We are excited to share some great news with our Community Cycles family! On September 19, the Boulder City Council officially approved the Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements Project. This important victory means that the project will move forward without delay, bringing much-needed safety improvements to one of Boulder’s busiest streets.
This project will reduce the number of vehicle lanes on Iris Avenue from four to three, creating a safer, more balanced roadway for everyone. In addition to the reconfiguration of vehicle lanes, the project will add a protected two-way cycle track on the north side of the street, making it safer and more comfortable for cyclists. Pedestrians will also benefit from improved crossings with only two lanes of through traffic to cross instead of four, and a refuge between them in the center turn lane. It will also add protected intersections and much needed enhancements to sidewalks on Iris. Importantly, this redesign isn’t just about better infrastructure for cyclists—it’s about slowing down speeding vehicles and making Iris Avenue safer for all users.
Community Cycles, along with numerous advocates, has been pushing for these changes as part of our broader goal to improve the safety and sustainability of Boulder’s transportation network. Our dedicated team of supporters wrote letters and publicly commented at recent council meetings, urging city leaders to adopt the design without further delay—and they did! The project, backed by extensive research, safety analysis, and community feedback, will now move forward as part of Boulder’s efforts to meet its Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and serious traffic injuries.
Iris will be the second major arterial street, after Baseline Road, to move forward as part of the Core Arterial Network (CAN) safety improvements project that was approved by City Council in 2022. Off-street bike paths are currently being installed on 30th Street between Colorado and Arapahoe as well, as part of a project approved prior to CAN. City staff are now working on plans to extend these along 30th Street north to Diagonal Highway, as well as plans for more safety enhancements on Folsom Street as part of CAN.
We want to extend a huge thank you to all the Community Cycles members and allies who rallied around this project, wrote letters, attended meetings, and voiced your support. Together, we helped make a significant step toward safer streets in Boulder. We also want to thank the staff of the City of Boulder’s Transportation and Mobility Department, who have worked diligently over several years to make this project happen. Finally, Community Cycles thanks our City Council members for their continued commitment to enhancing road safety for all users.
Stay tuned for more updates on the project’s progress, and thank you for being a part of this important victory for our community!