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
Hickenlooper: Widening I-70 Will “Reconnect Communities”
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John Hickenlooper didn’t start the I-70 boondoggle, but it’s on track to get built on his watch. And he seems fine with that. In fact, he comes across as proud. Hickenlooper has stayed quiet about the massive highway expansion project slated for north Denver, and his office took its time before responding to Streetsblog’s inquiry about […]
Less Traffic, More People: City to Scrap Parking Mandates in Arapahoe Square
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Create places to park, you get cars and traffic. Create places to walk, you get people. In Arapahoe Square, homes and businesses are islands between sprawling parking lots and the cars that fill them. That’s due in part to zoning requirements that bake tons of parking into buildings. Community Planning and Development has proposed new standards that would scrap those […]
#StreetFail: Three Blocked Bike Lanes in Two Blocks
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Our latest #StreetFail comes from a Streetsblog reader who sent in these photos after a short walk from the bus stop to her office. In the two blocks between where the No. 15 drops her off and where she works, she witnessed trucks blocking bikeways three separate times — once in the 15th Street protected bike lane and twice […]
While Denverites Speak Out Against I-70 Widening, Hickenlooper Stays Silent
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With the groundswell of opposition to Colorado DOT’s plan to gouge a super-wide highway trench across north Denver, Governor John Hickenlooper has to know that city residents are angry about the prospect of more traffic ripping through their neighborhoods on a supersized I-70. Hickenlooper is the only person who can tell CDOT to stop the project, so Streetsblog reached out to his […]
This Week: Join the Fight Against the I-70 Boondoggle
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Mayor Michael Hancock calls the stretch along I-70 from downtown to DIA his “corridor of opportunity” — but opportunity for whom? If you’re talking about the I-70 highway widening, it’s road builders who stand to get rich, while local families and businesses will put up with more pollution and traffic — or even get the boot. Neighbors organizing against […]
‘Vision Zero’ Is Not a Slogan, and Other Takeaways WalkDenver Got From NYC
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When Mayor Michael Hancock committed to ending traffic deaths and serious injuries under the banner of Vision Zero, he launched an “action plan” to start the process and called on advocates to help. WalkDenver Policy Director Jill Locantore is one of those advocates. She’s also part of the budding Denver Vision Zero Coalition. Locantore went […]
Why Are Fire Trucks Dictating Street Design in Denver?
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Slimmer streets and protected bike lanes are two great ways to calm traffic and make streets safer for everyone. But in a lot of American cities, these ideas meet resistance from an unexpected source: fire departments that insist on wide lanes to give their vehicles clearance. Denver is no exception. The fire code is why a new […]
North Denver Neighbors, Sierra Club File Suit to Squash I-70 Boondoggle
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North Denver neighborhood organizations and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit in federal court today to stop Colorado DOT’s I-70 boondoggle, which will increase traffic and create more air pollution for generations to come if it’s built. The communities around the highway are exposed to elevated levels of particulate pollution, which leads to higher rates of chronic cardiovascular diseases. Widening […]
Here’s Your Chance to Tell RTD How to Improve Transit
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The RTD Citizen Advisory Committee is looking for five new members. For the past 10 years, this collection of 17 people advised RTD on policy related to FasTracks, the voter-approved expansion bringing five new transit lines to the region. Now its role has expanded. In addition to FasTracks, members will start advising RTD on other projects and inform the agency’s long-term […]
The Live Ride Share Conference on “Shared Mobility” Is Coming to Denver
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Most of the time — 95 percent to be exact — cars just sit there parked. But even when they’re in motion, cars remain a remarkably inefficient way to move people, taking up huge amounts of space on city streets. They’re also a huge drag on household budgets. And yet, Denver’s infrastructure prioritizes private cars instead of more efficient, less expensive modes of transportation. With […]
What Will Denver Do If It Wins the “Smart City Challenge”?
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Denver may receive $50 million to enhance street safety, cut traffic and emissions, and create a more seamless transportation network using new technology and big data. The Mile High City is one of seven finalists for the Department of Transportation’s “Smart City Challenge” grant, Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Saturday at South by Southwest in Austin. […]
The Key to a Successful 16th Street Mall Makeover: Busways on 15th and 17th
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Hoping to create a better gathering place, city planners are seriously considering moving RTD’s free shuttle off the 16th Street Mall to create a pedestrian-only street. The concept has drawn all kinds of reactions, some of which pit transit against walking. But it’s not that simple. If the city plays its cards right, three major streets could prioritize people and transit in […]