Pueblo Area Council of Government is seeking comments on their transportation plan

2035 Long Range Transportation Plan
Thursday, June 27 at 5:30 to 7:00 pm
Pueblo Municipal Justice Center
200 S. Main Street
Pueblo
Bus: None
Routes 2 and 4 run by this location a little after 6:00 pm. It is possible to get back to Colorado Springs, if that is where you are coming from, with buses leaving the Pueblo Transit Center at 6:55 pm and 9:25 pm. If you are coming to Pueblo by bus, you have to arrive during morning rush hour.

You can read the PDF's of the plan at the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) web page. Unfortunately, this document is long-winded and poorly organized. Is the late notice of this meeting partly an attempt to hide this?

Comments should be sent to pacog_mpo@pueblo.us. Comments should be sent by July 8.

I would also encourage people who live in this area to contact their elected representatives. The Pueblo Area Council of Governments is made up of:
The City of Pueblo
County of Pueblo
Board of Water Works
Pueblo City Schools
Pueblo County School District 70
Pueblo West Metropolitan District
Colorado City Metropolitan District
Salt Creek Sanitation District

I would encourage people to contact more than one entity. Parking lots are a significant expense for schools, so transportation policies that encourage driving make education more expensive. The friction of cars on roads contaminates water, and electric cars produce as much as gas cars do. This should be a concern for the entities that provide our water.

Parker is developing a Transportation Master Plan

Community Open House for Transportation Master Plan
Thursday, June 27 at 5:30 pm
Parker Town Hall
20120 E. Mainstreet
Parker
Bus: None

If think that Parker is in a Catch 22 situation. You have to drive to get to public meetings so people who are transit dependent can't go. Neither can people who might not have the money to fix their car if it broke down; those people have to confine their trips to the bare essentials. I have met people in other parts of the metro area who are essentially prisoners in their own homes, some of whom live in communities that are more walkable than Parker is.

The invitation specifically mentions people who ride transit. I think that if that request is sincere then staff from the City of Parker should ride what buses do exist and talk to people. Not the consultants, the people who are going to be there after the consultants leave.

People can also contact Mary Munekata at 303-841-2332 or mmunekata@parkeronline.org. Ms. Munekata is an Associate Planner in Parker's Comprehensive Planning Division. She is also on the Douglas County Transit Solutions Board.

What other ways could the City of Parker reach out to people who have a hard time getting to their meetings or are disengaged?

FasTracks Citizen Advisory Committee Summer Meeting

FasTracks Citizen Advisory Committee
Wednesday, June 26 at 12-2pm
Westminster City Hall, Council Chambers
4800 W. 92nd Avenue
Westminster
Bus: 92
This is also within walking distance of the 31 and 51. It is a little farther to the Westminster ParknRide which is where I will be coming from if I go. There is a safe route that leads from the back end of the ParknRide, but it is not obvious.

If you look at the picture in the above link, the guy not wearing a suit is one of only two citizen activists among the guys. The other is wearing an orange waistcoat. Overall, if this was really a group of transit users, there would be more women than men. There would be more than one Latino/a and at least one Asian American.

We need to stop choosing people for positions because they have a particular color of skin and a particular set of genitals.

A Telephone Conversation on Transit in the Northwest

Update: RTD gave people the wrong phone number so they are going to try again!

Thursday, June 27 at 6:30-7:30 pm
RTD FasTracks Telephone Town Hall on
Mobility Options for the Northwest Area

Dial 1-877-229-8493 and enter code 19081

Today Rep. Perlmutter's office called me and said that his office was supporting a federal Tiger grant to build the Northwest Rail line as it is currently planned. Another alternative that I think that we should consider would be for the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) to build a rail line either from Denver to Longmont, Loveland, and Fort Collins or from the end of the North Metro Line again continuing on to Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins. This line should be included in Amtrak's national system, making it possible to extend the line into Wyoming and further for a daily run.

Any changes to what RTD would provide would require voter approval.

