PRESS RELEASE
City Seeks Additional Community Feedback on Safety and Mobility in the Downtown Core Project
Share your thoughts with the city by January 26
Aspen, Colo. – Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 – The City of Aspen is actively collecting feedback on the Safety and Mobility in the Downtown Core project that will guide plans for a living lab proposed for summer 2022.
For almost a year, the City of Aspen has explored how right-of-way (ROW) space could be allocated differently to increase safety for all pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Last February, staff discussed options at a City Council Work Session to enhance safety and mobility in Aspen’s Downtown Core, including improvements at individual intersections and discussions on ROW usage. Since then, the project team has followed up on Council direction and engaged the community through a fall questionnaire and targeted discussions with stakeholder groups like the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) to evolve the options and develop a proposed plan for additional feedback.
“The community’s input on this project is critical to ensure the final plan truly reflects our community’s desires related to safety and mobility in the core,” said Project Manager PJ Murray. “Earlier outreach on this project provided meaningful input for us to consider as we developed a plan to honor the different user groups that move through and frequent the Downtown Core.”
The proposed living lab looks at how a multimodal roadway – serving pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles – can interact safely within a shared space. Whatever your mode of transportation, studies share that predictable behavior and communication with your fellow travelers are among the best ways to enhance safety; how space is used can reduce the risk of an unexpected situation and support safer traveling behaviors.
“Many different factors can influence the design and scope of the living lab project,” Murray added. “So, in addition to testing our temporary changes along Galena Street and Cooper Avenue, we’re looking at what changes to things like parking times, shuttle frequency, and other supplemental enhancements might complement the project’s safety goal while also providing different types of users easy access to the core.”
As the team prepares to bring this topic back to Council in early February, the city invites you to get reacquainted with the project, review work progress to date, and share your input and ideas on a proposed option to implement this summer.
An online questionnaire is open through January 26. The questionnaire asks you to share your thoughts and levels of support for various aspects of the plan, including the changes to Galena, parking and transit components. Additionally, there is an opportunity to let the city know if you would also like to participate in one of several focus groups scheduled for January 26 or January 31. All feedback collected to date, including that captured in the fall questionnaire and previous stakeholder discussions, will be shared, and help shape the upcoming update to City Council.
The Safety and Mobility in the Downtown Core 2022 living lab plan will be finalized by the end of March 2022 with the intent to implement it in the summer.
Thank you for your continued involvement in this project. For more information on the project at www.aspencommunityvoice.com
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Contacts: PJ Murray, Engineering Project Manager, 970-920-5056 or pj.murray@aspen.gov, and Denise White, Communications Director, denise.white@aspen.gov or 970-920-5293