In early July, Denver’s Climate Action Task Force released recommendations on policies, strategies, and funding sources to achieve zero emissions by 2040. The report culminates a five-month process of research and community engagement. Two members of the Denver Streets Partnership steering committee served on the task force alongside 23 others. These individuals represented a broad range of industries, working together to make our city healthy and sustainable.
The process confirmed one of our governing assumptions: prioritizing people in our transportation system would be a major step towards tackling climate change. In Denver, transportation is the second-largest source of emissions, a fact intimately connected to Denver’s membership in the problematic group of cities that boast the highest single occupancy vehicle commute rates in the country.
As we consider the benefits of addressing climate change by improving our transportation system, it’s critical to consider the inequities in our existing transportation network. Denver must make green transportation options the affordable, obvious, and accessible choices. To that end, we developed and support the following recommendations:
- Prioritize transit. Implement a frequent, affordable citywide bus service and a Bus Rapid Transit system to move more people more efficiently, paired with congestion mitigation and market-rate parking.
- Fewer polluting trips. Install a citywide electric vehicle charging network and update to electric fleets paired with more telecommuting, developer and employer TDM plans and incentives, and increased housing density.
- Smaller and smarter. Make available citywide micromobility options paired with off-peak freight delivery and smaller delivery vehicles.
- Completed, connected no-carbon networks. Fully build out bike, pedestrian, and car-free street networks paired with free citywide bikeshare and e-bike incentives.
These recommendations, if implemented, would not only mark significant actions in the fight against climate change but also restore some human dignity to our transportation system by empowering Denverites to thrive and connect to what matters most.
Here are two ways you can take action:
- Reach out to your City Council member & let them know you support the recommendations
- Sign up to publicly support the recommendations at City Council’s public hearing, scheduled for August 3.