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City engineer outlines multimodal priorities; council presses for near-term safety fixes
Summary
City engineer presented the city's multimodal transportation framework and prioritized projects; councilors and residents urged targeted safety measures (Whistler Park curve, Oak Street) and asked staff to return with prioritization, funding options, and low-cost safety steps.
City engineer Matt Phillips presented Steamboat Springs' multimodal transportation program on July 14, walking council through the adopted policy framework used to prioritize sidewalks, bike lanes, crossings and transit stops and summarizing recent and planned projects.
"Multimodal transportation is about providing transportation systems that safely serve everyone, whether they're walking, bicycling, using transit, driving, or using other mobility devices," Phillips told council, and he described how the strategic plan, transportation and mobility plan, sidewalk master plan and engineering standards guide project selection.
Phillips highlighted completed projects (Pine Grove Phase 1, Ski Time Square complete-streets improvements, US-40/Downhill Drive intersection upgrades and Mount Warner Road improvements), current builds (West Steamboat Trail with an underpass under US-40, Mount Warner Circle Complete Streets), and the next priorities (Pine Grove Road Phase 2, additional sidewalk segments). He emphasized that funding, easements and utility coordination are common constraints and noted the city has completed roughly 34 sidewalk segments from the master plan over the past decade.
Councilors pressed staff on the program's practical effects and low-cost options. Several members said the city should not wait for large capital projects to address safety concerns in specific neighborhoods. Councilors raised the Whistler Park/Skyview curve (a bus-transit corner with winter ditching), Oak Street bike lane striping and Painted/shared-lane options, and the Mount Warner intersection. Phillips and Public Works Director John Snyder provided cost and maintenance context: for example, a flashing rectangular rapid beacon pedestrian crossing is roughly $75,000 and green paint for bike lanes can be more costly and may fade faster under winter maintenance.
Residents and outside experts echoed the safety message. Paul Boney, energy and transportation director at the Western Resilience Center, urged the city to include vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) reductions in project criteria. Luke Phillips and Sarah Jones urged clearer metrics, timelines and targets so residents can see progress toward sidewalk and safety goals.
Council gave staff three direction points: (1) identify near-term, high-impact safety measures (paint, signage, traffic-calming, targeted crossings) for the 2027 budget process; (2) review policy tools (fee-in-lieu language, development agreements and CIP prioritization multipliers) to better align private development with multimodal goals; and (3) continue CIP-level planning for larger capital projects and pursue grant opportunities and regional coordination. Staff agreed to return with prioritized project lists, budget implications and recommended community outreach steps.
Next steps: staff will prepare a targeted list of near-term safety fixes and a proposed process for prioritizing larger multimodal capital projects for council review during the budget/CIP process.
