Increase Transportation Mode Choice Reduce Emissions

Transportation Legislation Review Committee. The bill requires the department of transportation (department), no later than October 31, 2025 July 1, 2026, and in coordination with local governments and transit agencies , to present a statewide mode choice assessment to the transportation legislation review committee, the transportation commission, and the Colorado energy office, which assessment must include recommendations for targets for 2030, 2035, 2040, 2045, and 2050 for the department, metropolitan planning organizations, and transit providers that provide public transit to a population of 100,000 individuals or more (subject transit provider) for the share of total trips within a specified geographic area completed using certain transportation methods (mode choice targets) create a transit and active transportation project inventory that identifies gaps in transit, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure and access on state highways and rights-of-way that are controlled and maintained by the department .

No later than June 1, 2026, using certain criteria, the department must adopt rules establishing mode choice targets. The department must reassess the mode choice targets before each statewide plan development cycle July 1, 2026, metropolitan planning organizations must create a transit and active transportation project inventory that identifies gaps in transit, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure and access within the network of regionally significant roadways and rights-of-way that are typically subject to planning and programming by the metropolitan planning organization.

No later than October 31, 2026, and every 3 years thereafter, the department in coordination with and the metropolitan planning organizations must present a report to the transportation legislation review committee that provides certain information about the mode choice targets and the entities' plans to implement the mode choice targets (mode choice implementation plans) on the transit and active transportation project inventories (inventories) created, including an assessment of existing and potential funding sources for the projects listed in the inventories. The department and metropolitan planning organizations must update the inventories as part of the planning processes for the regional and statewide transportation plans and must use the inventories to inform those plans, other transit service plans, and transportation improvement programs.

No later than December 31, 2026 and every 5 years thereafter July 1, 2026, the department metropolitan planning organizations, subject transit providers, and local governments with a population of 25,000 individuals or more must each prepare a mode choice implementation plan, which must include certain information about the mode choice targets, a multimodal transportation gaps summary, and an analysis of certain projected greenhouse gas emissions must develop clear definitions for roadway capacity investments and state-of-good-repair investments . No later than December 31, 2025, a local government with a population of 5,000 or more that is within a metropolitan planning organization must submit to its metropolitan planning organization all planned transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects included in any transportation, capital, or other plan. The bill also allows a local government to :

• The nonattainment area air pollution mitigation enterprise to award grants for the development of mode choice implementation plans; and Adopt goals for the share of total trips within a specified geographic area completed using certain transportation methods;
• The multimodal transportation options fund to be used for the development of mode choice implementation plans Submit local transportation demand management strategies to its metropolitan planning organization; and
• Collaborate with the department, its metropolitan planning organization, and transit agencies to identify unfinished transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects in certain transit areas and to prioritize such projects based on each project's potential to increase transportation mode choice, project vulnerable road users, reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions, and improve access to nondriving transportation options in disproportionately impacted communities.

The bill also clarifies that the Moffat tunnel improvement district is controlled and managed by the department of transportation rather than the department of local affairs.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)