As commuters boarded buses at the Coffman Street Park-n-Ride, they were handed burritos and treats on Tuesday morning. Representatives from the city of Longmont and Commuting Solutions were joined by RTD Director Erik Davidson to celebrate transportation efforts in the area.
As representatives handed out food and treats, they had an opportunity to talk to public transit users about Zero Fare for Better Air and the upcoming transit changes happening along Coffman Street.
“We are here to express gratitude for everybody who is a customer of RTD. Ridership is still lower than it used to be before the pandemic but many of our customers never left,” Davidson said.
In addition to breakfast, commuters were able to hear about the transit changes the city of Longmont has planned for Coffman Street. Within the next year, the city plans to break ground and begin transforming Coffman Street to accommodate more buses and bicycles, said Phil Greenwald, city of Longmont transportation manager.
It is the city’s hope that a transit center will be built on South Coffman Street by 2026 that will not only accommodate buses but also the FasTrack train.
“Coffman will be this area where we take buses off of Main Street, so we can allow Main Street to operate more efficiently … the idea is that this will be a nice alternative for bikes and buses to not have to deal with some of the (traffic and pedestrian issues) that go on on Main Street,” Greenwald said.
The city hopes the changes to Longmont’s transit system will encourage more people to participate in public transit. The plans are designed to cut down commute times between Longmont and Boulder, Greenwald said.
“It’s a great day to encourage people to ride RTD and we’re really excited about the future of Coffman Street and the improved safety for all modes of transportation,” said Audrey DeBarros, executive director of Commuting Solutions.
