Boulder advisory board approves letter urging new signals policy, school e‑moto safety steps and parking‑geometry updates

The Transportation Advisory Board on Monday approved a two‑page letter to Boulder City Council urging four transportation priorities: a comprehensive signals policy, a holistic communications strategy, a school eMoto safety project and updated parking‑geometry standards. The board voted to send the letter to council by consensus.

Darcy, who led the drafting, said the letter’s first recommendation is a comprehensive signals policy to "make it clearer how people should behave at intersections and to really move into those vision 0 objectives," citing signal timing, durations and leading‑pedestrian intervals as key elements. The board discussed alternatives to signals (such as roundabouts and four‑way stops) and asked the letter to clarify that the policy could include context‑sensitive options and adaptive operations such as transit signal priority and time‑of‑day adjustments.

The letter also asks the city to develop a communications strategy beyond project‑specific outreach so residents better understand what projects entail, how they are funded and how priorities are set. Members debated whether to recommend specific tools, and ultimately agreed to flag the need for improved transparency rather than prescribe methods.

On school safety, the board highlighted a growing concern about illegal, unregistered "eMotos" used by unlicensed young people and proposed a two‑part approach: education and enforcement, paired with a safe‑systems audit of school areas to assess bike parking capacity, signage and safety infrastructure. As one board member said, "there's a growing concern in the community about the dangers posted by high speed throttle," and the group recommended clarifying at which locations devices are legal and which are not.

For parking geometry, the board recommended updated standards to make parking stalls, EV charging locations and vehicle storage more space‑efficient and to free space for protected active‑mode infrastructure. Members cited safety concerns in large shopping‑center lots (Table Mesa was discussed as an example) and suggested measures such as clearer pedestrian pathways, signage, speed tables and permeable surfaces to slow speeds and reduce conflicts.

Darcy moved to approve the letter to City Council as drafted; the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor (motion passed by voice vote). The board asked staff to transmit the letter to council and to follow up with any requested clarifications.

The board’s recommendations are advisory; any formal policy changes would proceed through staff analysis, interdepartmental review (planning and development services was cited as a partner) and City Council action.