FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Contact:
Jill Locantore, Denver Streets Partnership, 303-895-6376, jill@denverstreetspartnership.org
Rob Toftness, Denver Bicycle Lobby, 720-498-0916, rob@nosquish.com
Alejandra X. Castañeda, Pedestrian Dignity, 303-718-9678, alejandra@pedestriandignity.com
James Flattum, Greater Denver Transit, 949-514-1030, james.flattum@outlook.com
Coalition Releases Mayor’s Report Card on Transportation Safety, Access and Mobility
DENVER — A coalition of community organizations and grassroots advocates today released a new Mayor’s Report Card evaluating Mayor Mike Johnston’s first two full years in office on transportation safety, access and mobility. The report assigns the Mayor a grade of D, citing rising traffic deaths, slowed implementation of road-safety projects, and the redirection of funding away from life-saving street infrastructure.
The report was authored by Denver Streets Partnership, Denver Bicycle Lobby, Pedestrian Dignity and Greater Denver Transit, with additional organizations signing on to endorse its findings.
“We represent organizations and grassroots advocates working across Denver to improve safety, equity, public health and access to opportunity,” the coalition said in a letter to the Mayor. “While our missions may differ, we are united by a shared concern: Denver’s streets are becoming more dangerous and inaccessible, and the current administration is falling behind on its commitments to protect people’s lives and provide safe, accessible and sustainable transportation choices.”
The data outlined in the report are stark. Since mid-2023 when Mayor Johnston was sworn into office, more than 200 people have been killed on Denver’s roadways, with 2025 marking the deadliest year since Vision Zero reporting began. People walking, rolling, biking and accessing transit are disproportionately impacted. Today, violent traffic crashes claim more lives in Denver than homicides.
“This level of human loss is not inevitable, and it is not acceptable,” said Jill Locantore, Executive Director of Denver Streets Partnership. “Traffic violence is a public-policy failure, and it demands urgent leadership. It’s especially disappointing that the Mayor’s recently released goals for 2026 make no mention of reducing traffic fatalities, even though he identified safety as a key focus area.”
As the report documents, Denver does not suffer from a lack of plans or public support. Over the past decade under the previous mayor, the City adopted a comprehensive set of transportation plans, developed through robust community engagement, to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries, reduce pollution and climate impacts, and expand safe options to walk, roll, bike and take transit.
“As a candidate, Mayor Johnston made clear commitments to execute these plans and expand proven safety measures,” said Rob Toftness, Co-Founder of the Denver Bicycle Lobby. “Two years into his administration, we’ve seen progress slow and critical projects weakened, often to preserve convenience rather than protect people.”
The report finds that dedicated funding for transportation safety infrastructure has been redirected away from street improvements, and that projects on some of Denver’s most dangerous roads have been delayed or scaled back in response to political pressure.
“For people who have no choice but to walk, use a wheelchair or take the bus, decisions to delay road-safety projects mean they must continue risking their lives to access even the most basic services,” said Alejandra X. Castañeda, Pedestrian Dignity Co-organizer in the Denver metro area. “As long as elected and transportation officials keep postponing or weakening interventions to improve safety and access on our streets, we will get the same predictable and tragic results.”
The coalition also raised concerns about the lack of investment in transit improvements, including the decision to pursue widening of Peña Boulevard without considering a transit-first, no-widening alternative.
“Fast, frequent, reliable, and accessible transit is essential for expanding access to opportunity, cutting pollution, and making our transportation system safer for everyone” said James Flattum, Co-Lead of Greater Denver Transit. “Instead of pursuing roadway widenings that will deepen our unsustainable dependence on cars and driving, we need our City to strengthen its partnership with RTD and invest in greater frequency and reliability to make transit a more competitive option.”
The report card is intended as a collective call to course-correct. It outlines clear, achievable actions that would immediately improve public safety outcomes, including restoring dedicated funding for Vision Zero and multimodal infrastructure, prioritizing proven interventions on high-injury corridors, accelerating construction of a connected and protected bike and accessibility network, and investing in faster, more reliable transit.
“We are releasing this report because lives are at stake,” the coalition said. “Denver has the plans, the tools, and the public mandate to save lives. What is needed now is moral clarity, political will and leadership.”
The full Mayor’s Report Card is available at:
https://denverstreetspartnership.org/mayors-report-card/
Report Authors:
Denver Streets Partnership
Denver Bicycle Lobby
Pedestrian Dignity
Greater Denver Transit
Organizations Endorsing the Report:
Bicycle Colorado
Bike Streets
Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC)
Denver Regional Mobility & Access Council (DRMAC)
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
Strong Denver
Washington Park East Neighborhood Association (WPENA)
West Washington Park Neighborhood Association (WWPNA)
YIMBY Denver