If you’re a Longmont resident with ideas about how to promote and ensure equitable access to walking, rolling, biking, and electric vehicle usage in the community, and the importance of public transit, the City of Longmont wants to hear from you. Now through July 31, residents are invited to provide feedback on the Carbon-Free Transportation Roadmap through an online survey or in one-on-one interviews.

The City began developing the implementation-focused Roadmap this year. Key goals of this effort are to decrease transportation-related emissions, improve air quality, and reduce single-occupancy vehicle miles traveled. The project is currently planned to culminate in late summer/early fall 2020 and will feature an implementable plan to achieve 33% emission reductions by 2050. Coupled with the 100% renewable energy generation targets set by Longmont Power and Communications and Platte River Power Authority, this work provides an opportunity to make measurable change.

The Carbon-Free Transportation Roadmap builds off the goals established during the 2015-2016 Envision Longmont process, the 2016 Sustainability Plan and the October 2019 climate emergency declaration by the City Council. It is funded by the Boulder County Sustainability Tax through a Boulder County Environmental Sustainability Matching Grant, and the City selected a team of three Colorado-based women-owned consultancies to lead the effort: Denver-based S. R. D. Consulting (SRDC) and AMBG Consulting, and Fort Collins/Denver-based Brendle Group.

In order to complete the Roadmap, the City needs community feedback on which improvements should be prioritized to ensure that all residents of Longmont benefit from the plan. The Roadmap includes carbon-free transportation options for everyone in Longmont, with additional focus on solutions for seniors, people with disabilities or mobility impairment and other community groups requiring accessible, reliable and affordable transportation options. Due to the current limitations on public gatherings, the community is invited to provide feedback via a questionnaire linked here, in English or Spanish.

The City is also offering to do one-on-one, key contributor interviews with residents and organizations. If you are interested in providing more in-depth feedback, please reach out to the project team directly at info@ambgconsulting.com, and we will schedule a time to learn more about your experiences with transportation in Longmont. If you don’t want to be interviewed, but want to stay informed about what’s happening with this plan, please add your contact information here and we will send you periodic updates.

Your responses will not only inform the ultimate solutions brought forward and help the City prioritize capital improvements, but will also ensure that all residents and visitors can get where they need to go without adversely impacting our air and environment.

If you’re looking for ways to make a difference at the individual level, consider consolidating and reducing the number of trips in your personal gas- or diesel-powered vehicle. Any trips reduced or replaced with walking, rolling, biking, or other forms of carbon-free transportation benefit us all!