Here is what RTD is considering:

1. Northwest Rail: Evaluate the feasibility and determine the cost associated with constructing the Northwest Rail commuter rail line in smaller segments over time. The line runs from Denver Union Station to Longmont. The first 6.2-mile segment of Northwest Rail, to 71st and Lowell in Westminster, is under construction and is scheduled to open in 2016.
2. North Metro Corridor Extension: As an alternate to providing rail service to Longmont via Northwest Rail, evaluate the possibility of extending the North Metro Line from the planned end of line at 162nd Avenue.
3. U.S. 36 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): Determine how the remaining FasTracks U.S. 36 BRT commitment will be allocated and determine what, if any, final BRT elements are needed for implementation in the corridor.
4. Arterial BRT lines: Evaluate the potential for early implementation of Bus Rapid Transit lines on major arterial roads that could improve mobility and access to transit in the northwest area. Among the routes that will be evaluated are Colorado 119 between Boulder and Longmont, U.S. 287 between Broomfield and Longmont and various east/west connections between Boulder, Louisville, and Lafayette and onto Brighton. 
5. I-25 Downtown Express Lanes Reverse Commute: Examine the current and future reverse-commute challenges on I-25 between Denver Union Station and U.S. 36. Potential improvements to the current north I-25 managed lanes or other connections between Denver’s central business district and U.S. 36 to accommodate bidirectional use will be identified and tested for feasibility.

Entities participating in the study are 36 Commuting Solutions and North Area Transportation Alliance; the cities of Arvada, Boulder, Broomfield,  Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Superior and Westminster; Boulder County; Colorado Department of Transportation, the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the University of Colorado–Boulder.

Arvada Town Hall Meeting on the Gold Line and Northwest Rail

Colorado State Senate District 19 Town Hall Meeting
Local Transportation Update
Saturday, June 15, 10:30 am to noon
Standley Lake Library
8485 Kipling Street
Arvada
Bus: 100

This meeting is hosted by State Senator Evie Hudak and State Representative Tracy Kraft-Tharp. Representatives from RTD will be there to answer questions about the Eagle-P3 project which includes the Gold Line and Northwest Rail. RTD Directors Lorraine Anderson and Larry Hoy will be there as well.

Safety on the Light Rail in Lakewood

Cops, Council, and Community
Light Rail Safety
Tuesday, June 18 at 6:30 pm
Clements Center
1580 Yarrow Street
Lakewood

The Lakewood Police community outreach officers have these meetings every few months to connect with the community. This next one is on light rail safety, and I am hoping that the community will be active in making sure that the information that we are getting about rail safety is accurate and answers the needs of the community. Already, the Lakewood police are more polite than the Denver police when they are on the light rail. I think we need to have a community discussion about whether we want police officers to be checking to see if people are paying their fares rather than working to keep transit users safe.

What are the lessons of the W line construction?

Social Action for Transit meeting
Wednesday, June 12 at 2 pm
Chicago Beef and Dogs
6680 W. Colfax Avenue
Lakewood
Bus: 16
We will be within walking distance of the Lamar Street Station and the 9 bus.

I will be meeting with a couple residents of the Two Creeks neighborhood to discuss the lessons for other neighborhoods from the W line construction. I am concerned because it looks like the same mistakes are being repeated to the north, and I want our rail lines to be the best that they can be.

All bus and train riders are invited to join us.

What kind of development is going to take place around transit in Aurora?

Open Houses on Peoria Crossing Development

Tuesday, June 11 at 5 pm
Bennet's BBQ
3700 Peoria Street (across the railway tracks from Aurora)
Denver
Bus: 121

Wednesday, June 12 at 7 pm
Park Lane Elementary School
13001 E. 30th Avenue
Aurora
Bus: 121

I don't have a lot of information about this meeting, but all the more reason to go and find out what is happening with development along the airport line. We need to find out if the city of Aurora is in charge of this project or if private developers are in charge.

You do have to RSVP to private firm, a PR company which you can do by calling 303-818-2499 or sending a message to joy@cig-pr.com. I also encourage residents of the area to just show up if they do not have time to RSVP.

Representatives from RTD will be at the Park Lane Elementary meeting on Wednesday.

Want to Witness a High Speed Rail Fantasy?

AGS Feasibility Study
Project Leadership Team Meeting
Tuesday, June 11 at 1-4 pm
Summit County Library North Branch
651 Center Circle
Silverthorne
Bus: Silverthorne Loop (This bus will get you there seven minutes before the meeting starts.)
This location is within walking distance of the Silverthorne Transfer Center which is the arrival point of  buses from Wildernest and Ryan Gulch Road as well as Frisco, Dillon, and Keystone. All these Summitt Stage buses are free.

It is typical of this group that the announcement got the name of the location wrong. Basically, what is happening is that we have a group planning a $20 billion train to the mountains when we could substantially improve the service that we have with $500 million.

Partly, I think that the purpose of this study is to come up with a plan that is so expensive that it will make rail impossible to build in Colorado. But I also think that the people who are doing this study (as well as the ICS study) simply don't know what they are doing.

