Results show positive trends for some key indicators, with additional work still needed to meet all of the community's transportation goals.

The City of Boulder has published the 2025 Transportation Report on Progress, which tracks measurable trends toward creating a safe and sustainable transportation system. Results show positive trends for some key indicators, with additional work still needed to meet all of the community's transportation goals.

Since the last report in 2020, the number of serious and fatal crashes has stabilized. Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita, or per city resident, is also stable. Community interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has increased and EV investments are now on track to meet goals.

Boulder also continues to meet the mark for maintaining vehicle travel times at levels comparable to an established 1994 baseline, due in part to steadily increasing miles of walking and biking infrastructure in support of sustainable, active ways to travel. The city also continues to excel in comparison to similarly sized cities nationally with safety indicators, mode share, mitigating VMT growth and providing transportation options to residents and employees.

74% of Boulder residents live within walkable 15-minute neighborhoods and 85% live in areas with access to comfortable bikeways. 82% of residents have convenient access to local or regional transit routes.

“The report is promising,” said Valerie Watson, interim director of the Transportation & Mobility Department. “Despite the effects of a pandemic, reduced purchasing power, and employment growth over the past five years, Boulder has made incredible progress in supporting an array of safe, comfortable transportation choices for our community.”

Regional indicators like overall VMT and transit service hours have been trending in the wrong direction. Transit service hours are gradually increasing but falling short of city goals to keep pace with employment growth. Regional conditions, such as housing costs leading people to live further away from where they work and go to school, continue to be fundamental challenges. That said, with significant investments in regional transit service planned over the next two years, the city expects to make greater progress toward these goals.

Funding shortfalls for essential capital maintenance, such as pavement management, also continue to pose fundamental challenges to achieving city transportation goals, particularly as the costs of construction, materials and labor continue to rise.

The report comes at a crucial time as the city reduces spending amidst economic uncertainties.

“There are challenges beyond our control that have implications for how people travel in Boulder. Sharpening our funding priorities citywide will require us to find out-of-the-box solutions to meet the community’s current and future travel needs,” Watson said.

Key actions include reevaluating community expectations and priorities for level of service, identifying funding mechanisms that provide predictable, reliable revenue, and exploring promising innovations — like micromobility: small-scale transportation options that have provided over 2.5 million trips and successfully reduced over 1 million local vehicle trips since the city expanded shared e-bike and e-scooter options in town.

Staff have also found cost-saving opportunities through programmatic efficiencies, such as by coordinating bicycle, pedestrian and transit facility improvements with annual scheduled pavement resurfacing under the Pavement Management Program Mobility Enhancements initiative.

Progress is also closely tied to land use, particularly as projections for increased employment and a community aging in place underscore the need for a more accessible, sustainable travel network. The community can learn more online about how people move in Boulder today and provide feedback on related planning efforts at upcoming events to help inform future policy options and direction.

The full report and the city’s projects, services and programs aimed at supporting mobility are available on the Transportation & Mobility department webpage.