DENVER | Transportation Thread

[DenverInfill]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I thought that the Colfax Corridor Connections was a joint study by Denver and RTD that resulted in the preferred solution being BRT in peak period lanes that would replace the 15L?

Colfax Corridor Connections is a City of Denver project. CDOT and RTD have some technical roles but the city is spearheading the effort.

If we have BRT on East Colfax, it will be city residents that provide the local funding portion.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by DenverInfill

If we have BRT on East Colfax, it will be city residents that provide the local funding portion.

Sorry, bit confused. Are you referring to both capital and operating costs? In addition to "local funding portion" what else is involved?

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Sorry, bit confused. Are you referring to both capital and operating costs? In addition to "local funding portion" what else is involved?

Federal monies. The sweet, sweet heroin-like federal transportation funds.

There's probably a local operating fund source needed as well, though not a ton as the operating costs are likely similar for BRT vs the 15L.

[TakeFive]

Setting the table...

Doing some checking I found that the 1225 space parking garage at Nine Mile Station fills up fast and early. By 5:00 AM cars are pouring in. You're lucky to find a spot after 7:00 AM. Apparently it loosens up a bit by mid-morning so there must be some "night shift" users... I dunno.

On a city-data thread I discovered that a number of riders from as far away as GVR drove down to the Nine Mile Station to get downtown and not have to park there. Especially for those going to Auraria but didn't want to get up early to ride the Express buses from GVR. Since Nine Mile was often full they would instead drive to the Dayton Station. But with only 250 parking spaces that got crowded too so it was on to the Park 'N Ride at Southmoor Park. Presumably the opening of the A Line solved some of this.

The R Line... will add four new RTD park-n-rides with a total of 1,249 spaces. However, the City of Aurora owns the two-level parking garage at Iliff Station which adds another ~600 spaces. The City will charge $3 a day or $50 for a monthly pass. Have to wait and see how well that works but this station should be easier to access and a more pleasant experience. I would guess that many riders would be happy to pay to avoid the Nine Mile clustermess.

The H Line which is so popular going into downtown will now extend to Florida where the Aurora Medical Center is. Smart move.

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Federal monies. The sweet, sweet heroin-like federal transportation funds.

There's probably a local operating fund source needed as well, though not a ton as the operating costs are likely similar for BRT vs the 15L.

Ah yes, of course. I was confused thinking "local" versus "regional." Nvm.

[TakeFive]

The R Line Grand Opening was held atop the Iliff Station parking garage. Even Mayor Hancock showed up.

Photos by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel

Photo by Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Even I decided to take a ride on the R Line


Photo credit: CBS4 News Denver
Actually, that is Herb Kirk who has lived in Aurora for 50 years.

Photos by Gabriel Christus - Aurora Sentinel

Photos by McKenzie Lange/Aurora ASentinel


Photo by Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

[TakeFive]

R Line Opening Wrap

Megan Arellano Of Denvrite solicited some feedback yesterday.

More than a few people Friday mentioned the connection to the A Line, but some were wary to ride the train that they’ve heard is having problems.

Others were more excited about the bottom half of the map, namely the route that traces I-225.

BY THE AURORA SENTINEL, Updated: February 24, 2017
Quoting Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan:

“A lot of people said it would be a cold day in…” Hogan said to a packed tent of people Friday morning, pausing for comedic effect. “…February…”

“I believe firmly that future generations of those in Aurora will look back at this day and say ‘This is the day when the future of Aurora really began,’” Hogan said. “We know that we are a city that is only about half built out; we know that we are a city that in the past has tended to build horizontally; we know that the future of Aurora will be vertical, will be new kinds of development and new kinds of opportunity.”

Mayor Hancock has his mobility down.

“Today, with the opening of the R Line, we realize yet another milestone to connect our communities, connect our regions and, again, give our residents choices — mobility choices — to create even stronger quality-of-life opportunities,” Hancock said.

They're thinking that after one year the R Line will experience ridership of 12,000 per day. That seems doable; hopefully it will be even higher. I assume they'll now throw Nine Mile Station into that calculation or maybe it just means the newly opened stations? The new Iliff Station should siphon off a lot of the current Nine Mile Station ridership which may then allow Nine Mile to attract new ridership.

The north half of the route has a ton of development potential; I have no idea of early ridership. BMC Investments remains bullish as they just picked up their 2nd large apartment complex in that area, the 464-unit Landon Park Apartments at 100 S. Sable Blvd which is in the Aurora City Center.

I would expect, like the W Line, that the R Line will need some grooming and seasoning but the potential longer term should be Yuge.

[BG918]

It's too bad this new line doesn't run down 17th or Montview through the Anschutz Campus like what was originally planned. I still don't buy that it has anything to do with "vibrations" affecting the hospital and research buildings. Missed opportunity to better serve that area.

