08/16/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/16/2024 10:53
A bus traveling through Denver
Sofia di Tommaso
This blog was authored by Sofia di Tommaso, 2024 Summer Bekenstein fellow with NRDC.
Revamping transportation systems is critical to addressing the climate crisis. An overreliance on fossil fuel-powered cars-spurred by roadway and highway expansion and underinvestment in other options-has led to transportation being the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. A transportation system that is just, equitable, and sustainable requires expanded low-carbon transportation options, safe streets for walking and biking, frequent and affordable transit options, and development and land use patterns that enable car-free travel.
Bridging the gap between the status quo of car-centric travel and a truly interconnected multimodal (walking, biking, and transit) system requires strategic investments and policies across the country. A look at Colorado provides examples of how to shift transportation priorities in the right direction.
Colorado is a leader in the multimodal transportation space. In less than a decade, it has formed a statewide bus network, leveraged transportation to support local communities, aligned transportation planning with climate goals, piloted free fares programs, created new funding mechanisms, and improved coordination between land use and transportation planning. The following successes in Colorado can offer inspiration to policymakers across geographies.
Public transportation is often limited to urban areas. Yet, in 2015, Colorado created an interregional bus system-Bustang-that expanded transit's benefits to rural and suburban locations. Initially hosting just three routes, the network now operates more than 20. Through Outriderroutes like the Craig to Deverline, rural towns have increased access to urban amenities. Similarly, Coloradans can now access skiing opportunities through seasonal Snowstang routes. At operating costs of approximately $10 million per year, Bustang demonstrates that well-designed transit systems can benefit communities outside of city centers while using cost-effective solutions.
Colorado towns experienced heightened economic pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Colorado launched the Revitalizing Main Streetsgrants program in 2021 as part of its $700 million pandemic recovery plan. The program funds local multimodal projectsthat allow towns to enhance their accessibility, connectivity, and economic recovery. Originally a $30 million grants program, the initiative received $85 million in additional funding through Senate Bill 260 (SB21-260)and continues to support new projects.
As the state's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, the current transportation system hinders Colorado from reaching its climate goals. Spurred by legislative requirements in SB21-260, the Colorado Department of Transportation adopted a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Transportation Planning Standardin 2021 that requires major transportation projects to meet emissions targets directly or using mitigation strategies. Stakeholdersspanning senior, youth, justice, environmental, and transportation advocates fought for the standard. Since its adoption, it has produced tangible results, including the cancellation of a highway expansion projectthat was expected to worsen air quality in two disproportionately impacted communitiesin Denver, and the reallocation of some funds to Bus Rapid Transit.
Transportation also contributes to elevated ozone levelsin Colorado. In 2022 and 2023, the state piloted a programthat offered funding to transit agencies to provide free fares during ozone season. A scaled-down version was continued in 2024 through Senate Bill 032 (SB24-032), which allocates funding for either free ozone-season or free youth fares. The initiative aims to address Colorado's air quality challenges and recover ridership lost during the pandemic. Due to the Zero Fare for Better Airprogram, transit agencies experienced a boom in ridership, demonstrating the potential of affordable transportation options.
This past legislative session, Colorado added new fees on oil and gas productionand rental carsto fund transit service and passenger rail. These funding mechanisms allow the state to generate funding despite Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), a state constitutional amendment that limits the amount of revenue the state can spend and requires voter approval for tax increases. The fees also support state leadership priorities like generating state matching requirements to potentially qualify for federal funding to build a passenger rail line on the Front Range.
Colorado has made recent progress on its transportation and climate goals by modifying land use policies to require denser housing developmentand remove parking minimumsnear transit. These policies will support land use patterns that are more conducive to walking, biking, and transit while expanding Colorado's limited affordable housing stock.
The state has certainly not solved all of its transportation challenges. Cars still serve as the primary mode of travel; transportation is the state's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions; and communities continue to grapple with elevated summer ozone levels. However, these policies illustrate methods to improve transportation systems and offer the following lessons:
With unprecedented federal funding opportunities, now is a critical moment to redirect transportation investments away from historic car-centric patterns of development. States play an important role in this transition as key influencers of where federal dollars are invested. Through policy innovations like those in Colorado, states can design transportation systems that serve both communities and the environment.