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RFTA needs our vote and we need RFTA

Please join me in voting “yes” for Ballot Question 7A on Nov. 6. We in the greater Roaring Fork Valley are lucky to have the largest rural transit system in the U.S. and the second largest in Colorado. Free bus service between Aspen and Snowmass and to all four ski areas, affordable fares for rapid transit and preservation of 34 miles of the glorious Rio Grande trail means that we have myriad transit options, including free bike share.

Yet with population growth and a desire to mitigate transportation challenges and climate change, The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority needs to expand in order to meet those goals. Funding from 7A will allow RFTA to implement its Destination 2040 plan to reduce congestion, improve mobility, increase service, maintain trails and make safety and environmental improvements in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys.

If 7A passes, every RFTA community and the entire region will benefit from Destination 2040.



– Bike share through We-Cycle will come to Carbondale and Glenwood Springs in 2020.

– Obsolete buses will be replaced with more efficient and environmentally sustainable vehicles, including electric buses.




– Increased evening, night and weekend service during the winter and summer seasons and weekdays in the offseason for local and BRT routes.

In 2017, there were over 5 million RFTA rides logged. Without voter approval of 7A, RFTA will likely be forced to reduce regional services by as much as 20 percent in just a few years in order to replace its aging buses as a priority. Expanded local and BRT service will not be possible.

One only has to wonder what our valley would look like without the services of RFTA, bike share and the Rio Grande recreational trail it provides. Learn more at https://www.onboardwithrfta.org/endorse.

Rebecca Cole

Aspen