EcoPass route expansion and new RTD route

I just learned that all Eco Passes are now good on RTD special services such as the RockiesRide, BroncosRide, BuffRide, the Bolder Boulder bus, etc. So if you're heading to Opening Day on Friday, you now have multiple bus options (the B, BX, or RockiesRide).

In other interesting bus news:

Boulder announces new bus route to Chautauqua
By Jennifer Bronson, Camera Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Cris Jones, standing, a Boulder transportation planner, on Tuesday explains the route for the new "Hop 2 Chautauqua," a bus service that begins May 10.

People generally head out to Chautauqua Park to escape the city for a few hours, but before losing themselves in the mountains, they often face one last urban challenge -- the frenzied search for parking at the trailhead.

This summer, the city of Boulder hopes to alleviate some of the parking pressure by introducing the "Hop 2 Chautauqua," a pilot bus that will run every 15 minutes between noon and 10 p.m. from May 10 through Aug. 24.

The route will begin at 13th and Pearl streets, head south up Ninth Street to Chautauqua and then go east on Baseline Road to 27th Way.

The location of the Chautauqua Park trailhead on a steep hill can make walking or biking to the park difficult even for visitors who would rather not drive.

"If (Chautauqua) is such a popular location, we definitely need to provide options other than driving," said Cris Jones, GO Boulder transportation planner.

GO Boulder, a department of Boulder's city government dedicated to helping people drive less, decided to create a Chautauqua shuttle using reallocated money from the Hop bus, which sees a decrease in riders during the summer when students leave the University of Colorado campus.

The reallocated dollars will cover the majority of the Hop 2 Chautauqua's cost, but as a result, the regular Hop bus will run slightly less often -- every 15 minutes instead of every 12 minutes in the summer.

Jones formed the Chautauqua Shuttle Planning Committee, which included leaders from the Colorado Chautauqua Association, the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder and the city of Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks department.

"It's really been neat with all these different groups coming together," said Gerard Cote, spokesman for Downtown Boulder Inc. and a member of the committee.

The committee met for the first time in mid-February and has moved quickly to get the Hop 2 Chautauqua running, performing a test run of the route Tuesday.

Catherine Underhill, executive director of the Colorado Music Festival, wanted to adjust the bus' route on nights of performances to better serve concert-goers and musicians. On those nights, the bus will extend its route to the Williams Village east parking lot at CU beginning at 5:30 p.m. and running until the concert ends.

"We're hoping this will be a huge boom," Underhill said.

Steve Mertz, an education specialist for Open Space and Mountain Parks, said he hopes the bus will increase access to the park. He envisions department staff members meeting visitors at the Pearl Street Mall stop and riding the Hop 2 Chautauqua bus together to the park's ranger cottage, where visitors can learn about the park before going for a guided hike.

"(The bus) will give us a real good chance to showcase the open space and mountain parks," he said.

For more information about this service please contact GO Boulder at 303-441-3266 or Cris Jones at 303-441-3217 or visit www.GOBoulder.net