Denver must make transportation more accessible to more people. Making public transit more affordable and accessible will be a priority, as we are the hub of the metro area’s business industry. I will work across municipalities and at the state level to support funding for transportation, as well as the Regional Transportation Board. I will be a convener of stakeholders to hold RTD accountable to be more affordable and inclusive of all communities, particularly those that are public transit-reliant. If we want to be a state that prospers, we must work with our regional partners to make transit work for all people and communities.
As part of my SMART (Smart Growth, Mobility, Assess, Revitalization, Trees and open space) vision for planning, I will implement initiatives to shift the culture from being car-dependent to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. Unfortunately, Denver currently lacks a truly comprehensive, multi-modal approach to transportation.
As mayor, I will:
- Call for the development of a single integrated transportation plan that brings together planning for streets, boulevards, parkways, bikeways, sidewalks, transit and para-transit.
- Use data to inform decision-making and will measure benchmarks to reach the goal of zero traffic fatalities as envisioned by Denver Streets Partnership Vision Zero five-year plan.
- Increase funding to create equity across neighborhoods where the majority of deaths occur in “high-injury networks” or “communities of concern,” which disproportionately consist of working-class people.
- Build infrastructure for alternative forms of transportation to make walking and cycling safer.
- Prioritize resources in the most congested and unsafe areas in Denver.
- Enforce construction code violations that impede traffic lanes and walkways.
- Push for more frequent, affordable, reliable and accessible RTD services.