[Cirrus]

1. Thank you TakeFive, for giving us some photos. The rest of you are slackers.

2. OMG, a new map! With consistent angles! Yay! Seriously, about time. I'm shocked they didn't include the downtown bus shuttles, but good on them for finally delivering a real diagram.

3. You have to give RTD credit for the line identifying livery wraps they put on all these first trains. They're very iconic. Great PR.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

1. Thank you TakeFive, for giving us some photos. The rest of you are slackers.

I'm. Freaking. Working. On. It...

I took a bunch on Saturday but was slammed today with work. I should have an Urbanism post up Monday eve.

[TakeFive]

Everybody's talkin' about the declining transit ridership.

What's Behind Declining Transit Ridership Nationwide?
by Laura Bliss, CityLab - who I enjoy reading cuz she's good

Transit Ridership Falling Everywhere — But Not in Cities With Redesigned Bus Networks
by national writer Angie Schmitt for Streetsblog who too often plays fast and loose with the facts. She can't resist mocking Denver.

And in Denver, which added a commuter rail line to the airport last year, ridership fell 1.2 percent.

As Bus Ridership Declines, Transit Experts Make The Case For All-Door Boarding
FEBRUARY 24, 2017 BY JOSH COHEN - Next City

Bus ridership is in decline... It’s a troubling trend for transit agencies who need viable bus service as part of their successful transit network. After all, subways and light rail will never be able to serve everyone and everywhere in a city.

Nice piece by Josh Cohen who goes on to quote National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)

They say every transit agency should adopt all-door boarding on their buses and do it as soon as possible.

Ti-i-ime is on my side, yes it is
Today it seems everybody is in a hurry and that's especially true with the millennial crowd. Buses that bog down (or make a gazillion stops) are a turnoff for many. The potentially bad news with recent trends and "headlines" is trying to convince voters to invest in more/better transit.

Since Denveright is in the process of redefining and hopefully reimagining transit I would hope they will take this into account.

[CharlesCO]

Seems like concluding that "buses are slow and millennials don't like them" is to ignore the elephant in the room...

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by CharlesCO

Seems like concluding that "buses are slow and millennials don't like them" is to ignore the elephant in the room...

Which is??

[The Dirt]

Low gas prices?

[bunt_q]

I mean, maybe. But when it takes 1 hr 7 min to get from the Peoria station to the Colorado station by rail... I'd pay a hell of a lot to not suffer through that. Can't wait for Ryan to post his R line review.

[PLANSIT]

Just an FYI regarding B-Line. RTD is proposing to have it stop at 41st/Fox and Pecos Junction as part of May service changes:

route B

It is proposed to add stops at the new 41st and Fox Station and the new Pecos Junction Station to all trips. The additional stops would shift all trips from Union Station approximately 12 minutes earlier. Southbound trains would depart Westminster Station at the current scheduled times and arrive at Union Station four minutes later on each trip.

It is also proposed to add a late night northbound trip at 11:09 p.m. from Union Station to provide passengers an option when attending evening events in downtown Denver

[PLANSIT]

15L Stop Enhancements Survey

As many are aware, the City of Denver and RTD are working on both near-term and long-term improvements to East Colfax transit service. As part of RTD's 15L Improvement Project (near-term), new shelters will be added to the corridor from Broadway to the R-Line in Aurora. These new shelters have the ability to vastly improve the waiting experience of 15L (and in some cases 15) riders.

Please take a few minutes to fill out this RTD survey asking for amenity preference within the shelters. The survey will take ~10 potential amenities and ask you to give your preference using 4 varied amenities per question (least and most preferred). This allows RTD to determine which amenities are valued the most when included in the design.

Potential amenities include:

Glass Shelter
Interior Lighting
Digital Info Screens
Real-time information
Benches
Security Cameras





(mods, I'm double posting in Denver Development and Transportation threads to get most responses. Thanks)

[ddvmke]

In what I sincerely hope is a promising signal toward some more TOD focused development, they're wasting no time in putting up fences and bringing in construction equipment around the K-Mart at Alameda station that is closing this month. Looking forward to some higher and better use for the area.

If anyone has details on what might be replacing the building, I'd love to hear what might be joining our 'hood.

[Edit]
Heard the initial steps are just improving the pedestrian experience for now, so cancel that wishful thinking above until later in the year.

[RyanD]

I have a YUUUUUGE post on the R-Line:

http://denverurbanism.com/2017/03/co...ew-r-line.html

Some highlight photos:

[CastleScott]

^ Great pics and post Ryan!!

[seventwenty]

Nicely done, Ryan. Great comments about how the line should be prioritized over traffic.

And it's frustrating to see that Denver has a 3 seat circle line.