Aurora seeking public input for city's first-ever Multimodal Transportation Master Plan
For the first time ever, the city of Aurora is creating a transportation master plan that includes any way people get around -- whether by bike, bus, car, public transit, or walking.
As Colorado's third-largest city keeps growing, city planners want to take a closer look at how Aurora residents get from A to B, and what improvements could make the transportation system more convenient.
"It's a little bit convenient, I'm not going to lie," said Maria Thomas, while waiting for a bus at the Aurora Metro Center Station.
Getting to and from school has become a bit of a hassle for Thomas since her car broke down. She now relies on public transit to get around Aurora which she said is tricky.
"It's not really as accessible as you'd think it is," she told CBS News Colorado's Kelly Werthmann.
That's exactly the kind of feedback city planners are looking for as they develop Aurora's first-ever Multimodal Transportation Master Plan.
"At this point, given the city's size and growth in different areas, there are a lot of new needs," explained Huiliang Liu, transportation planner for Aurora. "Especially those people who do not want to drive or cannot afford to drive."
While the city has done corridor studies – like around Havana Street and 13th Avenue – to determine how people get around and identify transportation issues, the goal now is to define the needs of the city as a whole.
"We're really hoping for feedback on how they use the system, how they want to use the system, what are the barriers they face," said Aurora Public Works Traffic Manager Callie Campuzano.
If you ask Aurora resident Marcus Cole, who prefers to ride the bus, the public transit system is well done. However, he would like to see improvements to bike paths and lanes.
"It's very dangerous these days on a bike, so if you don't have any trails or paths, I suggest you catch the bus," he said.
From safety to convenience, city planners want to hear whatever feedback residents want to share.
"Although we are the so-called experts, we understand from the system level what are the things that are important," said Liu. "But the public, they are the ones using the system every day, so we really want to hear from them what the challenges are and what they need."
Campuzano says the master plan will develop over the course of two years and city staff wants Aurorans to start weighing-in now. Whether they chime in online or in person, with feedback welcome in any language.
"With how diverse Aurora is, we want a lot of the different feedback, so we're going to be trying to reach out in a lot of different ways," she said.
Beginning in April, the city is hosting several open houses across Aurora. Participants may show up anytime during the two-hour period on the following dates:
- Tuesday, April 2, 5 to 7 p.m., Aurora Central Library, 14949 E. Alameda Parkway
- Wednesday, April 10, 5 to 7 p.m., Mission Viejo Library, 15324 E. Hampden Circle
- Wednesday, April 17, 5 to 7 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 9898 E. Colfax Avenue
- Tuesday, April 23, 5 to 7 p.m., Tallyn's Reach Library, 23911 E. Arapahoe Road
For those unable to attend in person, feedback can be shared at Engage Aurora.
