It takes vision and a lot of public support to get commuters out of their cars and into alternative modes of transportation, Boise Mayor Brent Coles said Thursday.
Coles was keynote speaker at the "Intelligent Transportation" seminar held Thursday night at Northridge High School in Layton.Boise's commitment dates back to 1925, when taxpayers approved a $125,000 bond - a lot of money in those days - to building a wide, tree-lined boulevard from the Union Pacific railroad station on the far edge of town to the State Capitol downtown, Coles pointed out in a slide show.
That commitment endured as the city built a network of bicycle-pedestrian paths and public transportation systems and implemented ways to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home, Coles said.
Early in his own administration the mayor decided he'd ride his bicycle to work. He encouraged others to do the same, Coles said, and soon bicycle lanes were being painted on city streets.
Transportation engineers found they could repaint lane markers, keeping on-street parking and traffic lanes, and add the bike lanes without having to buy land.
It's a cheap alternative to buying right-of-way, Coles said, but it isn't exactly free. The lanes need to be repainted frequently, but taxpayers support the effort.
The city began acquiring land for its bicycle-pedestrian path along the Boise River through the downtown area in 1968, Coles said. All the land was privately owned and the city at first had to use its eminent domain power to condemn it, the mayor said.
But, again with public support, the effort went forward and soon property owners realized the path and adjacent parklands enhanced their property values.
They began working with the city, granting easements in return for development concessions, the mayor said, citing it as an example of the public and private sectors working together.
Although there are no firm plans yet, the mayor predicted Boise will eventually have a light rail commuter system.