TOD
How RTD’s Suburban Politics Hamper Denver’s Investment in Transit
For the most part, Regional Transportation District’s board members are politicians, not transportation planners. And when they have to make important decisions about transit, it shows. Those decisions aren’t always based on what’s best for transit riders or the region. The RTD Board’s leadership has produced a system where rail lines cater to suburbanites and exurbanites more than Denver residents. But when it comes … Continued
July 17, 2015
How Not to Treat Street Design Near Transit Stations
The Denver Post published a story today by Megan Mitchell that depicts an uprising of sorts against smart street design near the Iliff Avenue Rail Station, which will open next year. Some residents, including Albert Melcher, president of the local neighborhood association, want to nix a planned bike lane and widen a nearby street to handle traffic from the … Continued
July 9, 2015
Mayor Hancock’s Sheridan Blvd Plan: Feel Good, Do Nothing
Anyone who’s walked down Sheridan Boulevard knows it’s a dangerous street where dirt mounds replace sidewalks, drivers ignore the 35 mph speed limit, and crossing the street means dodging five lanes of traffic. It’s a nightmare for pedestrians and the Colorado Department of Transportation knows it. But that’s not stopping them from widening lanes nearby. Between 2010 … Continued
June 2, 2015
Wes Marshall on How to Make Denver a Walkable City With Safe Streets
When Steve Jobs built the iPod, he had his team design its remarkable look and intuitive function before asking them to cram the technology inside. That’s how CU Denver professor Wes Marshall thinks about Denver’s transition to becoming a 21st century transportation city — think big and then figure out the small stuff. Marshall is an engineer who thinks like … Continued
May 19, 2015
Road Diet, New Sidewalks, and Bike Lanes Coming to Blake Street Bridge
The Blake Street Bridge over 38th Street is a dangerous mess with three driving lanes, no sidewalks, and no dedicated space for bicycling. All of that is about to change, though, with a makeover that will narrow the space for traffic while adding sidewalks and striping bike lanes in each direction. This piece of Blake Street is an important … Continued
May 13, 2015
Widening Streets Near the Broadway and I-25 Transit Station Makes No Sense
At the same time that Denver seeks to become more walkable and transit-friendly, the city is pursuing road-widening projects that work directly against those goals. Sometimes the city even tries to do both things in the same place, and that’s what happening on South Broadway right now. In 2008, Denver adopted a Strategic Transportation Plan beginning with this … Continued
May 11, 2015
CU Denver Lays the Groundwork to Fill the Gaps in Denver’s Transit Network
Unlike Boston or New York, the Mile High City grew up around cars and maintains a robust network of wide, speedy roads — infrastructure at odds with the world-class transit network the city government says it wants, and that Denver residents demand. It might surprise you (perhaps not if you ride RTD often), but no comprehensive … Continued
May 8, 2015
Tomorrow: Help Shape Development By the I-25 and Broadway Station
How can South Broadway build on the I-25 and Broadway rail station to make a more walkable, active neighborhood? City planners are in the process of creating a plan that will shape the streets and development near the station, and they’re looking for ideas. If you want to weigh in on the neighborhood’s future, head over to … Continued
May 8, 2015