Shared & Open Streets

Denver’s Shared and Open Streets program is working and should be continued. Keep up with our work to make people-friendly streets city-wide.

After our 2020 survey of nearly 1,500 Denver residents indicated strong support for limiting traffic on streets and opening them for people, in April the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure opened 5.5 miles of Shared Streets in residential and commercial areas and an additional 10.2 miles of Open Streets in parks. In June, DOTI added 2.5 miles of additional Shared Streets. 

Denverites in six areas of of the city have enjoyed the extra space to stretch their legs while maintaining appropriate physical distance. Thanks, Denver!

What We Heard from You

We conducted a community survey to find out what people like about the Shared and Open Streets, how the streets can be improved, and how people would like to see Shared and Open Streets continue as Denver emerges from the pandemic. Of the 733 people who responded to the survey, nearly 70% live on or near one of the Shared Streets; more than 85% have walked, biked, or rolled on the Shared and Open Streets; and more than 60% walk, bike or roll on these streets multiple times a week or daily.
 

 

Our initial survey of nearly 1,500 Denverites confirmed that people are walking and biking more than before the crisis and strongly desire more space for outdoor activities while maintaining physical distancing. National data shows that driving has decreased significantly. Denver has a wealth of available street space – we should continue to use it in support of public health during the crisis and after.

Survey Report

 

Since Denver designated East 16th Avenue in the City Park West neighborhood a Shared Street, the number of people walking and biking on the street has increased dramatically compared to previous time periods. On warmer weather days, the total number of people walking and biking ranged from about 1,000 to nearly 1,800, compared to an average of about 360 people biking per day in 2015.

 

Bike & Pedestrian Data

What You Need to Know

Here’s a list of resources for accessing open and shared streets in Denver.

Map of Shared & Open Streets

 

Got questions about biking during COVID-19? Bicycle Colorado has the answers for you.

Biking during COVID-19

 

Want to know what’s happening outside of Denver? NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) has a list of Rapid Response Tools for cities and PedBikeInfo is tracking local actions to support walking and biking.

NACTO policies

 

Local actions to support walking and biking

What We Need From You

In response to continued demand from the community, Denver is extending its Shared Street initiative through the 2020-2021 winter season, providing more space for people to safely walk, bike, and roll while adhering to social distancing guidelines. In addition, they have recently installed new traffic calming configurations and materials in attempts to improve safety and function better in the winter.

If you have used these streets with the new traffic calming upgrades, the Denver Streets Partnership would like to hear from you! What do you like about the upgrades? Have they been effective at calming traffic and making the street safer? What suggestions do you have to improve on these upgrades? Provide your feedback here!

Streets with upgrades to provide feedback on:

  • E. 11th Ave from Logan to Humboldt Streets (west of Cheesman Park)
  • E. 16th Ave from Lincoln Street to City Park Esplanade
  • Bayaud Avenue from Sherman to Downing Streets
Take the Traffic Calming Upgrades Survey

 

Sign the Denver Bike Lobby’s petition to keep Shared & Open Streets around permanently.

Sign the petition

Here’s what we’ve been up to:

 

Shared & Open Streets Survey Results

We conducted a community survey to find out what people like about the Shared and Open Streets, how the streets can be improved, and how people would like to see Shared and Open Streets continue as Denver emerges from the pandemic. Of the 733 people who responded to the survey, 30% live on one of the Shared Streets; 39% live near one of the Shared Streets; more than 85% have walked, biked, or rolled on the Shared and Open Streets; and more than 60% walk, bike or roll on these streets multiple times a week or daily

April 24, 2020 Press Release

Denver’s Shared and Open Streets program is working and should be continued as stay-at-home orders are lifted; new data released by the Denver Streets Partnership shows increase in walking and biking; Denver is a national leader in designating more street space to people.

Related Resources

24 Related Items
Project

¡Viva! Streets Denver

September 15, 2023
File under:
Blog

Agenda for the new Mayor and City Council’s first 100 days in office

July 21, 2023

The Denver Streets Partnership has released an agenda for Mayor-Elect Johnson and the Denver City Council’s first 100 days in office.  The full agenda includes five high-priority actions that can be taken quickly to help address traffic safety, access, and the transportation sector’s impact on climate change and air pollution: Appoint a capable and visionary Director […]

File under:
Agenda

Agenda for the new Mayor and City Council’s first 100 days in office

July 21, 2023

    The Denver Streets Partnership has released an agenda for Mayor-Elect Johnson and the Denver City Council’s first 100 days in office.  The full agenda includes five high-priority actions that can be taken quickly to help address traffic safety, access, and the transportation sector’s impact on climate change and air pollution: Appoint a capable and […]

File under:
Media Hit

Here’s what car-free Broadway and Welton looks like

May 15, 2023

Broadway is not known as Denver’s most pedestrian- or cyclist-friendly street. But on Sunday, the typical sound of traffic was gone.

File under:
Media Hit

Here’s why this Larimer block wants to stay closed to cars while other streets have reopened

February 1, 2023

When Gov. Jared Polis shut down Colorado’s hospitality industry in March 2020 in an emergency effort to keep COVID-19 from spiraling out of control, the view from inside bars, breweries and restaurants looked grim. Most didn’t know if they could survive on takeout alone.

File under:
Media Hit

Three-plus miles of Broadway, Welton will go car-free for ‘ciclovía’ on four Sundays this year

January 13, 2023

Ever dreamed about a leisurely stroll or bicycle ride down the middle of Broadway, perhaps stopping to admire the architecture of the Mayan Theatre or have a nice quiet chat with a passing friend?

File under:
Official Letters

DSP encourages diverters on Shared Streets and Neighborhood Bikeways

November 22, 2022

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 . . .

File under:
Project

14th Avenue Open Streets Demonstration

July 31, 2022

The Denver Streets Partnership collaborated with the Civic Center Conservancy to host an Open Streets demonstration on 14th Avenue between Bannock Street and Acoma Street, south of Civic Center Park, in the Golden Triangle neighborhood on July 31, 2022.

File under:
Blog

Join the Denver Deserves Sidewalks campaign!

August 6, 2021

Creating an equitable and vibrant Denver means guaranteeing that our 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. Today, the Denver Streets Partnership is renewing our call to City leadership to prioritize […]

File under:
Blog

Keep 16th Ave a people first street!

July 22, 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Denver designated 16th Avenue between downtown and East High School as a Shared Street, designed to deter non-local vehicle trips and reduce speeds to create a safer environment for all ages and abilities to use the street for recreation and mobility. Everyone is allowed to use the 16th Ave. Shared Street, including […]

File under:
Blog

What’s a Neighborhood Bikeway, and why might you want one in your neighborhood?

May 13, 2021

When some of our team had the opportunity to visit Copenhagen a couple years ago, we were struck by how the city basically has just two types of streets: 1) Bigger streets with lots of people traveling by different modes, each with its own dedicated space—sidewalks for people walking; elevated, protected lanes for people on bikes; dedicated transit lanes; and lanes for people in cars. 2) Smaller shared streets, where all modes are allowed to mix together, but people walking and biking are prioritized and people drive so slow that everyone feels safe sharing that space.

×
Signup for our Newsletter
Stay up to date on the very latest people-centered transportation design and policy happenings across Denver.