Michael Hancock

Mayor Michael Hancock unveiled his 2018 budget proposal Tuesday, which includes 29 full-time employees to prop up his budding stand-alone department of transportation and mobility and $31.5 million toward the "Mobility Action Plan," Hancock's initiative to give everyone legitimate transportation options beyond driving.

Reps from CDOT and the city were invited to the forum but did not attend.

The allocation to sidewalks might be less of a problem if Denver had a policy and a funding stream that treated sidewalks as fundamental infrastructure instead of a special treat for lucky neighborhoods. But that's not the case.

Perhaps most importantly, a Denver DOT elevates transport to the city-building puzzle piece that it is. Urban transportation affects the economy, housing, and affordability. It should not revolve around fixing potholes.

Mayor Michael Hancock announced a $2 billion-plus "mobility action plan" today aimed at creating a transportation system in which 30 percent of all commuters walk, bike, or take transit by 2030, and no more than 50 percent drive alone. Carpoolers and people who work from home would fill the remaining gap.

Right now the same organization that treats solid waste decides how the city's streets are organized for walking, biking, transit, and driving. But soon Denver will join other major cities around the country and create a separate Department of Transportation and Mobility.

Back in February, Michael Hancock told a room full of sustainable transportation advocates, “We need to absolutely transform our city from a car-focused, automobile-centric system, to a people-centric transportation and mobility network.” Fast forward four months, and Hancock and the Denver City Council may do the exact opposite by spending $27 million to widen 56th Avenue … Continued

For the first time in Denver’s history, a downtown street dedicated to the movement of cars has been transformed into a place for people that will last two months.

Mayor Michael Hancock and the Denver City Council have a chance to back up all their talk about safe streets and elevating transportation options other than cars.