Getting around in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs Business Journal, Apr 15, 2005 by Stephanie Cline

Getting from Point A to Point B in Colorado Springs isn't the easiest of tasks, and don't even think about doing it quickly.

Colorado Springs ranks third in sprawl in the Rocky Mountain Region, according to data from Colorado College's 2005 State of the Rockies Report Card. Pueblo and Albuquerque, N.M. took the top two spots, respectively.

So what does sprawl mean? The report examined several factors for the 11 metropolitan statistical areas with populations of more than 50,000 in the eight-state region. Factors include density of urban area, density of urban core, vehicle miles driven per-capita and residential housing boom density.

The population of El Paso County is 516,929 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The population has mushroomed since 1990 when about 397,000 people called the county home, said Fred Crowley, senior economist for the Southern Colorado Economic Forum and a professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

The number of folks traveling to work every day is about 280,000, up from about 180,000 in 1990, he said. So, we've almost doubled the amount of people working & all trying to get to work and home on the same roads. We haven't improved roads, we haven't built highways, we haven't done much.

Those folks who do not have access to a car, truck, Hummer et cetera, must rely on help from public transportation. City buses travel north to Research Parkway and south to Fountain Fort Carson High School. Buses run to Manitou Springs to the west and Schriever Air Force Base to the east.

But getting to work by bus is not as easy as just hopping on. The bus system seriously needs rerouting, Crowley said. They have the same routes today they had 20 years ago. Where I live I have to walk two to three miles to get to a bus, and I'm not going to do that.

The distance to a bus stop is not the only problem riders may face. It takes me too long to get somewhere, said Cheryl Silvia, a Colorado Springs resident who volunteers at the Penrose Library. Silvia lives in the southern part of the city and rides a bus wherever she needs to go.

Academy and North (Colorado Springs) are Denver and Kansas to me, she said. I've lived in L.A. and Tacoma before and their systems are better and cheaper, if you can believe it. Silvia said she pays about $30 to $35 for a bus pass each month.

Although taking the bus is not as simple as traveling by car, Silvia said the system is pretty good in general.

City buses do not run on Sundays or major holidays. They operate from 5:20 a.m. to 6:20 p.m., with limited evening service (fewer routes available) from 6:45 p.m. to 10:40 p.m. On Saturdays, riders can catch the bus from 7 a.m. to 6:20 p.m.

A lot of roads to cover

The city of Colorado Springs encompasses 191.99 square miles, according to the City Planning office.

Because the City covers such a large land area, getting to work, soccer practice or a movie takes longer, by bus or by car. El Paso County has the second-worst travel to work time in the state, Crowley said. The majority, 95 percent, of the people who live in El Paso County also work in El Paso County, Crowley said. You'd figure going to work in your own county, it should be shorter, he said.

From 1990 to 2000, El Paso County added two minutes to its travel to work time, Crowley said. This may not sound like a lot, but that is two extra minutes for every person on the road.

While there is more traffic congestion in Denver, folks are not on the road as long. Two reasons are that the distance to work is shorter for most folks and the bus system in the capital city is better, Crowley said.

The state has a congestion value of 0.99, Crowley said. In Denver the value is 6.27 and in Colorado Springs it is 5.19.

FREX to the rescue?

City streets aren't the only crowded thoroughfares in the Springs. Interstate 25 has become increasingly congested. To help mitigate this problem, the Front Range Express mass transit system was created.

Residents can board the bus as far south as Fountain and ride as far north as Denver. There are stops in Colorado Springs, Monument and Castle Rock.

The Front Range Express, commonly known as FREX, is a three-year Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant project administered by the Federal Transit Administra-tion and the Federal Highway Administration.

FREX started carrying its first passengers in October. On average there are more than 400 boardings each day, said Larry Tenenholz, a general manager of FREX at Springs Transit.

Our goal at the end of the CMAQ grant was anywhere between 500 and 600 boardings and we're already at over 400, so we're doing very well, he said. We also believe it will be highly popular in the summer months.

There are nine buses in operation Monday through Friday. There is no service on weekends. That has been one complaint, said Ryan Hiatt, who is a general manager of FREX at Springs Transit. Folks want more trips, earlier trips and weekend trips, he said.

The earliest departure is in Fountain at 4:40 a.m. The latest southbound departure from the Elitch Gardens stop in Denver is 7:15 p.m. The last bus to Denver from Colorado Springs departs at 4:45 p.m.