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Durango hailed as model for cycling infrastructure

Durango is model for transit needs across Colorado

DENVER – Durango is considered a model for its investment in cycling infrastructure.

The city was examined by consumer advocacy groups in a study that highlighted a $1.05 billion per year statewide need for investments in transit, biking and pedestrian infrastructure.

The report by the CoPIRG Foundation and the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project states that such investment would increase the affordability, accessibility and safety of Colorado’s transportation system.

The study comes as Colorado transportation officials have identified billions of dollars worth of projects to fix the state’s crumbling roads and highways.

The state does not have the money to cover costs, facing a shortfall amounting to $1 billion annually, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. With the Legislature struggling to come up with money for roads and highways, it’s unlikely that more than $1 billion per year would be spent on transit, biking and pedestrian needs.

But authors of the study believe communities such as Durango can serve as a model. In addition to Durango, the study also looked at Fort Collins and Boulder for cycling.

About 6.1 percent of Durango commuters bike, according to the study, which underscores the $3.5 million the city spent over the past five years on cycling infrastructure. That amounts to about $39 per resident annually.

After examining investments by cities such as Durango, the study set a goal for every Colorado community of $25 per capita per year in bike infrastructure. That would require $100.8 million in annual funding for all urban areas of the state, which comes to $2.5 billion over 25 years.

The report also calls for investments in making rural highway shoulders safe enough for biking, at a cost of $100 million per year.

In total, the report calls for $229.5 million per year in biking infrastructure.

The groups also call for $243.6 million per year in walking infrastructure to build 6,000 miles of missing sidewalks and repair 8,600 miles of inadequate walkways.

The state should spend another $573.6 million per year on transit, according to authors.

While the report is a wish list, backers say they hope it shifts thinking. They add that investments could improve public health and help the economy.

“Transit, walking and biking are a critical part of our transportation system in Colorado,” said Danny Katz, co-author of the report and director of the CoPIRG Foundation. “Unfortunately, underinvestment has led to inadequate or nonexistent sidewalks and unsafe bicycle infrastructure for too many Colorado communities and an insufficient local and statewide transit system.”

pmarcus@durangoherald.com



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