walking
WalkDenver: Hancock’s Budget “Reflects a Status Quo Mentality”
Last week Streetsblog looked at Mayor Michael Hancock’s proposed 2017 budget and was not impressed. Despite the mayor’s stated commitment to ending traffic deaths, he’s not committing much in the way of actual resources to safe walking and biking. The pedestrian advocates at WalkDenver have been combing through the budget as well. In a newsletter published today, WalkDenver says that despite … Continued
September 22, 2016
Hancock’s Budget Fails to Deliver on His Vision Zero Promises
“The truth about a city’s aspirations isn’t found in its vision,” says former Vancouver planning chief Brent Toderian. “It’s found in its budget.” With the release of Mayor Michael Hancock’s 2017 budget proposal, you can see the truth about his promise to eliminate traffic deaths — so far, it’s mostly hot air. In February, Hancock said … Continued
September 13, 2016
WalkDenver Audit Quantifies Difficulty of Walking on East Colfax
A third of the people traveling along East Colfax Avenue and surrounding streets are walking, taking transit or biking, but that doesn’t mean the streets are well-designed for anything other than driving a car. Now, there’s data to prove it from a recent “walkability audit” by WalkDenver. The report quantifies what many people already know about the … Continued
August 29, 2016
Meet Denver’s First Full-Time Pedestrian Planner
Mayor Michael Hancock made room in this year’s budget to hire Denver’s first full-time pedestrian planner, and Denver Public Works recently filled the post. His name is David Pulsipher. Pulsipher comes to the Mile High City from the Chicago Department of Transportation, where he headed up a program focusing on pedestrian infrastructure near Chicago’s 1,500 … Continued
August 26, 2016
If Colorado Doesn’t Spend Smarter on Transport, It’s Going to Choke on Cars
Investing in transit, walking, and biking infrastructure has never been more urgent in Colorado. With the state’s population projected to grow by 2.4 million by 2040, Colorado will choke on its growth unless Governor John Hickenlooper and state and local leaders change course, according to a new report by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group and the Southwestern Energy Efficiency Project … Continued
August 23, 2016
Denver Has a Plan for Safer Westwood Streets, Now Hancock Needs to Fund It
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 … Continued
June 15, 2016
Shape the Future of Denver’s Streets By Joining the “Community Think Tank”
Will Denver’s growth lead to streets and neighborhoods that are walkable, bikeable, and transit-rich — or suffocated with cars? You can weigh in . City Hall is currently pursuing four major plans under the “Denveright” umbrella. These include a strategy to improve transit service inside Denver proper, a blueprint for a seamless pedestrian network, and a land use plan to integrate development with transit. … Continued
June 8, 2016
Denver’s Sidewalk Policy Is Designed to Fail, But That May Be Changing
It’s safe to say that Denver City Council members cannot plead ignorance on the city’s embarrassing walking infrastructure, following a meeting Wednesday where reps from Denver Public Works briefed lawmakers on the state of the city’s sidewalks. It was the first gathering of the Sidewalk Working Group, a committee led by Councilman Paul Kashmann and formed at the … Continued
January 28, 2016
Eyes on the Street: Tail Tracks Plaza Opens Near Union Station
People walking and biking can traverse the Union Station neighborhood a little more easily now that Tail Tracks Plaza is open between Wewatta and 16th. The plaza is a helpful cut-through that makes it easier for people to get to and from transit, nearby bike lanes, the 16th Street Mall, and the Cherry Creek Trail. … Continued
January 8, 2016
WalkScope Makes Planetizen’s Top 10 Websites of 2015
Give it up for WalkScope, the crowdsourcing tool that allows anyone and everyone to map the quality of Denver’s streets. Planetizen, a popular website about urban design and planning, has rated WalkScope one of its top 10 websites of 2015. Here’s more from Planetizen: WALKscope is the rare example of crowd-sourced public engagement that actually works. WalkDenver and … Continued
January 7, 2016