The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) recently awarded $492,000 in grants to organizations and communities statewide that are working to relieve traffic congestion and lower greenhouse gas emissions from driving through transportation demand management.
Transportation demand management is the use of strategies to provide residents with more travel options than single-vehicle occupancy driving, including mode, route and time of travel, and work location.
Common strategies focus on transit, the encouragement of e-work options, intelligent transportation systems, managed lanes micromobility, improvements to pedestrian infrastructure, and smart growth policies.
“At CDOT, we’ve known for a long time that we can’t simply build our way out of congestion, and we’re proud to help these pioneering communities and organizations give people more options for traveling,” CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew said. “Transportation demand management strategies can help manage congestion, restore air quality, and reduce emissions. They can also make communities more thriving and sustainable.”
Grants were awarded between $47,000 and $81,000.
Fort Collins was awarded $81,000 for a pilot program that would provide low-income residents and city employees with free access to micromobility.
Glenwood Springs was awarded $64,000 to create a transportation management association for the city. The association would develop transportation demand management strategies using recommendations from the 2021 Multimodal Options for a Vibrant Economy study.