So not only is this a fantasy, it is not even an attractive one.

Anyone can go to this meeting, although comments are only taken at the beginning.

"Impact of Rail in Illinois" Roundtable

Tuesday, June 11 at 9 am
Capitol Building, Room 212
301 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62706
This location is five blocks from the Springfield Amtrak station and two blocks from the local bus transfer center. Amtrak is only $20 from Chicago, but it will get you there late, at 10:15 am.

It looks like the Republican leadership of the US House Subcomittee on Rail may be backing away from their opposition to improving rail in this country. Or maybe they are just getting more subtle about it. Illinois is one of the few states where Republicans vote support rail and transit, and elected officials from that state will be at this roundtable. It looks like this roundtable will focus on freight.

Car-free Hiking

Update: On September 28, the shuttle will leave from Nederland's RTD Park-n-Ride at 2nd and Jackson in downtown Nederland instead of Nederland High School.

Saturday service now ends at 6 pm.


Remember the free shuttle to the Hessie Trailhead. Well it is back and will stay even longer this year, until October 6. The shuttle runs every 15 minutes from Nederland High School/Middle School on Saturdays (8-6)  and Sundays (8-6) as well as July 4 and September 2. And your dog can go too (on leash). The Hessie Trailhead is the entryway to multiple trails that lead to such US Forest Service lands such as the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Devils Thumb, and Diamond Lake.

RTD's N Route stops at Nederland High School/Middle School also, for a car-free day. No dogs on RTD however.

Free Shuttle between Downtown Lakewood and Light Rail

The Belmar Free Shuttle runs hourly between the Lakewood-Wadsworth Station and Belmar. It starts at 464 S. Teller Street at 11 am., and leaves from that stop every hour on the hour until 7 pm. The shuttle leaves from the RTD stop on the east side of Wadsworth every hour on the half hour from 11:30 to 7:30 pm. You can tell which bus is the shuttle because it is covered in colorful ads.

I think this bus should run later on Fridays and Saturdays so that people can go out.

August Service Changes Mean June Public Meetings

For once there are few service cuts. There are some routes that are losing an individual run, but they are all getting another somewhere else in the schedule.  The two routes that are losing service are the 9 and the 121. Hopefully, if people are unhappy with these changes, they will get Aurora, Denver, or Lakewood to pay to keep those routes. We need to start shifting funding away from cars to buses.

Monday, June 10 at 12 pm (noon)
University of Colorado
UMC Room 247
1669 Euclid Avenue
Boulder
Bus: DASH, HOP, SKIP, JUMP, 204, 225, AB, B

Wednesday, June 12 at 12 pm (noon) and 6 pm
RTD Administrative Offices
1600 Blake Street
Denver
Bus: Mall Shuttle, 1, 6, 20, 28, 32, 44, 120x, B, L
(Google Maps is wrong for this location; the bus box is not open, and regional buses are still going to Market Street Station.)

Thursday, June 13 at 1 pm
Heather Gardens
Mountain View Room
2888 S. Heather Gardens Way
Aurora
Bus: 130

Saturday, June 15 at 1 pm
Golden Community Center
2nd Floor Community Room
1470 10th Street
Golden
Bus: It is a four to five block walk to the 16.

Monday, June 17 at 7 pm
Clements Community Center
1590 Yarrow Street
Lakewood
Bus: 16
This location is a five to ten minute walk from the Lakewood-Wadsworth Station. The 76 and 26 are also close.

I am curious to find out if a lot of the students who are losing their school trip ride are in Lakewood. I would think that a meeting about the 9 would be further east in Denver. I am also curious to find out what is happening with the 225. The online information says that the Saturday schedules will be changing, but the 225 does not run on Saturday. It should run on Saturdays; maybe it will after it gets extended to Broomfield.

When I was young, many years ago, there was a bus that connected Lafayette to Broomfield. I am thinking that instead of having these long routes that can't be on time linking Broomfield and Lafayette, there should be a shorter one that does only that. That would be easier on the bus drivers and more reliable for the passengers. I wish there was a public meeting in Lafayette or Broomfield to discuss this.

Pueblo's Transportation Advisory Committee

Tuesday, July 9 at 8:30 am
Municipal Building, Community Room
200 S. Main Street
Pueblo
Bus: 2, 4 (All maps are in PDF form.)
11 and 12 run a block away on Union.

This committee is going to make recommendations to the various government entities about public transit, so if you live in the Pueblo area, it might be worth your while to go. I am not sure if there is going to be public comment or not, but bus riders need to make their voices heard.