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
CDOT Considering Charging Drivers by the Mile
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Yesterday on Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Department of Transportation Director Shailen Bhatt revealed that the state agency is looking into a mileage-based user fee to fund road projects. Bhatt told CPR’s Ryan Warner that Colorado is part of a “coalition” of states considering the funding mechanism, which charges drivers based on how much they use […]
DPW Insists on Making Quebec Street Wider and More Dangerous
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The Department of Public Works is pushing for yet another street widening that will lead to more traffic injuries. This one is on Quebec Street between 13th and 26th avenues in Stapleton. The reason? To save drivers a few minutes during rush hour. With the exception of a few blocks, this section of Quebec Street is currently […]
Electeds Heading to San Fran With Eyes on Vision Zero
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Once a year the Downtown Denver Partnership leads a group of decision makers to another city, hoping the change of pace will lead to a change of place in Denver. The hope is that seeing how other cities do things will demystify big ideas and give leaders an appetite to try them here. It’s a sort of […]
Dennis Gallagher: City and CDOT Rushing to Ram a Wider I-70 Through Denver
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Outgoing City Auditor Dennis Gallagher has been a thorn in the side of reckless I-70 expansionists for a long time. When the city council first considered proclaiming support last year, he blasted the 10-lane, $1.8 billion proposal. Before the Denver Regional Council of Governments awarded the project $50 million, he gave a scathing warning. Now Gallagher […]
Tonight: Help Imagine a Better West Colfax Avenue
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Professional stuntmen don’t want to cross it and Lance Armstrong wouldn’t bike it even after doping up: West Colfax Avenue. It needs to change, and residents can help decide how it will, tonight at an event called Reimagine West Colfax. It’s the first of two meetings that will decide what type of temporary infrastructure — a crosswalk or a protected bike […]
Bike Safety Study Is Guiding Police Work But Not Available to Public
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It’s been about a month since Streetsblog Denver questioned the whereabouts of the Department of Public Works’ bike crash analysis. The study of where cyclists get hurt and what contributes to crashes was due out in April, but still hasn’t seen daylight. Since then we’ve learned that the Denver Police Department has been using it to guide […]
Today’s Headlines
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Denver Post: Approval of Three-Story Building in Crestmoor Park Is a Sacrificial Monument to Density Bike Detection at Intersections Should Improve Traffic Flow for All Modes (DenPo) People on Bikes Are Dangerous, What With Their Riding in the Middle of the Road and Such (KRDO) Pedestrian Injured on I-25 Near 6th Avenue (DenPo) High Demand in Metro […]
CDOT Reps Portray I-70 Widening as Inevitable
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Residents barely outnumbered the representatives pitching them on the new I-70 “cover” last night at a public meeting in Elyria Swansea. The speakers painted the project — linked to the expensive, traffic-generating I-70 widening — as a done deal. Advocacy efforts to re-route the highway are still active, but face an intransigent Colorado Department of Transportation, which has deemed the option unviable, and Mayor Michael Hancock, […]
Tonight: Public Workshop on the I-70 Cover in Elyria Swansea
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CDOT’s plan to widen I-70 is an expensive disaster that, as currently designed, is going to generate more traffic and further entrench car dependence. One part of the plan worth keeping, if the highway is not re-routed entirely, is the “cover” proposed for three blocks of the highway in Elyria Swansea. The public can weigh in on […]
Public Works Installs Bike Detectors at Seven Intersections
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The Department of Public Works installed bike detection cameras and accompanying signs at seven intersections today. The devices will detect riders as they arrive at traffic lights and signal the need for a green light. The sensors should keep bikers from having to shimmy to the sidewalk to press the crosswalk button, or rely on cars to trip […]
Denver’s Regional Planners Target Timid Goal for Traffic Safety
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When it comes to improving traffic safety, the Denver Regional Council of Governments is following the lead of the Colorado Department of Transportation and setting the bar low. DRCOG, the regional planning organization responsible for doling out federal transportation funding, is working on Metro Vision 2040, a draft document meant to guide regional planning for the next 25 […]
Streetsblog Denver Will Start Posting Stories From Around America This Week
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The reaction to Streetsblog Denver has been heartening in the five weeks we’ve been covering sustainable transportation and livable streets here. We’ve heard from readers and policy makers that Streetsblog has already contributed to the local conversation on streets and transportation issues, challenging long-held assumptions and promoting ideas that had been missing from Denver’s public debate. Our coverage of Denver and Colorado […]