road to the future (Denver, Aurora: fit in, 2009, brokers)

[woob]

Did anyone catch this documentary on pbs tonight comparing the transportation policy and history of denver, portland and new york?

Road to the Future ~ Overview | Blueprint America

I'm moving from NYC to denver and this show was a bit discouraging but i'd be interested in the locals' perspective. Here in new york city we are converting driving lanes into pedestrian plazas and bike paths. Broadway is being closed off to car traffic through Times Square. Will we ever see such bold steps taking place in denver?

[Katiana]

I didn't watch it, and it looks like too much reading for me tonight, I'm almost brain-dead from a long day at work, but.. .

PBS documentaries always have some sort of agenda, and I see they interviewd former Gov. Dick Lamm, who was kind of a nut-job, though he did have some good ideas.

The Denver area has good public transportation. I would suggest googling "RTD Denver", and also doing a search on this forum.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by woob

Did anyone catch this documentary on pbs tonight comparing the transportation policy and history of denver, portland and new york?

Road to the Future ~ Overview | Blueprint America

I'm moving from NYC to denver and this show was a bit discouraging but i'd be interested in the locals' perspective. Here in new york city we are converting driving lanes into pedestrian plazas and bike paths. Broadway is being closed off to car traffic through Times Square. Will we ever see such bold steps taking place in denver?

Thank You for this link, I just finished watching this documentary. I would say that it does leave you with a bad impression of the Denver Metro Area. It is really not good reporting because it leaves out so much. I am an former New Yorker and I have been here many decades. When I first came here in the 1970s, I was stunned how good the bus system operated, considering it was a Western City. I have lived in NYC and it is not at that level of public transit but for a city this size and extend of coverage, it is amazing.

Denver has already made these "bold steps". Denver has a large pedestrian mall, the 16th Street Mall. it is now over 25 years old and it is anchored by two public transit bus stations with a free shuttle from one end to the other, that intersects two light rail lines. It has been extended to Union Station. the future central commuter rail station. This follows a very successful pedestrian mall in Boulder which is been around about 35 years. This was not mentioned in this biased report.

Denver has always had a excellent bus transportation system and it extends over many counties with express, regional, local, call n ride, and numerous park and rides. Denver has always had a good tradition of public transit, even within a few years of settlement. This was not mentioned in this biased...

It has built light rail lines over a period of 15 years. It is now in the process of the largest build out of commuter rail in the nation. This was not mentioned...

The Denver/Aurora/Boulder metro area is consistently noted as an extremely bike friendly area with bike trails that extend over hundred of miles in this area. These have been around for many decades over an extensive trail system of public parks. They are continually being built. This was not mentioned...

This report takes one suburbs and completely ignores all the denser, walkable neighborhoods. It fails to mention any of the transit oriented developments in Boulder, Denver or the other cities in the suburbs. There are many such neighborhoods in this area; I live in one and I have driven about 2500 miles last year. Yes, I am retired but I am within walkable distance of stores and a good bus system. In addition, a rail transit station will soon be built within 1/3 mile of my house.

It does not mention any of Denver's Urban planning to encompass all the good of walkable neighborhoods.

This documentary is a new report and it does not mention any issue that conflicts with the idea that Denver is the bad city and Portland is the good city. All the information was clearly there, but the producers decided to ignore it. This report is total garbage.

I give you these figures from our RTD website http://www.rtd-denver.com/index.shtml and

Facts, history
http://www.rtd-denver.com/factsAndFigures.shtml

Current Fastracks Project
FasTracks Home

City and County of Denver http://www.denvergov.org/


Denver TOD Plans
Transit Oriented Development - Welcome Message

There is so much information, I can give you, but you must read and do research, you will know that this documentary is so slanted. Everything is so wrongly presented. I would suggest you do a research on my posts and you will find that I have written much on the public transit biking, hiking, trails, neighborhoods in this area. I have been actively involved with the Fastracks, which is not only commuter rail but more buses, park n' rides, call n' rides, and Bus Rapid Transit systems. This will integrate with the current large system of Public transit.

Denver is not Portland. It is a much larger metro area and yet has made significant progress to a connective transportation network which includes roads and public transit with examples of the TREX (Transportation Expansion Project) which built the southwest rail line along the improvement to I-25 in Denver. Also, pay attention to the expansion of rail that is planned for Highland Ranch.

I live near the Candelas Project and I am familiar with this development and the projected extension of the beltway; it leaves much out about the benefits for this area, which is not well served by highways, which is also a part of public transit system. I should also mention that the so-called brown cloud of temperature inversion pollution is much less than I arrived in the 1970, yet, it is a bigger area. Yes, another story ignored to make a biased report.

Livecontent

[movementarian]

This is an interesting article from Westword a couple of weeks back

Denver News - Denver's latest traffic plan depends on getting you out of your car - page 1

[yodi]

Interesting, thanks for posting.

It's funny to me that the piece on Denver focuses on a young family living in the ultimate version of suburbia, Highlands Ranch, while the piece on Portland focuses on a young family living in the city of Portland. The Portland family could just as easily be a family living in the city of Denver in a neighborhood like Washington Park, Platt Park, Highlands, Park Hill, Berkley, etc. or even an older inner ring suburb like Englewood. The video shows the light rail in Portland but doesn't even mention the one in Denver, in fact it completely ignores public transportation in Denver all together. The video doesn't mention Denver's network of bike trails and lanes. It ignores the 16th street mall and free bus shuttle.

