May 25, 2021
Mayor Michael Hancock
1437 N Bannock St. Rm 350
Denver, CO 80202
Dear Mayor Hancock,
On behalf of the Denver Streets Partnership (DSP), we wish to thank you for sustaining funding for the buildout of Denver’s sidewalk and bicycle networks in the City’s 2021 Annual Budget, despite the difficult economic conditions facing Denver during the pandemic. The recent poll that the Denver Streets Partnership commissioned underscores the importance of continuing to fund these basic elements of our transportation system, with 31% percent of respondents indicating they anticipate biking more frequently than they did prior to the pandemic, and support for the buildout of the Denver Moves Bikes plan remaining strong at 80%.
We also wish to commend you for staying true to your commitment of building out 125 miles of bike facilities by 2024, with 40 miles completed in 2020. With the continued buildout of the bike network, we strongly encourage you to ensure the majority of these new facilities are truly high comfort, safe, and accessible for people of all ages, from 8 years old to 80 years old.
As you develop the City’s 2022 Annual Budget, we urge you to not only continue funding the build out of sidewalks and bike lanes throughout the city, but to also invest in the additional elements of a complete transportation system that are necessary for reducing Denver’s unhealthy, unsustainable dependence on cars and achieving our city’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, eliminating traffic fatalities, and providing a variety of safe, convenient and affordable transportation options for everyone. This must include investments in transit, more efficient management of limited curbside space, and comprehensive strategies for improving safety.
Below are specific mobility investments we recommend including in the 2022 Annual Budget:
$3M for new sidewalk construction and $5M for Denver Moves Bicycles implementation
Blueprint Denver and numerous other citywide plans clearly state that people walking and rolling are the top priority on all city streets, followed closely by people using bikes and other space-efficient modes of transportation. To live up to this stated prioritization, the City must at the very least continue the same annual funding levels for sidewalks and bike lanes established in the 2020 and 2021 Annual Budgets.
$8M for transit
The pandemic revealed how dependent on transit we all are. Many of the essential workers we rely on to keep our grocery store shelves stocked and support our health care system are low-wage earners who need transit to get to their jobs. The lack of good transit options harms the most vulnerable members of our community the most, disproportionately impacting Black and Latino residents, as well as lower-income households and those without access to a private vehicle. The City and County of Denver has a direct role to play in improving transit service on our streets, and can fund these improvements both through the Annual Budget and the new Climate Protection Fund. A $8M investment in 2022 would support three core areas of improvement:
- $2M for speed and reliability improvements on top priority corridors identified through the Denver Moves Transit Phase 2 planning process currently underway. This level of funding would support final designs for 3-4 corridors, which could be implemented by 2023.
- $2M for bus stop amenities that support the basic dignity and comfort of people using transit. This level of funding would enable improvements at 100-120 bus stops out of approximately 2,850 across the city.
- $4M for increased service frequencies on top priority corridors identified through the Denver Moves Transit Phase 2 planning process currently underway. Frequent service is essential for transit to actually be a useful option for Denver residents. This level of funding would allow peak period frequencies to increase from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes on four corridors.
$1M for curbside management and parking strategies
Denver’s buildout of bike lanes across the city, which often involves the removal of some on-street parking spaces, increasing demand for home deliveries during the pandemic, and the ongoing popularity of e-scooter and bike share in Denver has highlighted the need for the City to more efficiently and proactively manage limited curbside space. To this end, in 2021 the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure will be developing a new curbside management plan. Funding in the 2022 Annual Budget will support the implementation of specific strategies identified in the plan, as well as more consistent and comprehensive data collection on parking demand and supply, to inform better decision making and management of public street space as well as off-street parking options.
$2M for speed limit reduction
Speed is one of the most important factors that determine whether traffic crashes happen, and whether a crash results in a serious injury and fatality. In addition to implementing street designs that reinforce safe speeds, cities across the U.S. are enacting comprehensive speed limit reductions, with demonstrated safety benefits. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure will be soon wrapping up a feasibility study of reducing speed limits in Denver, including changing the default speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph. A $2M investment in the 2022 budget would support implementation of this change through the removal and replacement of existing speed limit signs, as well as installation of new speed limit signs every ¼ mile and at key gateway locations.
$2.2M for Vision Zero
Denver is now in the fourth year of its five-year Vision Zero Action Plan, and still has a long way to go before achieving the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by the year 2030. Fifty-seven people were killed in traffic crashes on Denver’s streets in 2020, and fatal crashes are on pace to exceed this number in 2021. To reverse this trend, Denver must at a minimum sustain its investment in street safety improvements established in the 2020 budget, including funding for the Neighborhood Transportation and Traffic Calming program, pedestrian crossing improvements, Safe Routes to School, and other Vision Zero implementation projects.
The table below summarizes our recommendations for the 2022 Annual Budget:
| Category | DSP 2022 recommendation | 2021 Budget |
| New sidewalk construction | $3M | $3M |
| Denver Moves Bicycles implementation | $5M | $5M |
| Transit | $8M* ($2M speed and reliability, $2M bus stop amenities, $4M increased service frequencies) | $500K |
| Curbside management and parking strategies | $1M | N/A |
| Speed limit reduction | $2M | N/A |
| Vision Zero | $2.2M | $2.2M |
*Transit improvements could be funded both through the Annual Budget and the new Climate Protection Fund
Denver has been a leader during the pandemic on redesigning streets and public spaces to support community vitality and encourage healthy, active transportation. As we emerge from the pandemic, Denver’s continued leadership will be imperative to ensure that our transportation system supports the reconstruction of a more just, equitable, and sustainable economy. If you have any questions about these recommendations, please contact Jill Locantore at jill@denverstreetspartnership.org or 303-895-6376.
Thank you for your consideration,
Jill Locantore
Executive Director
Denver Streets Partnership
Danny Katz
Executive Director, CoPIRG
Chair, Denver Streets Partnership Steering Committee
Molly McKinley
Policy and Organizing Manager, Bicycle Colorado
Vice-Chair, Denver Streets Partnership Steering Committee
Ken Schroeppel
Board Member
YIMBY Denver
Hilarie Portell
Transportation & Mobility Chair
All In Denver
Michael Ruddock
Policy Manager
Healthier Colorado
Jaime Lewis
Transit Advisor
Colorado Cross Disability Coalition
Cindy Chang
Executive Director
Groundwork Denver
Kate Williams
Executive Director
DRMAC
Deyanira Zavala
Executive Director
Mile High Connects
Rob Toftness
Co-founder
Denver Bicycle Lobby
Dan Shah
Executive Director
West Colfax Business Improvement District
Rebecca Dubroff
Government Relations Director
American Heart Association
Nick LeMasters
President and CEO
Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District
cc: Evan Dreyer
Eulois Cleckley
Nicholas Williams
Jennifer Hillhouse
Emily Gloeckner
David Krutsinger
David Pulsipher
Rolf Eisinger
Brendan Hanlon
Grace Rink
Emily Snyder
Amanda Sandoval
Kevin Flynn
Jamie Torres
Kendra Black
Amanda Sawyer
Paul Kashmann
Jolon Clark
Chris Herndon
Candi CdeBaca
Chris Hinds
Stacie Gilmore
Robin Kneich
Debbie Ortega