January 9th, 2020 Meeting Notes
by Jonathan Pitocco

Our January meeting had a record-setting 63 people in attendance!  Topics covered were:

Jeff Walker, RTD Boardmember, shared his thoughts on:

• The current driver/operator shortage and how it got as bad as it is (currently down 60 light rail operators and 80 bus operators, relative to what would be needed to meet scheduled service)
• Changes to improve recruiting (e.g. pay) and retention (e.g. better working hours) in order to restore the service currently under discussion to be cut to match existing resources
• His thoughts on the Reimagine RTD effort and how other transit agencies have developed a more ridership-focused bus network with similar efforts.
• What he’s looking for in the next RTD General Manager.  (The Interim GM search is occurring now and the permanent GM search will begin shortly.)
• His experience and reflections on serving on a geographically-elected RTD Board

Pat Kennedy with the Denver Dept. of Transportation and Infrastructure (DoTI) presented on:

• Snowplowing practices for arterials, collectors, and local streets, for regular and extraordinary snow events.
• He provided a review of the late November 2019 storm aftermath, how local streets were affected more than usual due to the prolonged post-storm cold, and possibilities for more local street work for severe events in the future.
• The 2020 paving schedule and an overview of historical and current pavement quality by street type.
• Full presentation deck (PDF)  Full presentation deck with animations and video (PPTX)

Nick Williams, DoTI, presented on micro-mobility, including;

• The history of bike and scooter sharing under the Dockless Pilot Program, including ridership stats
• A preview of the forthcoming Request for Proposals to bike-share and scooter-share companies, looking for one or a small number of providers to have an exclusive contract with Denver for bike and scooter share. The RFP is expected out in January, and an operator may be in place by late summer.
• This move from an open permit-based approach to a more negotiated selected-provider approach has taken on more urgency with the shutdown of the B-Cycle system at the end of January recently announced by Denver Bicycle Sharing.
• Full presentation deck (PDF)

Eulois Cleckley, Executive Director of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure provided a look ahead for 2020:

• 2020 will see a continued intense focus on Vision Zero goal
• 2020 will be guided by an emphasis on equity in project selection and rollout
• Mr. Cleckley provided an overview of all major projects and studies planned for the year.
• Full presentation deck (PDF)

2020 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!

• Thursday, March 12th, 2020 — 6pm-8pm
• Thursday, May 14th, 2020 — 6pm-8pm
• Thursday, July 9th, 2020 — 6pm-8pm
• Thursday, September 10th, 2020 — 6pm-8pm
• Thursday, November 12th, 2020 — 6pm-8pm