COLORADO POLITICS – When COVID-19 first hit, Denver residents flocked to city parks in droves to escape cabin fever from the new stay-at-home orders.
For Jill Locantore, executive director of Denver Streets Partnership, this pandemic experiment represents the future of what Denver can be. “It’s opened people’s eyes to what parks can be like if we restrict vehicles and prioritize people,” Locantore said. “And they like it better that way.”
A few months after the restrictions began, the organization sent surveys to Denver residents asking for opinions on the car-restricted parks. Locantore said they received “overwhelming support.” Of the 800 respondents, 90% said they want the restrictions to continue permanently. The survey also reported increased use of parks since the restrictions began.
“It’s unclear to me what the benefit would be of deteriorating that experience by allowing cars back into parks,” Locantore said.
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