PRESS RELEASE — Friday, September 24, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT
Jill Locantore, Executive Director, the Denver Streets Partnership
jill@denverstreetspartnership.org | 303-895-6376
DENVER — Denver residents want City officials to experience first-hand what they’ve long known: our sidewalk network doesn’t walk the walk. That’s why community members are organizing walking tours with their City Council representatives and calling attention to Denver’s inadequate sidewalks. The tours are collectively called Sidewalk Palooza, and they begin Friday, September 24 at 3 p.m.
Walking tours have been organized in City Council districts across the city and will be attended by relevant City Council members. Each tour has been organized by community members who want to see improvements to the way we fund and maintain sidewalks—our most essential infrastructure.
“Sidewalks allow my daughter and me to safely walk to her school. Most sidewalks in the neighborhood, however, are not wide enough and we have to walk in the street. This is particularly challenging on busy streets where drivers speed,” says Amanda Roberts, a resident of City Council District 6.
Creating an equitable and vibrant Denver means guaranteeing that public spaces are designed for people. 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, but the City’s funding priorities have left sidewalks behind.
“At current funding levels, it would take nearly 400 years to build out a complete, integrated sidewalk network that serves every Denver neighborhood,” says Jill Locantore, Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership. “Changing that paradigm by funding and guaranteeing high quality sidewalks citywide would allow everyone—including parents, children, people with disabilities, and those that don’t drive—the independence to move about Denver freely and safely rather than walk next to big trucks, navigate cracks, and take detours to find a safe route.”
Sidewalk Palooza calls upon City leaders to create a comprehensive and integrated Denver sidewalk network to guarantee that all of Denver is designed to prioritize and connect people first and to reduce our dependence on cars.
Sidewalk Palooza is part of the Denver Streets Partnership’s Denver Deserves Sidewalks campaign.
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The Denver Streets Partnership is a coalition of community organizations advocating for people-friendly streets in Denver. Our mission is to reclaim Denver’s streets for people walking, rolling, biking, and using transit, and to build safe, healthy, and equitable communities.
Learn more at denverstreetspartnership.org or follow us on social media at Facebook @DenverStreetsPartnership, Twitter @BikeWalkBus, or Instagram @BikeWalkBus.
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