From Streetsblog

• Traffic Violence Report: Drivers killed one pedestrian in Aurora and two in Denver. Denver traffic fatalities are up 29 percent so far this year, with 37 dead compared to 29 at this point in 2018. (Streetsblog Denver)

Other news

• RTD’s A Line is operating again after a train hit a pedestrian. (Denver Post)
• Aurora police arrested a boy suspected of killing a pedestrian at the Gaylord Rocky’s Resort. (Aurora Sentinel)
• Before Denver police shot and killed him, the man who fired a gun into the air downtown on Monday morning had just been kicked off a bus after smashing its windshield. (Denver Post)
• A passenger on the bus used RTD’s Transit Watch app to report the crime. (Fox 31)
• Lakewood NIMBYs won a ballot measure that will limit housing construction to one percent of the town’s existing stock. (Denver Post)
• RTD loses $4 million in legal fees after a judge calls the agency’s law firm “unprofessional.” The fees are related to the $80 million lawsuit between RTD and its private partner, Denver Transit Partners, over the cost of A Line delays. (9 News)
• Private-Public Partnerships, including at RTD and DIA, “have been costly and complicated,” but in Denver, Mayor Hancock has signaled that more are coming. (CPR)
• RTD wants to get more people in Denver to ride transit. (Colorado Politics)
• CU Boulder will take over operations of the Stampede bus line from RTD on Aug. 12. (CU Boulder)
• Denver Air Quality Index: 6 a.m.: 41 Good. Yesterday’s max: 67 Moderate.
• National headlines at Streetsblog USA.

In 1982, the 16th Street Mall opened and the Free MallRide started service. Today the line is RTD’s most popular, with 10,739,866 boardings in 2017. Photo: RTD

From Streetsblog

• Re-post: RTD at 50: The 50 most fascinating facts and stats. (Streetsblog Denver)
• Oregon bans zoning for single-family homes in large cities. (Streetsblog USA)

Other news

• A juvenile driver killed Levi Montoya, 23, and injured two others in a hit-and-run outside of the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora. (9 News, Denver Post)
• Family member says Montoya died trying to save others. (Denver7)
• A driver smashed into a 7-11 on East Colfax and ran off. (Denver Post)
• RTD should focus on better bus service to Boulder and Longmont instead of building a $1.5 million rail line, says transit advocate Danny Katz. (CPR)
• A proposed protected bike lane on S. Marion Street has Wash Park residents worried. (9 News)
• Public Works is building a pedestrian bridge that will allow elementary school students in Elyria-Swansea to avoid being late for school when trains stop for long periods of time. (Denverite)
• More on the new Major Taylor mural on the Cherry Creek Trail. (9 News)
• 2 high-ranking officials with Denver Public Works are out after an investigation. (Denver Post, Denver 7)
• In the U.S., and in Denver, “building walkable cities is the key to economic success.” (Curbed)
• Should Lakewood cap development at one percent per year? (Denver 7)
• Denver Air Quality Index: 6 a.m.: 36 Good. Yesterday’s max: 64 Moderate.
• National headlines at Streetsblog USA.

Artist Jonny Pucci paints a mural of Major Taylor. Photo: Andy Bosselman

From Streetsblog

• A new mural on the Cherry Creek Trail honors Major Taylor, the first black world cycling champion. (Streetsblog Denver)

Special coverage of Central 70 highway widening:

• The rate of asthma has jumped 41 in Elyria-Swansea, home to the most polluted zip code in America, and dust and diesel exhaust is getting worse since construction started on the I-70 expansion. (Denver Post)
• Video: “It feels like a snake wrapped around your chest,” says 13-year-old Olivia Sanchez about experiencing an asthma attack. (Denver Post)
• Infographics: Asthma in Denver: Search rates by neighborhood. (Denver Post)
• Here’s what you can expect as the massive (and controversial) I-70 expansion works its way toward completion over the next few years. (5280)

 Other news

• A 173-mile Front Range commuter rail system will start construction by the end of Polis’ first term in 3 1/2 years, says official. (Colorado Politics)
• More than 31,000 people participated in Wednesday’s Bike to Work Day. (Denver7)
• They burned more than 34 million calories. (Denver Post)
• Timeline: 50 years of RTD. (Denver Post) (Westword)
• RTD will host rider appreciation birthday events today. (Mass Transit)
• RTD started after neighbors refused to allow a freeway in their neighborhood. (Denver Post)
• Crashes on I-25 from Monument to Castle Rock are up more than 50 percent since the “Gap” freeway widening started last fall. (Gazette)
• More on the low-stress bike map. (Fox 31)
• Neighbors wrote “Please tow me” on an illegally parked car. (Denver7)
• Commentary: Tomorrow, Lakewood voters will decide Measure 200 which would limit growth. It’s not a good idea, says expert. (Westword)
• Commentary: Boulder voters do not want to wait 46 years for the train they’ve been paying taxes on since 2004. (Daily Camera)
• Suncor oil refinery hit by Colorado health department for emitting toxic gas. (Denver Post)
• Denver Air Quality Index: 6 a.m.: 32 Good. Yesterday’s max: 54 Moderate.
• National headlines at Streetsblog USA.