David Sachs
David cut his teeth covering transportation, development, politics, education, and art in D.C. He's covered sustainable transportation for Streetsblog since 2015 and has lived in Denver's Cheesman Park neighborhood since 2012.
Recent Posts
WalkDenver: Hancock’s Budget “Reflects a Status Quo Mentality”
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Last week Streetsblog looked at Mayor Michael Hancock’s proposed 2017 budget and was not impressed. Despite the mayor’s stated commitment to ending traffic deaths, he’s not committing much in the way of actual resources to safe walking and biking. The pedestrian advocates at WalkDenver have been combing through the budget as well. In a newsletter published today, WalkDenver says that despite […]
Survey: Denverites Are Fed Up With Traffic and Want Better Transit
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The top long-term priorities for Denver residents are reducing traffic congestion, creating more affordable housing, and improving transit options, according to a survey conducted for the Denveright planning initiative. The city shared the survey results so far (you can still take it) last night at the first meeting of the “Community Think Tank,” a group […]
Want to Fight for Better Denver Transit? Here’s the Book Club for You
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For nearly 50 years, transit service in Denver has been dictated by RTD, a regional agency where the city plays second fiddle to its suburbs. That could finally change with the Denveright initiative — which aims to rethink bus and rail service with the city proper as the focal point. Mayor Michael Hancock has said that Denver residents will play a major […]
DPW and CDOT Will Build Much-Needed Sidewalks on Hampden and Havana
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If you’re walking to catch a bus, go shopping, or get to school, Denver’s golf courses can make you feel like a second-class citizen. That’s because the streets abutting golf courses are often missing sidewalks — so you end up walking on a makeshift dirt path in between manicured greens and high-speed traffic. At John F. Kennedy Golf […]
Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association Prefers Parking to People
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Members of the Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association have a message for potential new residents of their enclave in City Park West: No vacancy. The group is petitioning to revoke zoning permits from two impending apartment buildings before home builders break ground at 16th and Humboldt streets. If successful, these residents will block 108 homes (and […]
CDOT’s “Fred Estrian” Cartoons Won’t Save People From Its Deadly Streets
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From Colorado DOT — the same state roads agency that brought you Hank, the lovable idiot who blamed pedestrians for getting hit by drivers, and then promptly axed the tone-deaf campaign — comes a brand new way to not die while crossing the street: “Fred Estrian.” Get it? Fred Estrian is the face of CDOT’s […]
Will Denver Save Lives By Expanding Its Tiny Red Light Camera Program?
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The City Council voted Monday to continue and possibly expand the Denver Police Department’s electronic traffic enforcement program over the next five years. The 10-1 vote with one abstention approved a $6.6 million contract with the operator of the cameras. Red light cameras save lives. A study of dozens of American cities conducted by the Insurance Institute for […]
Hancock’s Budget Fails to Deliver on His Vision Zero Promises
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“The truth about a city’s aspirations isn’t found in its vision,” says former Vancouver planning chief Brent Toderian. “It’s found in its budget.” With the release of Mayor Michael Hancock’s 2017 budget proposal, you can see the truth about his promise to eliminate traffic deaths — so far, it’s mostly hot air. In February, Hancock said […]
Yes, You Can Get to Northfield Without Driving Your Own Car
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Northeast Transportation Connections, a non-profit based in Stapleton that advocates for more sustainable neighborhoods, launched an initiative today aimed at getting people to and from The Shops at Northfield Stapleton without personal vehicles. The suburban-style shopping center is a major commercial destination and employment center for northeast Denver, about two miles from Central Park Station […]
A Suggestion for Denver Parking Enforcement: Focus on Bike Lanes
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CBS4 News reported last night that Denver Public Works cancelled 2,400 parking tickets between November 2015 and May 2016, mostly because of “officer error.” You have to expect some human error in any system, and it looks like these mistakes (which were eventually corrected) amounted to less than one percent of parking violations issued in the city. When […]
Denver Is Still Waiting on a Modern Fare Payment System From RTD
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Ever been riding an RTD bus, anxious to get to work on time, and the bus comes to a stop for what seems like forever while a passenger boards? That Guy is counting out $2.60 in exact change and the driver can’t pull away until he’s paid the fare, so everyone gets held up. Other major cities […]
Saturday Is Tour de Fat, a Benefit for Better Biking Disguised as a Party
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How do you feel about ridiculous spectacles? Do you like beer? Music? Fundraisers for Denver nonprofit organizations that advocate year in and year out for bike-friendly streets? Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewery’s annual Tour de Fat — a “traveling celebration of all things bikes” — returns to Denver’s City Park on Saturday, and you can get […]