Costs Estimated For Traffic Device Ballot Initiative

SECONDS COUNT!

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Warren Hultquist (303) 541-0151

David Wagner (303 440-1005

COSTS ESTIMATED FOR TRAFFIC DEVICE BALLOT INITIATIVE

Boulder, CO-April 6, 2000--The SECONDS COUNT! committee has worked closely with the City of Boulder's Transportation Division to develop a detailed cost estimate for removing traffic devices affected by the SECONDS COUNT! initiative. Appearing on the municipal ballot this fall, the measure will improve emergency response by eliminating from public streets two categories of traffic devices that unnecessarily slow emergency vehicles in the attempt to control speeding in residential neighborhoods. The ban would affect vertical obstacles like speed bumps and traffic circles too small to be quickly negotiated by fire trucks.

Through three iterations, the committee provided guidance on exact interpretation of the proposed ordinance, helped with site inspections, conducted independent engineering reviews, and suggested innovative methods to economically achieve compliance with the ordinance. As a result, the city's initial $1.5 million estimate was reduced to just $588,800 for removal of all permanent traffic devices affected by the ordinance. Beyond the engineering estimate, the city will allow approximately 10 percent for unspecified contingencies, which might increase the total to $646,500.  Transportation staff also estimated costs to decommission temporary experiments being conducted in the Balsam and Whittier neighborhoods, which are scheduled to end before the election.

The SECONDS COUNT! committee supported the cost estimate so that confusion, disagreement, and misinformation about financial impacts would not cloud public discussion prior to the election. SECONDS COUNT! Chairman Warren Hultquist said, "We're very concerned about neighborhood speeding, but don't want to create a bigger risk by slowing emergency response. This is a modest, one-time expenditure to permanently lower risk for every citizen. "The ordinance will also prevent expenditures on such devices in the future.  Included in the estimate is roughly $100,000 for reconstruction or removal of features not actually addressed by the ordinance. For example, elements that are part of large-scale urban design concepts, such as decorative paving bricks, colored concrete, and landscaping, will all be replaced.  Structural details that might be unsafe in isolation, like bollards and traffic-diverting curbing, will be taken out. Obsolete signs will be removed or updated, as appropriate, to reduce visual pollution. Thus, each location where a device is removed will be left in the same condition it would now be in had the device not been installed.

The SECONDS COUNT! ordinance does not specify any particular source for removal funding, but will not result in any tax increase. Current city plans are to budget $400,000 per year for traffic mitigation programs from existing sources. And, over $493,000 remained in the transportation fund at the beginning of 2000 that was appropriated for traffic mitigation applications in previous years but not spent. These funds could be used for device removal, or the City Council could redirect funding from other projects and programs.

SECONDS COUNT! is a November 2000 ballot initiative by Boulder, Colorado citizens to prohibit traffic devices that delay emergency response.

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