Comprehensive Traffic Signals Policy

Though traffic signals control all of the most dangerous intersections in Boulder and have a major effect on the safety and equity of our transportation system for all modes, we have no approved policy specifying where signals should go and how they should be designed and operated. In the absence of such a policy, signalization decisions have been made ad hoc, typically by a single engineer, and not always in a manner most consistent with our TMP and Vision Zero goals. This proposal is to bring our signal practices into consistency with these goals.

What problem(s) does this proposal aim to solve?

• On January 3 of this year, Virginia Knowlton was crossing Alpine at Broadway when a left-turning motorist hit and killed her. Though it’s well-known in the transportation engineering field that left turns unprotected by a traffic signal are highly dangerous, at this intersection – like at many in Boulder – no left-turn protection was implemented. While the crash was proximately the fault of the motorist, on a systemic level it was the result of policy failure.

• Many of the other fatal and severe crashes that have occurred in Boulder in recent years have likewise been the result, at some level, of signalization choices, usually ones that prioritize expediting motor vehicle traffic over safety (and particularly the safety of people walking and biking).

• The intent of this proposal is to create a considered policy, consistent with the TMP, Vision Zero, and our equity goals, that results in a safer and fairer transportation system for all.