FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2024
Contact:
Matt Frommer, Transportation & Land Use Policy Manager, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
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[DENVER, CO] – On Tuesday, Governor Jared Polis unveiled Colorado’s 2035 Transportation Vision, which aims to ensure Coloradans can get where they need to go while saving people money, reducing pollution, and improving public health. Recognizing that driving alone cannot meet all of Colorado’s mobility needs, the Vision focuses on expanding access to more affordable, efficient, and climate-friendly transportation options such as transit, biking, and walking.
Transportation is currently the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Colorado and the sector furthest behind in meeting state targets. While growth in electric vehicle (EV) sales has been encouraging, EVs alone will not be enough to meet the state’s 2035 GHG reduction target. To close the gap, the Vision calls for expanding transit, biking, and walking options, aiming to double their share of trips by 2035 from roughly 10% to 20% of all trips in Colorado.
Making this shift is necessary to protect our climate, and it will also strengthen our economy and improve our quality of life. A Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) analysis found that a 10% reduction in daily driving would save Coloradans $25.3 billion by 2035, mostly in the form of lower vehicle operating costs on fuel, maintenance, insurance, and parking and less time spent stuck in traffic. It would also deliver important health benefits from cleaner air, fewer traffic deaths and injuries, and more physical activity from walking and biking.
The Vision outlines strategies to increase transit service by 83%, expand bike infrastructure by 81%, and add 3.4% more sidewalk mileage in the state over the next decade. It also includes land use policies that allow more housing near jobs, transit, schools, and other services to reduce the number and distance of driving trips. Read the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project’s (SWEEP) blog to learn more about the Governor Polis’ 2035 Transportation Vision.
Clean, efficient, and safe transportation advocates offered the following comments on the Vision:
“Over the past century, our transportation and land use planning decisions have led to car dependence, locking in the most polluting, expensive, inefficient, and dangerous form of transportation,” said Matt Frommer, Transportation & Land Use Policy Manager with SWEEP. “Coloradans want more transportation choices, and Governor Polis’ new Transportation Vision sets the course for more transit-friendly, walkable, and accessible communities.”
“The Governor’s vision addresses a critical gap in meeting the state’s climate goals by committing to expanding low-carbon transportation options for Coloradans,” said Alana Miller, Colorado Policy Director with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Walkable, transit-friendly communities will help reduce emissions, while saving people money, boosting local economies, creating more vibrant neighborhoods, and making it easier to get around.”
“Governor Polis’ 2035 Transportation Vision will move Colorado towards greater mobility freedom that improves the health of our residents, economy, and environment,” said Maddie Godby, State + Local Policy Coordinator with PeopleForBikes. “Colorado is home to thousands of people utilizing bikes as a new mode of transportation thanks to the immense popularity of local e-bike incentives, and PeopleForBikes applauds the Governor’s plans to expand bike infrastructure by 81% to give people safe and connected places to ride to everyday destinations.”
“Nearly 7 in 10 Coloradans support building more housing near bus stops, train stations, and thriving business districts, said Kelly Nordini, Chief Executive Office of Conservation Colorado. “Governor Polis’ 2035 Transportation Vision lays out bold strategies to provide the transit options needed to ensure we have greener and more affordable neighborhoods people want to live in.”
“Kudos to Governor Polis, CDOT leadership, and county and local government officials throughout the state who are making thoughtful improvements to land use policy and multimodal transportation solutions like transit, biking, and walking,” said Becky English, chair of the Colorado Sierra Club transportation committee. “This plan continues to advance Colorado’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, improving quality of life for Colorado’s people and ecosystems.”
“By expanding and improving transportation options, Coloradans will have more freedom to get around without always having to drive,” said Danny Katz, Executive Director of CoPIRG. “Being able to go to work, a game, the grocery store or school on a train or a bus, riding a bike or walking improves our quality of life by offering safer, healthier travel choices that also cut air pollution.”
“Support from the state is essential for local governments like Denver to meet their own goals for reducing car dependency and making healthier, more sustainable transportation options like transit, walking, and biking the obvious choices for getting around,” said Jill Locantore, Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership. “Many of the streets in Denver that are most in need of safety and multimodal improvements are also state highways. We look forward to the state and city working together to transform these deadly arterials into truly people-friendly main streets.”
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The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency, clean transportation, and beneficial electrification in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. swenergy.org
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