Richard Hackett, Peak to Peak. Draft plan is open for public comment until February 5, 2021.

Boulder County, Colo. - The Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting Department Mobility for All (M4A) Program invites community members to comment on the draft Peak Ride Volunteer Driver Plan. The inclusive planning effort assessed the feasibility of a volunteer driver program for Bolder County’s mountain communities.

The draft plan can be found at boco.org/M4APeakRidePlan.

A volunteer driver program would help expand personal mobility for all mountain residents. The plan will serve as a guide for community partners to create a viable, locally derived, volunteer driver program while meeting funding reporting criteria.

The plan was created with the help of mountain residents and Transportation Community Relations Consultant Tamara Whinston. The Peak Ride planning process prioritized community involvement, with residents of the mountains being the driving force behind the planning effort.

A 20-member Peak Ride Planning group was formed, including older adults, caregivers, individuals with disabilities, human services organizations, and transportation providers. The Peak to Peak Housing & Human Services Alliance and the Town of Lyons Housing & Human Services Commission were instrumental partners throughout the planning process.

Outreach and focus groups took part from across the Peak to Peak region including:

Allenspark

Coal Creek Canyon

Gold Hill

Jamestown

Lyons

Nederland

Ward

Key Findings

The mountain community has very strong social bonds, with residents wanting to help one another.

The core clients for the service will be older adults, adults with disabilities and low-income individuals. All three groups are at risk of becoming isolated due to limited mobility options in the region.

The unmet travel needs of mountain residents extends beyond just Boulder County and into Gilpin, Larimer and Grand Counties.

There are multiple funding streams that volunteer driver programs can tap into.

The Peak Ride Volunteer Driver Plan will serve as a roadmap for the creation of a volunteer driver program for the mountain communities. This program would provide door-through-door transportation service for seniors, persons with disabilities and low-income residents of the mountains.

Feedback and recommendations from mountain residents will lead to the best plan possible. The plan will be open for comments until February 5, 2021.

For more information, contact mobilityforall@bouldercounty.org, or call 720-564-2218.