Why we support the Folsom Street Safety Improvements

Aug 6

Boulder Progressives strongly supports the city staff’s recommended design and the passage of the Community and Environmental Assessment Process for the Folsom Street Safety Improvements Project.

*Canyon Boulevard and Folsom Street intersection after the Folsom Street Safety Improvements, looking southeast*

This project advances critical goals identified in the Vision Zero Action Plan, the Transportation Master Plan, and Boulder’s Core Arterial Network (CAN) initiative. As the third of three priority CAN corridors and a designated High Risk Network segment, Folsom Street urgently needs safety upgrades. The recommended design prioritizes vulnerable road users, including people walking, biking, rolling, and using transit, by moderating vehicle speeds, reducing conflict points, and enhancing comfort, connectivity, and accessibility.

*Recommended design at Goss Street showing designs to increase comfort and vibrancy.*

Importantly, the Folsom recommendation was developed with extensive community input and reflects the values of a city committed to equitable mobility. It addresses disproportionate crash impacts on young people, lower-income households, and people of color. It also provides climate-forward infrastructure that aligns with Boulder’s broader sustainability goals.

*Improved pedestrian crossing at Taft Drive*

We commend the project’s thoughtful use of cost-effective and proven safety improvements, including protected bike lanes, floating bus stops, widened sidewalks, and signalized pedestrian crossings. The project will provide a much-needed north-south bikeway in central Boulder, on a street that is calmer than 28th Street and more direct and connected than nearby alternative routes. We also support its modest impact on vehicle travel time. The anticipated increase of just over one minute during peak periods, largely as a result of lower speed limits, is a reasonable tradeoff for the major safety and livability benefits this project will bring.