Average Travel Speeds/Times on Arterial Streets
Desired Result: Below Target
Analysis of Performance
11/14/24 NOTE: An issue with the data was discovered and the Traffic Dept is working with the vendor to correct the issue.
- Traffic volume-weighted average travel time (minutes per mile) on City arterial streets during weekday p.m. peak periods, including Harmony, Horsetooth, Drake, Prospect, Mulberry, Taft Hill, Shields, College, Lemay, and Timberline.
- Average travel times in Q1 2026 decreased by 30% compared to Q1 2025. Elevated travel times observed in late 2024 and early 2025 appear to have stabilized.
- Q1 2026 travel times are generally consistent with the historical five-year Q1 average, excluding the atypical conditions experienced in Q1 2025.
- City staff will continue reporting this metric and encourage its use as a high-level indicator of travel conditions on arterial streets.
- Consider revising the target travel time metric to better align with current Vision Zero objectives, which emphasize safer operating speeds.
- Staff will continue monitoring traffic conditions and responding to incidents, construction activity, and special events through signal timing adjustments and operational modifications.
Metric Definition
Traffic volume-weighted average travel times (in minutes/mile) on City arterial streets including Harmony, Horsetooth, Drake, Prospect, Mulberry, Taft Hill, Shields, College, Lemay and Timberline during the p.m. peak period on weekdays.
Why Is This Important?
Efficient travel on the arterial street system in Fort Collins is important for the quality of life for residents, the safety of residents and the economic vitality of the City.
City Organization Impact on Performance
High – Virtually everyone in the City is impacted by the transportation system. While there are many external factors -- particularly economic factors that impact the operation of the City transportation system, there is still much that the City can do in terms of policies, priorities, planning and operations that affect the performance of the system.
Benchmark Information
To date there is not reliable benchmark information from other cities as the technology deployed in Fort Collins to measure travel times is relatively new. Not many cities are using it yet and reporting methods are not consistent.