May 2018 Meeting Notes
by Brian Larson

Our meeting on May 10, 2018 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 1201 Williams Street was a timely event, with all five speakers addressing current legislation and policy changes, including some which had occurred as recently as the night before. It also addressed areas where residents of Denver get to have a say in how our transportation future looks.

Our evening kicked off with Eric M Richardson of CDOT appearing to talk about the transportation funding initiatives that are the result of recent legislation and may appear on the ballot as early as this fall. Eric addressed the potential of the tax and bond initiatives allowing CDOT to move beyond a maintenance-heavy budget to new projects, as well as local city and county grant flexibility. The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce proposed sales tax increase was also discussed, with the Chamber announcing its final decision on May 18th. Finally, the “Fix Our Damn Roads!” initiative was discussed, including how its bond-focused approach differed from SB 18-001 and the Chamber ballot measures. Eric’s slides are available.

Maya Nesbit and Chris Primus pivoted the discussion towards the Mobility Choice Blueprint. A partnership between RTD, CDOT, DRCOG, and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, their goal is the alignment of all three agencies in issues of technology, communities, and mobility that ensure Denver is able to address transportation and technology trends by using the best possible smart city technology. Maya and Chris have made their slides available to INC. The Blueprint is currently engaging in public outreach and you can take their Mile High Traveler quiz here: http://www.mobilitychoiceblueprintquiz.com/

Jeff Becker of RTD followed up by addressing the importance of reliable transit performance. Bus stop consolidation was first on the list due to RTD’s inherited legacy stops from prior transit systems. This has resulted in 15-25% extra bus stops that slow down the system. RTD is in the process of reducing stops and recently removed 150 after May 20, 2018. Jeff also fielded questions about difficulty in attending meetings and opportunities for outreach engagement through RNOs to improve public comments on the necessity of certain stops. Second on the list was providing transit with signal priority based off the cellular network. The goal of this technology is to improve on-time bus performance. RTD has rolled out a pilot system along Colfax in April and hopes to expand this soon. Jeff Becker has made his slides available.

Lynne Brown of the Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee rounded out the night by discussing construction detour recommendations developed by MPAC. MPAC noticed pedestrian safety issues where construction closed off sidewalks and inadequate detours were provided. Lynne provided the example of Seattle’s Policy on Sidewalk Closure as Last Resort as their inspiration for MPAC’s 8 recommendations. These recommendations ranged from a protected pedestrian pathway when sidewalks are closed, ADA compliant routes, and lowered speeds. Lynne Brown’s compelling slides are available, with clear pictures and diagrams.

The INC Transportation Committee then voted to recommend that the INC Delegates officially support MPAC’s recommended policy. The motion passed 19-0 with 2 attending who work for the city not voting.
 

2018 Meeting Schedule
The INC Transportation Committee’s meetings throughout 2018 will be held at 1201 Williams St., 19th Floor from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Thank you to Michael Henry for the wonderful space!

• September 13th, 2018
• November 8th, 2018