widening

Induced demand isn't news to Streetsblog readers. But a new report from Transportation for America illustrates exactly how stupid lane widenings really are.

A Koch-funded group argues that improving walking, biking and public transportation in Denver will actually increase traffic congestion. And that somehow the opposite, allowing a growing population to cram more cars onto already clogged streets — is the best way to move forward. Here's another vision for the city's streets.

To honor this second Global Climate Strike today, Gov. Jared Polis and Mayor Michael Hancock must commit to stop building new roads and expanding the ones we have.

A new report calls for the removal of America's 10 worst urban highways, including Interstate 70 through Denver’s mostly Latino neighborhoods of Elyria, Swansea, and Globeville. Local activists see the report as a chance to renew their calls to stop the project — especially after electing Gov. Polis, who campaigned on cutting vehicle emissions and increasing mass transit.

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 … Continued

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 … Continued

With one hand, Mayor Michael Hancock and his Department of Public Works are making ambitious commitments to end traffic deaths, but with the other, they’re still redesigning streets in a way that will increase the risk of people getting killed. The latest case in point: Public Works plans to widen Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard by two lanes, creating more dangerous conditions in a growing neighborhood. … Continued

Some people think widening highways is just an inherently good idea — the more space for traffic, the better. Count the Denver Post in that camp. The Post recently threw its wholehearted support behind widening I-70 by four lanes. Believing that wider highways will fix traffic problems is like believing that loosening your belt will fix your waistline. We … Continued

Engineers know that wide city streets with wide lanes are dangerous — those are the streets where people get killed by speeding drivers. But when people confronted Denver’s transportation agencies about the widening of Federal Boulevard, Colorado DOT and Denver Public Works blew off their safety concerns. Making the street safer for walking, they said, would ruin the whole … Continued