This feature story is by Kacie Warner, an Athmar Park resident and manager of the AP Active Living Coalition. She works to make her neighborhood a better place for everyone to walk, roll, bike, and access public transit.
In response to the violence and unsafe behavior on Federal Boulevard over the summer, the Denver Police Department and DOTI restricted travel lanes in an effort to dissuade racing and congregating. The change was effective, as subsequent summer weekends did not see a return to incidents of violence and car volume drastically decreased. Local resident Ali Transue reports that “prior to the lane closures, we saw dramatic increases in traffic and speeding on our street – Decatur – just two blocks off Federal. Since the lane closures on Sunday nights, we have seen significant decreases in the quantity of traffic and the type of traffic on our street. We appreciate the calmer and slower traffic as we have twin three year olds that like to play in the front yard. I hope that these mitigation efforts can continue to keep traffic both on Federal more safe as well as protect the safety of those in the neighborhoods and on streets just off of Federal as well.”
Athmar Park is the neighborhood on the eastern side of Federal Boulevard, between Alameda and Mississippi. We’ve long been concerned about the safety of people trying to live life on and around Federal Boulevard due to poor street conditions that encourage cars to travel very fast and make it hard for pedestrians to get where they’re going. The racing on Federal often makes its way onto our neighborhood streets, as well.
After the lane closures, the Athmar Park Neighborhood Association put together a survey to hear concerns and get feedback from residents about this issue. Seventy percent of respondents said that conditions have improved after the implemented lane restrictions. Athmar Park resident Rich Lopez said, “It feels like we have our neighborhood back.” In another question, seventy-eight percent said they would like to see lane closures or other measures to calm traffic on Federal Boulevard continued. Monica Gautier said the area “has been amazing since they closed Federal down to one lane.”
More than half of the survey respondents indicated they would like to see a lane dedicated to bus traffic (with more frequent and reliable service), which reinforces the City’s long-term vision to make Federal Boulevard a better place for multi-modal transportation. Federal Boulevard is the heart of Southwest Denver – let’s make sure everyone can enjoy it safely by investing in traffic calming, safe infrastructure, and reliable transit.