DSP encourages diverters on Shared Streets and Neighborhood Bikeways

November 22, 2022

Adam Phipps
Executive Director
Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure

Dear Director Phipps,

On behalf of the Denver Streets Partnership (DSP), we thank you for your commitment to continuing to build out the network of high comfort bike facilities and to build on the success of the temporary Shared Streets established during the pandemic with a permanent program. The DSP is a coalition of community organizations advocating for people-friendly streets in Denver. On people-friendly streets, walking, rolling, biking, and transit are the first choices of transportation for all people. Streets for people are living, public spaces that connect us to jobs, schools, services and each other, and are designed to foster health, happiness, and opportunity for all.

The popularity of both the Shared Streets program and Denver’s eBike rebate program clearly demonstrates the strong and growing demand for safe and comfortable places for people to walk, bike and roll throughout Denver. Numerous surveys conducted by DSP, the Denver Bicycle Lobby, and the City itself show that a large majority of residents want a network of permanently designated streets that prioritize people walking, biking, and rolling while allowing people driving cars as “guests,” similar to the temporary Shared Streets and the Neighborhood Bikeway concept, but with more robust designs that truly limit the speed and volume of vehicular traffic on these streets.

As the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) works on the next iteration of Shared Streets and Neighborhood Bikeways, we strongly believe that one key design element is critical to the success of both of these facility types and ensuring they function as intended: the placement of vehicular diverters every two or three blocks along the full length of the corridor.

Diverters are sanctioned by NACTO as an effective volume management technique, and are used by many jurisdictions as part of neighborhood traffic calming programs. They offer the following benefits relevant to both Shared Streets and Neighborhood Bikeways:

• Establish and reinforce bicycle and pedestrian priority by restricting vehicle through movements, while still allowing vehicular access and on-street parking along the corridor.
• Improve bicyclist comfort on a corridor and benefit pedestrians and residents by reducing traffic volumes and speeds along the corridor.
• Provide opportunities for landscaping, stormwater management, and other community features such as benches and message boards.

In the absence of diverters that actually force people driving to turn off the street within two or three blocks, many Denver residents report they simply do not feel safe on Denver’s existing Neighborhood Bikeways. Drivers are still able to travel at higher speeds and often fail to yield to people walking and biking. While we appreciate and encourage DOTI’s implementation of other traffic calming measures including bulb outs, neighborhood traffic circles, and speed humps, diverters located frequently along a corridor are unique in making it nearly impossible for drivers to engage in dangerous behaviors.

We therefore urge you to update the City’s design guidelines for both Shared Streets and Neighborhood Bikeways to emphasize the importance of frequent diverters, and to facilitate the quick implementation of diverters along designated corridors throughout the City. We would be happy to meet with you to discuss this recommendation further.

Sincerely,

Jill Locantore
Executive Director
Denver Streets Partnership

Danny Katz
CoPIRG Executive Director
DSP Steering Committee Chair

Kacie Warner
Co-president
Athmar Park Active Living Coalition

Piep van Heuven
Director Government Relations
Bicycle Colorado

Andy Baldyga
Board of Directors, Chair
Colfax Ave Business Improvement District

Peter Krahenbuhl
CEO
Colorado CarShare

Jaime Lewis
Transit Advisor
Colorado Cross Disability Coalition

Rob Toftness
Co-founder
Denver Bicycle Lobby

Richard Bamber
Co-founder
Greater Denver Transit

Kate Stigberg
Senior Director of Activism
Healthier Colorado

John Deffenbaugh
Senior Director of Strategy & Projects
RiNo Art District, BID, GID

Max Nardo
Lead Organizer
YIMBY Denver

CC:

Stacie Gilmore
Robin Kniech
Debbie Ortega

Download this letter as a PDF by clicking here.

11/22/2022