Lafayette residents urge rapid pilot to slow traffic on Baseline Road after two crashes

Dozens of residents of the Indian Peaks neighborhood asked the Lafayette City Council on Jan. 21 to adopt immediate, low-cost measures to reduce vehicle speeds on Baseline Road west of 95th Street after two students were struck there within 18 hours in September 2024.

The requests came during the meeting’s public-input period as neighbors described standing watch at crosswalks, volunteering as crossing guards and urging the council to try a pilot program using barrels, cones or flexible bollards to narrow travel lanes and reduce speeds while longer-term engineering work proceeds.

“Two of our young residents were seriously injured in separate automobile incidents within less than 24 hours while properly crossing Baseline Road,” said Rick Shwalski, a Lafayette resident of 25 years. “I’m here to speak in support of our community’s efforts to dramatically increase the safety of Baseline Road.”

Residents recounted the Sept. 5 incidents near the King Street and Roser Drive crosswalks and described continuing high speeds despite occasional police presence. “Even with an officer present on the site, the speeds are still far above the limit,” said Elizabeth Hall, a physician and parent of one of the injured students. “We need short-term solutions.”

Traffic and planning experts who addressed the council endorsed visual lane-narrowing and similar “nonconstructive” methods as quick, affordable ways to reduce kinetic energy and crash severity. Kevin Kriesic, who described himself as a longtime urban-planning educator, said the existing roadway “screams reducing the kinetic energy” and recommended reducing visual windshield space to slow drivers. Tila Duhaime, a transportation advocate who said she serves on Boulder’s Transportation Advisory Board and founded the Emergency Streets Partnership, cited Lafayette’s existing Vision Zero and federal Safe Streets for All planning and argued the Baseline segment is an “orphan” that can be addressed immediately with a pilot.

Speakers asked the council to convene a public forum so more neighbors can testify and to authorize staff to try a pilot before the final design and grant-funded projects are completed. “We can do this immediately while traffic studies continue for a more permanent solution in the future,” caller Jamie Harriman said.

Council members and staff did not take a formal vote on a pilot program during the meeting. In his council report, Councilor Samson said the city has been working with a consultant on design modifications for Baseline west of State Highway 42 and that the next step is to review drawings with the contractor to identify specific materials and schedule work. That report did not announce a timeline for a pilot or immediate implementation of the lane-narrowing sketches presented by residents.

What happens next: Residents said they will continue volunteer crosswalk coverage and press for a pilot; council and staff signaled ongoing work with consultants on design drawings but did not adopt new council direction or a funding allocation at the Jan. 21 meeting.