FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 7, 2026​

Contact:
Jill Locantore, Denver Streets Partnership, 303-895-6376, jill@denverstreetspartnership.org
Rob Greer, YIMBY Denver, 661-496-5202, robert.a.greer@gmail.com
Jamie Perkins, Twist and Tumble Kids Gymnastics, 760 S Colorado Blvd Unit L, 720-955-3752, office@twistandtumble.com
Saigopal Rangaraj, Greater Denver Transit, 719-201-2981, rsaigopal@outlook.com
Matt Frommer, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, 908-432-1556, mfrommer@swenergy.org
Ana Ilic, University Hills Neighborhood resident, 720-402-5688, a.ilic19@gmail.com
Elizabeth Bonney, Glendale resident, 908-499-3629, elizabethbonney@gmail.com

Coalition delivers 1,700+ signatures urging CDOT to advance bus-only lanes on Colorado Boulevard

DENVER — The Denver Streets Partnership today delivered 1,728 petition signatures and a sign-on letter from 18 local organizations to Shoshana Lew, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), calling for dedicated bus-only lanes on Colorado Boulevard as part of a high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) project.

The coalition is urging CDOT to give full consideration to center-running BRT, which is widely considered the gold standard for speed and reliability, and has the most impactful reductions to traffic fatalities and serious injuries. However, advocates emphasized that the most critical element is ensuring continuous, dedicated bus lanes to improve transit performance and increase safety along one of Denver’s busiest and most dangerous corridors.

“Colorado Boulevard is one of the most dangerous streets in Denver, with 18 people killed or seriously injured each year on average. We have a responsibility to redesign it for safety,” said Jill Locatore, Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership. “Dedicated bus lanes help organize the street, reduce dangerous weaving and speeding, and create a safer, more predictable environment for everyone, whether you’re walking, rolling, biking, taking the bus, or driving. We strongly encourage CDOT to evaluate center-running BRT, but what matters most is getting buses out of traffic and designing a corridor that saves lives.”

The petition and sign-on letter demonstrate strong public support for a high-quality project that supports affordable housing, reduces travel times for transit riders and encourages mode shift, improves air quality, and expands access to businesses and services.

“Denverites deserve more affordable transportation options and cleaner air. In the Denver metro area, households spend roughly $15,300 annually on transportation, with the vast majority of this budget going toward purchasing, insuring, and maintaining private vehicles. Owning a luxury item like a car should not be a requirement to move about our city. We need affordable multi-modal options that are fast, frequent, and reliable.

Colorado BRT, connecting two light rail lines and the soon-to-be-completed Colfax BRT, will move Denver to a more integrated transit network, where car-free and car-light living becomes more possible. This kind of quality transit is integral for arresting sprawl and preventing compact, affordable neighborhoods from being polluted, congested, and dangerous. YIMBY Denver is proud to support dedicated bus lines along the entire Colorado BRT route.”
— Rob Greer, YIMBY Denver

“Dedicated infrastructure is crucial to support reliable and frequent bus service that gives people a viable non-driving option on Colorado Blvd. You cannot invest in a subpar experience and expect people to willingly choose transit as an alternative to driving for their trips.”
— Saigopal Rangaraj, Greater Denver Transit

Local businesses along the corridor also see the value of faster, more reliable transit for customers and employees. DSP is calling for better support for existing businesses during construction so they can receive the benefits of the BRT.

“As a children’s gymnastics studio, we’re safety obsessed, so we’re all in on making it safer for families and our coaches to access our business. We’re located on Colorado Boulevard, and increasing the reliability and frequency of transit service on Colorado through dedicated bus lanes will be a game changer for our coaches who rely on RTD to get to work.”
— Jamie Perkins, Owner, Twist and Tumble Kids Gymnastics

Residents echoed the need for more reliable and efficient transportation options to move on and through Colorado Blvd.

“I take the 40 weekly for my commute and I’m always so frustrated when the buses get delayed in traffic. A dedicated bus lane for Colorado BRT would be an absolute dream, especially all the way to Colfax and even to the A line. Having my trip to 40th & Colorado take less than an hour? Yes, please!”
— Ana Ilic, Resident, University Hills Neighborhood

“Glendale residents, and all of us who use Colorado Boulevard, deserve better. We could have a bus rapid transit line built properly, with dedicated lanes ensuring that buses aren’t stuck behind cars, cars aren’t stuck behind buses, and access for emergency vehicles is improved. We could make Colorado Boulevard safer, more pleasant, and more efficient for everyone.
I live a few blocks from Colorado Boulevard, and I’m frustrated that the bus I use most is so often stuck behind cars, that they’re stuck behind the bus, and that emergency vehicles are stuck behind all of us! A well-designed BRT line with dedicated bus lanes would make the street work better for everyone, no matter how they’re traveling.”
— Elizabeth Bonney, Resident, City of Glendale

Advocates also highlighted the environmental benefits of investing in high-quality transit.

“With the Denver region expected to add another million residents by 2050, we need better transportation options now to prevent worsening traffic, pollution, and deadly crashes. CDOT’s modeling shows that true Bus Rapid Transit with dedicated bus lanes on Colorado Boulevard would deliver the greatest benefits and make the corridor a safer, more desirable place for everyone.”
— Matt Frommer, Smart Growth Program Director, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project

Colorado Boulevard serves thousands of daily bus riders and connects key destinations across the Denver metro area. Without dedicated lanes, buses remain delayed by congestion, limiting their usefulness for people who rely on transit and people who would otherwise choose not to drive.

The coalition is calling on CDOT to advance a design that prioritizes transit riders, improves safety along the corridor, and meets the region’s climate and mobility goals.

Entities signed on in support:
Denver Streets Partnership
Bicycle Colorado
Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC)
Conservation Colorado
CoPIRG
Denver Bicycle Lobby
Denver Regional Mobility & Access Council (DRMAC)
Greater Denver Transit
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)
Pedestrian Dignity
Servicios de La Raza
Servicios Sigue
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Strong Denver
The Sierra Club
YIMBY Denver
Kabob House
Twist and Tumble Kids Gymnastics

See the full sign-on letter here.

Full list of petition signatures [PDF]

Summary and key highlights

• 1,728 people signed the petition.
• Nearly 1 in 4 signers (23.9%, 413 people) lives directly on or next to Colorado Blvd (80206, 80207, 80220, 80222, 80224), demonstrating strong hyper-local public support for dedicated bus lanes from people who live nearby.
• Nearly 60% of signers (58%, 1,003 people) live within three miles of Colorado Blvd (80202, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 10, 11, 18, 20, 22), demonstrating strong local public support for dedicated bus lanes from people who live close to the corridor.
• 86% of signers (1,489 people) live in Denver, meaning there is strong support for a high-quality version of this project city-wide, and about 14% of signers (239 people) live in neighboring municipalities, showing that there is also regional buy-in for this corridor from suburban commuters and workers.
  • • This includes 1.27% of signers (22 people) living in Glendale, which is about .5% of the city’s total population.
    • Most of the signers outside the city and county of Denver live in Aurora (8%, or 138 people), with the second-most living in Lakewood (2.4%, or 41 people), and the third-most living in Englewood (1.4%, or 24 people). Clearly high-quality transit on Colorado Blvd with dedicated bus lanes is supported by and would connect people across the Denver metro area.