Op-Ed: Denver: Make transit-oriented living possible for everyone

The Denver region has an unprecedented opportunity to lead the country in shaping a more sustainable, livable and affordable metropolis. The public elected to invest over $6 billion into one of the largest rapid transit systems in the country, including 122 miles of light rail and 18 miles of bus rapid transit (1). The return on this investment will be measured not just by how many riders the system attracts, but by the social and economic backgrounds of those riders. Public transit cannot become luxury good only available to those who can afford to live near it. We need to demand smart and aggressive public policy to ensure housing around transit stations remains affordable to a wide range of people. Otherwise, we will continue to compound the inequities that stifle the social mobility of so many of our citizens.

Controversial road pricing in Denver: drawbacks of public-private partnerships

Like many state and local governments, Denver and the state of Colorado have realized that the demand for new taxes falls short of demand for new roads.  In light of revenue constraints, Colorado turned to the Federal Highway Administration’s Innovative Program Delivery unit to coordinate the eight member jurisdictions and a range of private investment firms, including the now defunct Lehman Brothers, to build the E-470 Tollway. The 47-mile road completes the eastern side of the beltway around the Denver region. The western end of the beltway never quite completed the loop, however, as environmental groups protested the proposed alignment that ran along a wildlife refuge and cut through open space reserves.  E-470, which runs through distant eastern exurbs of Denver and the wide open Colorado prairie, faced no such opposition.

Denver RTD's Business-Like Transit Management

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of the greater Denver region has gained quite a bit of attention from their highly innovative service management approach. From the planning, construction, and operations of it's multi-modal service, RTD has proved to be ahead of the curve in how it does business.

Transit-Oriented Development in FasTracks

With the start of the FasTracks program, the RTD Board of Directors decided to revise their transit –oriented development (TOD) policy in order to allow for flexible and proactive planning of TOD during  rapid transit projects.

Transportation equity in Denver

Blumenberg and Melville's article Beyond Spatial Mismatch identifies Denver as one of example of a "postpedestrian urban form" created as a result of the majority of the city's growth occurring after the widespread adoption of the automobile. Denver, therefore, is not like many Northeastern and Midwestern cities that have major concentrations of low-income families in the inner city, where property values are lower and housing affordable. (Blumenberg and Melville 2004) As the non-profit Mile High Connects explains in their Denver Equity Atlas: "Poverty in Denver is a regional issue". (Mile High Connects 2012)

The Health Benefits of Denver's New West Line LRT

Research has shown that uses of public transportation benefit from increased physical activity when compared to private automobile use. In fact, transit users took 30 percent more steps per day and spent 8.3 more minutes walking than drivers, a major step towards curbing obesity (Active Living Research 2009). An interesting design feature of public transit to point out is that bus transit typically has shorter stop spacing than rail transit, so perhaps light rail riders benefit even more by accessing the stations on foot or by bike, particularly to access more frequency rail service.

Can Denver become a low-carbon city?

Compared to cities across the globe, Denver ranks as one of the highest per capita contributors of carbon emissions. (Kennedy et al 2009) Denver also ranks high within the United States, as total GHG emissions in Denver are 21.5 metric tons per capita, 25% higher than the national average of 17.2. Denver's per capita GHG emissions are double that of New York City, and 65% greater than Los Angeles. (Kennedy et al 2009) Coal-based electricity and a relatively cold climate, which requires more heating, drive the majority of Denver's emissions, but transportation is still responsible for 30% of total output. (City of Denver 2005) 

The Brown Cloud in Denver

Back in the 1970’s, Denver started to become known for its poor air quality so they began implementing new measures in order to reduce pollution.

Traffic Congestion in Denver on the Rise

According to a recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute, traffic congestion along Denver's freeways is getting worse. In fact, it appears to be at its all-time worst. The study concluded that Denver is ranked No. 15 in the list of cities with the most traffic congestion delay, and is costing each driver approximately $16.79 per hour. In addition, the commuter stress factors have been increasing, suggesting the limited tolerance for these increases in traffic congestion. CDOT officials are concerned about this increase as they only have budget to maintain existing infrastructure rather than the ability to build extra capacity. However, RTD's FasTracks plan should be able to mitigate some of the concern for this increased traffic congestion.

Denver's Private Market Defense against Distracted Driving

The invention of cell phones and their significant use in our daily lives has pushed distracted driving to the front line as a driver safety issue. States have been implementing laws to prevent the use of cell phones while driving. Colorado state law bans texting and driving but there is no ban against handheld cell phone use except for novice drivers. Other than public policy, how is the private sector in Denver reacting to this push for safer driving?  

Financing Denver RTD's FasTracks Plan

In the early 2000s, The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of the greater Denver area developed a very robust and ambitious plan to construct and operate more than 100 additional miles of commuter and light rail service throughout the region by 2017. Funding for what RTD calls FasTracks was supported by a 2004 voter-approved regional sales tax measure that dedicates 4 cents to every dollar spent to the project. This allowed the project to begin, however, due to an unexpected downturn in the economy and other unplanned financial constraints, RTD realized an additional sales tax increase was imperative.