I love Portland. I think it is one of the most interesting and progressive cities in the nation. I love that they have managed to squash sprawl. Overall I think that they have done a much better job then Denver in regards to urban planning. However, I find the video's limited interpretation of the two cities to be completely biased. There is a big difference between living in the outskirts of Denver in such suburban areas like Highlands Ranch and actually living within the city of Denver or one of the older inner ring burbs where public transportation is good and areas are much more walkable and bike friendly.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by woob

Broadway is being closed off to car traffic through Times Square. Will we ever see such bold steps taking place in denver?

I suppose that depends on how high the demand is for driving vs. pedestrian usage in such areas.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by woob

Broadway is being closed off to car traffic through Times Square. Will we ever see such bold steps taking place in denver?...

Again, I want to thank you for the link to the documentary--it you can call it that. Oh yes, this line about Broadway in NYC is hilarious. When, I lived in "the city", the area around Times Square was noted for "women of ill repute" It was a very rough area. I know that they have cleaned it up since those days.

I think it is a very good idea to close it off to auto traffic--and leave more room for the real traffic of commerce; the "street walkers" of all types today, which may be the only means of employment for those "honest" brokers of wall street.

Yes, again we have the "16th Street Mall" in Denver--a project of our public transit agency. Downtown Denver Partnership

Be sure to download the Brochure and see the full view picture of the Mall
http://www.downtowndenver.com/BID/do...Brochure_4.pdf

Just to let you know, that I love New York City; it is one of the great cities of the world. I admire Portland and the Denver City Managers have visited Portland, numerous times, to learn and apply the good policies to our city.

I also know that your post was a legitimate concern about Denver, your new home. Be calmed, it is a great place to live; but be advised it is not NYC and you should appreciate the differences, and try not to compare two great places to live; they are both one, and unique.

Livecontent

[movementarian]

I just had a chance to watch the entire video and agree completely with Livecontent and Yodi. This video takes such a one-sided look at Denver and somehow displays the city as the model for poor planning - really by only examining Highlands Ranch. Like Yodi says, they interview a city couple in Portland and a group of people outside of the urban growth boundary. In Denver, they only look at people in Highlands Ranch (somewhat the equivalent of Denver's city growth boundary). Why didn't they interview people inside the city area of Denver? They did the equivalent in Portland, why not here?

On a side note, the hilarious thing I love about outsider front-range colorado publicity is the picture they always paint of the city. For example, last year in Forbes or some other magazine I saw they had this best places list with Fort Collins on it. In the slideshow, they show you a lovely picture of Fort Collins - which is actually a picture of the Maroon Bells. Can you find the equivalent in this video?
Here it is: The title pops up, it says "Denver: Paving the Way" Next image - The Maroon Fricken Bells! Next image - helicopter flyover of the city of Denver.
Really, the Bells??? Did the producers even come to Denver? Are we supposed to believe this is what Denver could like like without the sprawl or that urban sprawl will eventually destroy the Maroon Bells wilderness? When they cover the New York city section, why don't they do a flyover of Lake Placid? Isn't that beautiful wilderness in the same state located hours away from the city being covered?

[woob]

thanks for the insight. it seems this show was trying to make a point using black and white examples that fit into its storyline. We are planning on living downtown and I look forward to riding my bike along cherry creek to work at Denver Health, so I know this kind of lifestyle exists in denver.

I am in no way trying to recreate NYC in denver, in fact I can't wait to get out of this city, but i think denver will definitely take some adjustment. when I visited last winter my local denver friends were shocked that I walked from the capitol building to cheeseman park without getting in a car, but this is how i am used to getting around. We are going to buy a car for the first time and my wife is convinced we will need it in the city on a regular basis, but i am hoping it will mostly stay in the garage except for ski and camping trips

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by movementarian

I just had a chance to watch the entire video and agree completely with Livecontent and Yodi. This video takes such a one-sided look at Denver and somehow displays the city as the model for poor planning - really by only examining Highlands Ranch. Like Yodi says, they interview a city couple in Portland and a group of people outside of the urban growth boundary. In Denver, they only look at people in Highlands Ranch (somewhat the equivalent of Denver's city growth boundary). Why didn't they interview people inside the city area of Denver? They did the equivalent in Portland, why not here?

On a side note, the hilarious thing I love about outsider front-range colorado publicity is the picture they always paint of the city. For example, last year in Forbes or some other magazine I saw they had this best places list with Fort Collins on it. In the slideshow, they show you a lovely picture of Fort Collins - which is actually a picture of the Maroon Bells. Can you find the equivalent in this video?
Here it is: The title pops up, it says "Denver: Paving the Way" Next image - The Maroon Fricken Bells! Next image - helicopter flyover of the city of Denver.
Really, the Bells??? Did the producers even come to Denver? Are we supposed to believe this is what Denver could like like without the sprawl or that urban sprawl will eventually destroy the Maroon Bells wilderness? When they cover the New York city section, why don't they do a flyover of Lake Placid? Isn't that beautiful wilderness in the same state located hours away from the city being covered?

Blueprint America is produced by WNET Channel 13 New York. What would you expect from a bunch of aggressive people with college diplomas and no education. They obviously felt that the best journalism is to go to the deep, dark, nowhere of "Upper US", where they stuck their heads to look around.

Perhaps I should thank them; this video will keep many people away, and help balance all the good publicity.

Livecontent