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Farewell to Streetsblog Denver in five commentaries

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This is the final post for Streetsblog Denver. The Denver Streets Partnership decided to end its operation of Streetsblog Denver as of January 31, 2022. Streetsblog USA assures us that all Streetsblog Denver content will remain online.

To stay up to date on multimodal issues in Denver, please bookmark the Denver Streets Partnership blog which now accepts guest commentaries! — and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

We leave you with five guest commentaries to bid farewell to Streetsblog Denver:

In Streetsblog Denver’s absence, local news has a responsibility to get out from behind the windshield
By David Sachs, founder and former editor and executive director of Streetsblog Denver

Sidewalks will carry you wherever I go
By me, Sarah E. Moss, MPA, three-time interim editor of Streetsblog Denver

Becoming a bike advocate and how Streetsblog Denver helped me find community
By Loren M. Hansen, bicycle and public transit advocate

Death of the perfect bike lane
By Allen Cowgill, advocate for safer streets and sustainable transportation

Employer commute programs should be part of Denver’s air quality solutions
By Stuart Anderson, executive director of Transportation Solutions

Finally, be sure to register for Bicycle Colorado’s February 8, 2022 Moving People Forward virtual event. This year’s program will focus on Colorado’s opportunity to use new federal funding effectively to support multimodal projects that improve the quality of life for Coloradans. The keynote and panel discussion will unpack the choices — and highlight the opportunities — for state and local leaders to lead with a multimodal focus. The all-star, all-women group of experts features: 

  • Keynote Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation 4 America (T4A)
  • Shoshana Lew, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)
  • Debra Johnson, CEO and General Manager of the Regional Transportation District (RTD)
  • Corinne Kisner, Executive Director of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
  • Moderator Naomi Amaha, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, The Denver Foundation

I’ll see you there.

Yours in streets for people and multimodal policy nerd-outs,

Sarah E. Moss, MPA
Streetsblog Denver’s Interim Editor (for the third time)
On behalf of the Denver Streets Partnership

The words "Streetsblog Denver" on orange background

Dear Streetsblog Denver Readers

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Dear readers,

I’m writing to let you know that the Denver Streets Partnership has decided to end its operation of Streetsblog Denver as of January 31, 2022.

We were honored in December 2019 when the Streetsblog Denver board entrusted us with their labor of love and asked the Denver Streets Partnership/Bicycle Colorado to take over Streetsblog Denver from the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center. Thank you for your support during the transition and throughout the last two years.

We did not make this decision lightly to end operations, and the biggest factor in the decision was the priority to direct the Denver Streets Partnership’s resources toward direct advocacy. We’re seeing results: Denver has built and painted more dedicated bus lanes and bike lanes. In November, Denver voters passed bond measures to fund more infrastructure. To close out 2021, Denver City Council voted to lower the city’s default speed limit from 25 to 20 mph. And Denver raised its parking meter rates to generate an expected $9.5 million per year to fund safety and mobility improvements including transit projects, sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, and the City’s Vision Zero plan.

We are proud that – despite numerous challenges – Streetsblog Denver has:

  • Produced thought-provoking commentary with constructive ideas related to walking, biking, transit, safe streets, and social justice in Denver;
  • Held city, regional, and state leaders accountable to their commitments to reduce car-dependency and eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries;
  • Elevated the voices of local thought leaders and spotlighted important policy issues that are not typically covered by the mainstream media;
  • Purposefully sought out more writers of color and articles and guest commentaries about equity and the underserved neighborhoods on Denver’s west side and north side that form the “inverted L”;
  • Made complicated policy topics accessible to a broad audience;
  • Focused on the issues and avoiding personal attacks on individual people, particularly those who are not in positions of power;
  • Hosted a paid internship program; and
  • Increased the number of Streetsblog Denver social media followers and maintained email open rates above 40%.

The advocacy journalism of Streetsblog USA and its affiliates is an important part of the safer streets discussion and ecosystem, and the Denver Streets Partnership will continue to promote on our digital platforms the writings of Streetsblog USA and its network.

What’s next?

  • Today – We will notify Streetsblog Denver readers on the website and via email and invite them to contribute final guest commentaries.
  • January 2022 – Streetsblog Denver will publish guest commentaries.
  • After January, the Denver Streets Partnership blog will host guest commentaries on topics relevant to walking, biking, transit, and safe streets.

Thank you for supporting Streetsblog Denver and the movement to improve walking, biking, transit, and safe streets in Denver. If you have any questions, please reach out at Denver@streetsblog.org.

Sincerely,
Jill Locantore, Executive Director, Denver Streets Partnership
Sarah Moss, Interim Editor of Streetsblog Denver and consultant to the Denver Streets Partnership

Do you have an idea for a guest commentary? Please fill out this form.

Let’s not get distracted by shiny new things

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Jill Locantore is the Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership, a coalition of community groups advocating for people-friendly streets. Follow her on Twitter at @jlocantore When asked how Denver should spend pandemic recovery money—including both federal relief funds and a proposed $450 million bond—90 percent of residents who responded said the city should “fix […]
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