Mar 6
The Future of Fort Collins and CSU Transportation
The increasing volumes of traffic in Fort Collins, Colorado has become a prioritized subject matter in the city. A bright future with strategic and innovative goals in transportation around the Fort Collins and Colorado State University area has brought excitement to local citizens and future residents.
To gain some more knowledge on the future of transportation in Fort Collins, I spoke with Devon Durand, the associate director of parking and transportation services at CSU for the past 4 years. Additionally, I interviewed Erika Benti, a transportation specialist at CSU as well.
Me: What is the biggest issue that you see with traffic and transportation around CSU’s campus?
Devon: “Some challenges include the fact that 20,000 people are coming to campus every day. Although 60–70% of students take public transportation to campus, we still see so many students still driving their cars to campus. We only give out a certain number of parking permits, and we try to keep that number low. Also, pursuing contracts with Spin scooters is newer and would help bring down the number of cars on campus.”
Me: What type of transportation would you like to see in the future around Fort Collins? Or would it be an addition to an existing system?
Devon: “The city of Fort Collins and CSU are currently collaborating to create an East-West route along Elizabeth because of the number of students that live along that stretch. Working with the city is key to moving people safely. Uber and Lyft also have provided their data to CSU on where they get the most ride requests, so we collaborated with them to create 12 spots on and around campus that makes it easy for them to pick up and drop off students and staff.”
Erika: “It is exciting to collaborate with the city of Fort Collins. We have some funding for a detailed plan along Elizabeth and we are currently working with developers to get this plan going. It would include updated walking and biking trails. If we are able to get all of the funding, we could see this construction be completed within a few years (2025 estimated).”
What external factors lead to the most problems with traffic delays?
Devon: “I would say weather because we don’t get a lot of snow but when we do, we have to figure out where to put it. It can create access problems. On athletic days we must work with athletic coordinators to collaborate on ideas to keep traffic moving on and around campus.”
