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
#StreetFail: Denver PD Blocks Bike Lane to Save City From “Hoodlums”
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As Mayor Michael Hancock and his Denver PD spend time and money harrying “urban travelers” off the 16th Street Mall in an attempt to improve perceptions of public safety, they continue to diminish the actual safety of people on bikes by allowing people to park in bike lanes — and by parking in bike lanes themselves. Extra Denver PD […]
A Pedestrian Plan Shaped By Pedestrian Advocates? No Thanks, Says Hancock
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If you had a broken arm, you would probably see an orthopedist, because that’s what orthopedists do for a living. They are experts at healing bones. If you’re running a city and have a broken pedestrian network, you would think that the city’s foremost independent expert on local pedestrian issues would have a seat at the […]
Blueprint Denver Task Force Sets Its Sights on Tackling Car Dependence
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How will Denver manage its growth while remaining affordable and without getting overrun by traffic? The people charged with revamping Blueprint Denver, the city’s transportation and land use plan, began to answer that question Thursday. It was the first meeting of the 33-member task force, which is comprised of residents with expertise in transportation, development, business, […]
Take a Look at the New Bike Lanes on 29th Avenue and 15th Street
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Denver Public Works recently striped some much-needed bike lanes along West 29th Avenue, as well as a small portion of 15th Street in Lower Highland. Much of the route is separated from traffic with a painted buffer. The 2.3-mile project repurposes street space that was once reserved for parking cars, and eliminates some general travel lanes and turn […]
Sad Scenes From Denver’s Bike to Work Day
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Yesterday Streetsblog showed you joyful scenes from Denver’s Bike to Work Day, and there were plenty. Readers also submitted photos of frustrating street conditions for people on two wheels — showing how far Denver has to go to become bike-friendly. The common thread: Denver’s bicycle lanes are constantly obstructed by cars and trucks. Even the city’s “protected” bike lanes, […]
Happy Scenes From Denver’s Bike to Work Day
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About 34,000 people in the Denver metro area were expected to pedal to the office today for Colorado’s Bike to Work Day. If you were out and about, you probably noticed more people biking in the city’s streets, bike lanes, and trails than usual. Denver had 92 pop-up stations serving breakfast and coffee to riders this morning. […]
NIMBYs Making Your City Unwalkable and Unaffordable? Meet the YIMBYs
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Housing in America’s fast-growing cities has become increasingly unaffordable because elected officials let it get that way. They’ve caved to the not-in-my-backyard contingent, blocking compact development and foisting expensive mandates like parking requirements on new buildings. With population growth outpacing the growth of housing, living in neighborhoods with convenient access to jobs, schools, or even a grocery store becomes less […]
Another Life Lost on Colfax — Don’t Blame the Victim, Blame Colorado DOT
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Colfax Avenue is affectionately known as the “longest, wickedest street in America” for its colorful places and unique people. But for people who walk on Colfax, the street is wicked in all the wrong ways. Drivers routinely run over people, and people on foot take their lives in their hands merely by crossing the street. The latest […]
How to Get the Most Out of Colorado’s Bike to Work Day Wednesday
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Wednesday is Bike to Work Day in Colorado, which means a lot more people than usual will be commuting by bike. The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) expects about 34,000 bike commuters in the greater metro area, compared to about 18,000 on a typical day. Thanks to the safety-in-numbers effect, that probably makes it one of safest days […]
Public Works Should Fix Deadly Intersections, Not Tell People to Avoid Them
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Doctors said Jonathan Beltran was lucky. After all, he could have died when a driver hit him while he crossed West Colfax on his bicycle, he told 9News. Beltran suffered serious injuries that required surgery. He also got slapped with a ticket from the Denver PD because, on this street, the law compels bicyclists and pedestrians to cower before cars. A […]
Colorado DOT Claims Its Latest Seat Belt Campaign Saves Pedestrians
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Billboards reminding people to wear seat belts are not an innovative way to end traffic deaths, but they are an easy box to check. Colorado DOT’s latest iteration of the tired tactic comes in the form of a giant airbag downtown that warns drivers and passengers not to depend on said airbag to save their […]
Denver Has a Plan for Safer Westwood Streets, Now Hancock Needs to Fund It
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Getting around Westwood in southwest Denver without a car is not safe, let alone pleasant or convenient. You have to contend with wide, high-speed streets and thin, crumbling sidewalks — where sidewalks exist at all. Motorists zoom down Federal, Sheridan, Kentucky, Alameda, and Morrison Road with little regard for the lives of people pushing strollers or walking to the bus stop. Now […]