• I will support efforts to improve public transit as I believe it is the city’s responsibility to
  maintain and ensure Denverites have safe access to transit.
• I will support safe streets through better design, slower speeds, and much better sidewalks adjacent to arterials.
• I will support safe and connected bicycle infrastructure throughout the region and support green transportation alternatives.

Transportation, land use, and the environment are inextricably tied together. Better land use brings better transportation options. Better transportation options bring better environmental conditions. Better transportation, especially better transit, brings better land use development and more access to jobs. 

One of the many reasons I moved to Denver was because I wanted to live in a place that supported public transit. Even with that strong support in the region for the concept of transit, the land use in the newer suburbs and suburban-style areas of Denver are difficult to serve.

As the pandemic resulted in discontinued bus lines, the strongest bus lines remain operating on busy commerce streets like Colfax, Broadway and Federal; these streets are surrounded by development patterns that support transit. The state should fund some of the operational costs of the transportation agency that serves over half of Colorado’s population across neighborhoods and bus lines.

I believe arterial and collector streets should have a maximum speed limit of 25 miles per hour. Over 70 people died in Denver due to traffic crashes in 2021, many more sustained serious injuries. I’m certain some people will still recklessly drive no matter what the speed limit is, but I believe enough people will drive at slower speeds and help reduce the number of injuries and deaths. New York City, for instance, with over 8 million residents, experienced fewer than 200 traffic fatalities in 2018, four years after it reduced the default speed limit to 25 miles per hour. Fifty-eight people were killed in crashes in Denver in 2018. Denver had less than 1/10 the population of New York City but had 1/4 as many traffic fatalities. Everyone should make it home.

Speed limits are only part of the answer. Road design is another part. Safe spaces to walk/roll along arterials, like Federal Boulevard, Colorado Boulevard, Alameda Avenue, and Sheridan Boulevard, are needed for the safety of Denver’s residents and visitors. This would overall allow people more mobility and better access to the transit system. Elements such as tree-lined streets, clear lines of sight, speed bumps and road diets also help calm traffic and are proven to improve safety.

A safe and connected bicycle network is also vital to improve Denver’s transportation network. Bicyclists, people using mobility devices, and pedestrians would be better protected from traffic with bike lanes and a maximum 25 mile per hour speed limit on major roads.