit schedule displays like http://www.nextbus.com/- (NOTE: NextBus displays have been discontinued for all buses except the HOP), easy to read maps and schedules, music on the buses and knowledgeable, friendly drivers.
• Works to make the system convenient and accessible by supporting, promoting and enhancing the Eco Pass program (business, neighborhood and student transit passes), developing marketing and educational materials including mapsthat are user friendly, expanding the idea of transit to include "superstops," transit oriented development and transit priority lanes.
• Develops, enhances, maintains and promotes an extensive system of more than 300-miles bicycle and pedestrian paths.
• Received the Bicycle Friendly Community, Gold Level award from the League of American Cyclists for 2004 to 2006 and the Platinum Level award for 2008 to 2010 (received by only two other cities).
• Provides information, programs and facilities for all forms of transportation.
• Develops the short and long range planning to design a multi-modal, safe, efficient and completely integrated transportation system (ex. providing bike racks on buses)
• Proactively collaborates with regional partners, the local business community and other constituents to provide convenient travel choices to employees and customers.
• Supports and promotes innovative work programs including flextime and teleworking as options to reduce single occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips.
• Emphasizes the full package and integrated approach to marketing transportation to the public, this includes:
  • Community design process, creating transportation options that our community wants, needs, designs and supports
  • Packaging our products attractively from bus graphics, to map design, to easy-to-read schedules and brochures
  • Coordinating the look of the overall product line - the current frequent transit system the GO Boulder has developed in partnership with RTD falls under the Community Transit Network (CTN) umbrella. Each bus has graphics and includes services designed by users of the route that are particular to that route. 

Marketing adds substance to GO Boulder programs

GO Boulder/City of Boulder in partnership with RTD, the University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder County and other neighboring communities has made great strides since 1989, expanding the CTN network. Eco Pass programs and transit trips through a thoroughly integrated approach to marketing. These efforts have resulted in an increase of average daily trips taken on RTD buses since 1989 (when GO Boulder was started) from 12,000 to an average of 31,000 trips in 2007.

GO Boulder continues to be a leader to whom other cities turn for advice on Transportation Demand Management (TDM), transit, bicycling, pedestrian and other transportation options issues.

GO Boulder was started by the Boulder City Council in 1989 with the expressed intention of being innovative and to honor the community's expressed commitment to reduce congestion and SOV use. Innovative programs that have been rolled out since 1989 include:

• Boulder East - Community Transportation Options is a local transportation management organization (TMO) working to enhance travel in and around east Boulder
• Real-time transit schedule technology for the HOP bus route at NextBus.com
• Boulder Transit Village is a transit-oriented development that will be developed over the next 25 years.
• The BOLTis a high frequency transit service between Boulder and neighboring Longmont, CO., made possible through a partnership with RTD, Boulder County and Longmont
• GOBikeBoulder.net provides customized, turn-by-turn bike route information for those traveling by bike within the City of Boulder.
• GOSmartBoulder.comis an individualized marketing campaign designed to change travel behavior. The pilot is initially working with residents of North Boulder to help them learn more about Boulder's convenient transportation resources.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 September 2009 09:22