After a year of gathering and analyzing data, Age-Friendly Carbondale presented findings before the Bike Pedestrian and Trails Commission on Monday, May 6. Their “Highway 133 Dangerous as Designed” survey yielded more than 500 responses and 61% of those said it’s not convenient to cross 133 when not in a car; 55% reported feeling unsafe crossing 133 and 98% said they worry about children crossing.

There are stretches of the highway, including one with Ross Montessori School at its center, where a person must travel a quarter mile or more to legally cross. More commonly, people jaywalk instead.

The report goes into detail regarding the following areas, ordered by priority: the roundabout, Hendrick Drive and Sopris Avenue, City Market, the Ross Montessori School area, Dolores Way, River Valley Ranch, Village Road. Suggestions include upgraded crosswalks, traffic calming features and lowered speed limits.

“We are asking you to be bold, to make the changes the community wants to see happen,” Niki Delson told the commission, which makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees. She called Highway 133 a “stroad” — neither a road nor a street — and compared it to a futon, “both a couch and bed, not good as either one.”

Delson cited a 2013 Access Control Plan (ACP) by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) that acknowledges the lack of locations to safely cross 133, with large distances between signaled intersections. The ACP noted, “One possible solution could be the addition of safe crossings at midblock locations throughout the corridor.
The design and placement of these crossings is not within the scope of an ACP. The project team worked with the Town, however, to ensure that the final recommendations of the ACP would not limit the possibility that the Town and CDOT could work together in the future to implement marked pedestrian/bicyclist crossings along the corridor.”

“[Highway 133] favors cars over people and is inconsistent with our stated aspirations and articulated vision for the town,” Delson stated. “Fix Highway 133. Death and serious injury are unacceptable. Safety has to be proactive.” Sue Zislis pointed out that in previously-contracted safety studies no reference was made regarding accessibility for people with disabilities.

In response to the presentation, Larry Ballinger, a former Carbondale public works director, offered some history. First, he said, “I cross Highway 133 quite a bit. I have no problems at all.” In 2001, he explained, Carbondale was selected for state funding to rebuild Highway 133. According to Ballinger, CDOT wanted to build a four-lane highway with limited access to businesses and residential areas. He said the Town fought hard for the highway we got and implied it could be worse.

The Town recently undertook its own Mobility and Access Plan (MAP) survey and that report is nearly completed. The Bike Pedestrian and Trails Commission will meet again this month to review the draft MAP document. Asked if Age-Friendly Carbondale’s plan could be embedded into the MAP, Delson replied, “We were concerned about that in the very beginning.” She said that volunteers put “heart, soul and commitment” into their report, and she wouldn’t want to see it just sit on a shelf. “I’m not going to be an appendix. I don’t even have an appendix,” she said.

You can view the presentation on the Town’s YouTube channel (www.bit.ly/133-presentation) or attend the May 23 Planning and Zoning meeting where the presentation will be repeated. Age-Friendly Carbondale plans to address the Board of Trustees in June. Their report is available for public review at www.bit.ly/133-Report