Denver Streets Partnership supports RTD’s System Optimization Plan

March 7, 2022

Debra Johnson
CEO and General Manager, Regional Transportation District
1660 Blake Street
Denver, CO 80202

Vince Buzek
RTD Board Chair, Regional Transportation District
1660 Blake Street
Denver, CO 80202

Doug Monroe
Senior Service Planner/Scheduler, Regional Transportation District
1660 Blake Street
Denver, CO 80202

Dear CEO and General Manager Johnson, Board Chair Buzek, and Mr. Monroe,

On behalf of the Denver Streets Partnership (DSP), we are writing to express our support for the RTD System Optimization Plan (SOP). DSP is a coalition of community groups advocating for people-friendly streets in Denver. The members of our coalition believe in an equitable and vibrant Denver that guarantees our public spaces are designed for people. We believe that human dignity should be the guiding principle for the design of our transportation system so that everyone can thrive and connect to what matters most.

Given RTD’s current funding and labor limitations we are glad that RTD has undertaken the SOP and believe that the guiding principles are the right ones. DSP is committed to advocating for public transit in Denver that is equitable, sustainable, supported by land use policies that foster density, safe, accessible, affordable, and reliable. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted ridership patterns of people who rely most on public transit to get where they need to go and we are glad to see RTD prioritizing transit dependent riders and the Title VI Service Equity Policies. Given RTD’s limitations, we believe that this is the right decision-making philosophy, and support the adoption of this plan in its current form, so long as any service changes will not result in a reduction of current Access-a-Ride service area.

The SOP is about making tough choices with the limited resources available to RTD. We’d be remiss not to note that the 2027 service projected in the SOP falls well short of what we need to adequately serve the Denver metro region and meet our air quality, climate, access, and safety goals. Now more than ever we need leaders not just within RTD, but at the local, state, and federal levels to come to the table to get public transit back on track and identify additional resources for RTD.

We’re looking forward to continuing to engage with RTD through the adoption of the SOP and the remainder of the Reimagine RTD process. Please let us know if you have any questions or if you would like to continue this dialogue.

Sincerely,

Hilarie Portel
Transportation Chair
All In Denver

Jaime Lewis
Transit Advisor
Colorado Cross Disability Coalition

Deya Zavala
Executive Director
Mile High Connects

CC:

Brian Welch
Bill Van Meter
Michael Davies
Tina Aragon

Download this letter as a PDF by clicking here.

3/11/2022