Sidewalks

Denver deserves sidewalks! Thank you Denver Voters for voting YES on 307! With the new property fee approved by voters, Denver will begin creating a comprehensive program to repair hazardous sidewalks, reconstruct sidewalks that are deficient, and build sidewalks where they’re missing. Learn more on the City’s website.

Bad sidewalks in Denver
Bad sidewalks in Denver

Walkable neighborhoods with good sidewalks are the foundation of a complete transportation system.

Currently in Denver:

  • Many people with disabilities, older adults, and parents with children struggle to get around parts of Denver where the sidewalks are missing, too narrow, or in bad condition.
  • Low-income neighborhoods are the most likely to have unsafe, poorly-maintained sidewalks.
  • Previous policies that forced adjacent property owners to shoulder the full cost of sidewalk construction and repair created a huge financial burden.

It's an equity issue

Placing responsibility for sidewalk construction and repair on private property owners resulted in inconsistent and deficient sidewalks throughout the city, particularly in low-income neighborhoods and places an undue and inequitable financial burden on some Denver residents.

Poor pedestrian environments disproportionately impact the most vulnerable members of our community. Low income neighborhoods are the least likely to have sidewalks, accessible pedestrian ramps, street and sidewalk lighting, marked crosswalks, and traffic calming measures.*

*Source: Governing Report

It's a safety issue, too

Low-income areas have more than double the pedestrian fatality rates of wealthier communities. In Denver, people walking are approximately 30 times more likely to die in a crash compared to motorists.*

The pedestrian conditions in low income Denver neighborhoods directly contribute to these tragic injuries and deaths. Residents of these neighborhoods who need to walk to transit stops, a grocery store, school or medical clinics should not have to brave unsafe conditions and risk becoming a crash or fatality statistic.

*Source: Denver Vision Zero Action Plan

The Voter-Approved Denver Deserves Sidewalks Program:

  • Removed the responsibility for repairs from adjacent property owners and placed this responsibility on the City.
  • Funds the construction and repair of sidewalks citywide, through a modest annual fee charged to property owners, so that everyone can get around Denver more freely and safely.
  • Enables the construction of a complete sidewalk network that serves every Denver neighborhood within 9 years.
  • Provides ongoing funding for sidewalk repairs.

Learn more about the Denver Deserves Sidewalks ballot initiative

Learn more about Denver's new sidewalk program

Starting in 2025, the new fee for sidewalks will be included on people’s bi-annual stormwater bills, with half the annual sidewalk fee assessed the first half of the year and second half of the sidewalk fee assessed the second half of the year. Amendments made to the sidewalk ordinance passed by voters in November 2022 will result in approximately 96% of all property owners being charged a flat fee of $150 annually.

Learn more about the fee and the City’s plans for creating a comprehensive program to repair hazardous sidewalks, reconstruct sidewalks that are deficient, and build sidewalks where they’re missing on their website.

 

These organizations endorsed the
Denver Deserves Sidewalks Ballot Initiative 307

Logos of organizations that endorsed the Denver Deserves Sidewalks Ballot Initiative 307

Related Resources

33 Related Items
Media Hit

Denver transportation officials ask for $10 million to implement sidewalk ballot measure that will cost property owners $41 million a year

June 29, 2023

Seven months after Denver voters approved a ballot measure to create a complete, crack-free network of sidewalks, officials from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure have yet to begin implementation.

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Media Hit

For Coloradans with Disabilities, Navigating Denver’s Snow-Covered Sidewalks and Streets is Dangerous—and Often Impossible

January 27, 2023

For nearly two weeks after a late December snowstorm that left 7 inches of snow on the ground in Denver, when resident Julie Reiskin needed to leave her home on Milwaukee and 37th, she had to roll her wheelchair down the middle of busy streets and then station herself in the street to flag down a public bus.

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Media Hit

How the Walkability-Related Campaigns in 2022 are Impacting 2023

January 12, 2023

At America Walks, we love tracking walkability wins, and 2022 had some exceptional ones. As advocates, we understand the power of communities to use the democratic process to create long-lasting change. Here are four big policy wins, followed by some of our thoughts on what made them possible (spoiler alert – persistent and passionate organizing):

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Media Hit

Denver’s sidewalk repair initiative could face big changes before it’s implemented

November 25, 2022

It was a clear mandate from Denver voters, a mandate for city council to repair and improve sidewalks. In November, residents voted 56% to 44% to move the burden for sidewalk repairs away from homeowners and to the city itself.

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Media Hit

Denver voters OK’d money to improve sidewalks. Now what?

November 22, 2022

In a city strewn with cracked, crumbling and even nonexistent sidewalks, a huge influx of cash is on the way to address the problem courtesy of Denver voters who supported Initiated Ordinance 307 in the Nov. 8 election.

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Media Hit

Denver sidewalk initiative backers have declared victory. Here’s what may come next

November 14, 2022

The advocacy group behind the “Denver Deserves Sidewalks” ballot initiative declared victory Sunday night after unofficial results showed the measure continuing to pull ahead.

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Media Hit

Denver sidewalk fee supporters declare victory with Initiated Ordinance 307 up more than 24K votes

November 14, 2022

Denver election workers still have roughly 32,000 ballots to count from Tuesday’s midterm election but supporters of Initiated Ordinance 307, the sidewalk tax measure, finally feel confident enough to declare victory in the tightest race in the city this cycle.

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Media Hit

Should Homeowners or Cities Maintain Sidewalks?

November 1, 2022

With all the talk about infrastructure in the country over the last few years, one of the most familiar transportation networks has often been overlooked and underfunded: city sidewalks. But voters in Denver this month will have a chance to change that.

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Media Hit

Advocates hit the streets in support of Denver sidewalks ballot measure

October 9, 2022

Voters will decide in November on potential fees for sidewalk improvements, maintenance By Russell Haythorn, Denver 7 DENVER — Advocates for Denver Initiative 307, which would publicly fund sidewalk construction and upkeep, reached out to Denver homeowners Sunday trying to garner support for the November ballot measure. Dominic Hughes spent much of his weekend pounding […]

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Press Release

PRESS RELEASE: Denver Deserves Sidewalks qualifies for November 2022 ballot

August 2, 2022

PRESS RELEASE — Tuesday, August 2, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT Jill Locantore, Executive Director, the Denver Streets Partnership jill@denverstreetspartnership.org | 303-895-6376   DENVER — Today, the Denver Elections Division announced that Denver Deserves Sidewalks gathered enough valid signatures to qualify for the November 2022 ballot. Denver Deserves Sidewalks would publicly fund the buildout and ongoing maintenance […]

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Press Release

PRESS RELEASE: Denver Deserves Sidewalks submits 19,197 signatures for ballot bid

July 11, 2022

PRESS RELEASE — Monday, July 11, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT Molly McKinley, Policy Director, the Denver Streets Partnership molly@denverstreetspartnership.org | 919-588-9676   Campaign organizers gathered required signatures in two months   DENVER — The Denver Streets Partnership submitted petition signatures to the Denver Elections Division today for Denver Deserves Sidewalks to qualify for the 2022 ballot. […]

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