ColoRail Member Meeting

The Colorado Department of Transportation has a new Rail and Transit Division, and of course that division has a new director, Mark Imhoff, who was instrumental in getting Denver's first light rail line built.

Mr. Imhoff is coming to the next Colorado Rail Passenger Association Member Meeting. Yay! We might even have the chance to give him suggestions.

We are meeting on Saturday, November 20 at 10:30 at the Englewood Community Center and Library. Mr. Imhoff's section starts at 10:45. At 11:45 the Board will ask the members what they would like us to be working on.

The Englewood Community Center is on light rail line D. Bus routes 0, 12, and 27 come right next to the center.

Comments on the plans for I-70.

It looks like the plan for I-70 is to build a monorail/maglev on a raised track from Eagle County Airport In Gypsum near Glenwood Springs to the intersection of I-70 and C-470 in Morrison and to widen sections of the highway and some highway intersections. No mention of buses. No mention of possible ways to get people out of the I-70 corridor.

At the public meeting that I attended, fourteen peoplespoke. A majority spoke in favor of improved bus service. I believe only two people supported widening the road in any section.

I am concerned that the raised structure that will be carrying the monorail/maglev is being referred to as an "Advanced Guideway System" when in fact there is nothing inherently advanced it.

Here is the comment that I submitted to the I-70 team:

I am concerned that the rail portion of the I-70 project is being designed for looks rather than usability or even modernity. What makes a train modern is not necessarily the track (rail on steel vs. maglev). A modern train has modern signals. A modern train has a modern dispatch system. A modern train has operators, both on the train, and in the operations offices, who are both well-trained and well-paid. In the last ten years, we have seen new kinds of engines and new kinds of wheels. There are trains that look exactly like the trains of fifty years ago that are wonders of modern engineering. And there are trains that look very modern that in fact don’t work very well and are in fact quite primitive.

As rail systems across the USA are being modernized, Colorado is falling behind. People in Colorado are still being forced to drive as train ridership across the country increases every year. We need a rail system that connects into the nation’s system, and we need a system that serves Colorado’s citizens.

Today is the last day to submit comments.

Why Don't People Take the Bus?

Sometimes because they don't know there is one available.

On his blog Justin Nelson tells about seeing a bus that he could have taken home from Las Vegas during his drive back. His post is a good source for people who are looking for alternatives to Greyhound for intercity bus service from the Los Angeles area.

Water Pollution: Cars vs. Transit

Everyone knows that cars produces air pollution, but many people are not aware of the amount of water pollution that they produce. Cars pollute the water ways buy grinding up roads and their own tires; the dust produced runs into waterways when it rains. In addition, the oil used as lubricant is constantly leaking out. In addition, some irresponsible car owners dump used oil directly into storm drains. Overall, more oil is dumped into our nation's waterways than was spilled following the Deepwater tragedy in the Gulf.

Doesn't most of this apply to buses also? Yes, except that most buses transport many, many more people compared to the surface area of their tires and the amount of oil that they use compared to cars. People who maintain buses professionally are much less likely to dispose of used oil improperly.

Trains cause even less water pollution. Train tracks take up less space than roads, and the tracks themselves are made of less toxic materials than asphalt. Train tracks are more water permeable than roads. Permeability matters because this keeps pollutants from pooling in one area. There are many chemicals that are harmless or even beneficial in small quantities are toxic in large concentrations.

For example, if one hundred people take a supplement with 10mg of iron every day, their health may improve. But if only person takes that entire amount, 1g , it would eventually kill them. Covering a large percentage of our cities with concrete and asphalt encourages rainwater to pool in limited areas and for pollutants to also pool in those areas, allowing chemical concentrations to reach dangerous levels.

Public transit not only uses oil more efficiently than cars do, buses and trains use space more efficiently as well. Using space more efficiently leaves us more places for parks and open space.

I-70 to be widened? get a monorail? better bus service?

Right now the Colorado Department of Transportation is deciding what to do about traffic congestion on I-70. Should we widen the highway, add more bus service, increase the number of trains, build a monorail? Links to the various parts of the actual plan for I-70 can be found at 2010 Revised Draft PEIS. The sections that I read were not written in any known human language, but when they added the Denver meeting maybe they added actual English. Right now it seems that CDOT is proposing to widen I-70 in some places, add bus service, and build a monorail.

As of today (Monday, October 4) there are four public meetings. All meetings start at 5pm with an Open House and an opportunity to submit written comments. At 6pm a presentation starts. After 6:30, the public can submit verbal comments until 8pm. Current information is available at I-70 Mountain Corridor. I will list each meeting as I learn about it along with information about how to get there on public transit.

Tuesday, October 5, Silverthorne
Silverthorne Pavilions
400 Blue River Parkway
Silverthorne Pavilions is two blocks east on Fourth of the Silverthorne Transfer Center. Hourly free buses run around downtown Silverthorne and to Frisco, Dillon, Keystone until well past the end of the meeting. There does not seem to be any bus service to most of the residential areas of Silverthorne.

Wednesday, October 6, Clear Creek County
Clear Creek County High School
185 Beaver Brook Drive
Technically, this is in Evergreen, but it is nowhere near what people think of as the city of Evergreen, and is far outside of the RTD's service area. There is no bus service to this location. (Poor kids)

Thursday, October 7, Eagle
Eagle County Fairgrounds
0426 Fairgrounds Road
ECO Transit provides bus service within Eagle County. I am not sure which bus stop is the closest, but it is possible to walk to the meeting location along 5th Street from the Eagle County Building stop. Buses run through downtown Eagle to Vail, Avon, Edwards, and Gypsum. A roundtrip costs the same as a day pass ($8), so I recommend getting the pass just in case. In the evening, buses run more frequently to Gypsum (hourly) than to Vail, Avon and Edwards (every two or three hours). You have to call 970-328-3520 two hours in advance for pickup from some locations, but not for any downtown stops.

Thursday, October 21, Denver
CDOT Headquarters, Auditorium
4201 East Arkansas Avenue
CDOT Headquarters are located one block east of Colorado Boulevard between Louisiana and Arkansas Avenues. On Google Maps it looks like you can enter from both Louisiana and Arkansas, which is good because the 40 stops on Louisiana. The 79 runs along E. Florida to both the University of Denver and Nine Mile Light Rail Stations. This bus also stops on Colorado, although Bellaire may be a closer stop for people coming from the east. The 46 runs along Birch Street. Be careful, though. The last buses for this route come within the half hour after the meeting ends.

Comments can also be submitted online until November 8 at I-70 Mountain Corridor Contact Form.

Does Senator Michael Bennet support funding trains?

I just read on the California High Speed Rail Blog, that Senator Michael Bennet opposes infrastructure spending. I support him if he opposes widening more highways, but it seems that he may oppose stable long-term funding for rail as well.

I think the we as citizens of the US need to invest in jobs. The more people who are working, the higher our tax revenues will be. And if we end our addiction to oil, we won't have to spend billions on wars to get it.

RTD (Denver Metro) is having public about the budget shortfall

Denver Metro area transit needs $18 million just to keep the service that we have now. Meanwhile, a $20 billion project to widen one area highway looks like it will get federal dollars. Luckily, we do have an opportunity to make our voices heard. RTD is holding public meetings about the proposed fare increase. Perhaps together we can figure out a way to come up with the money.

Here is the schedule by date:

Monday, September 13 - all 6 pm

Aurora

Aurora Center for Active Adults

30 Del Mar Circle

Bus Routes: 6 (hourly at night) and 121 (every half hour)

Littleton

Ken-Caryl Ranch House Recreation Center

7676 S. Continental Divide Road

Bus Routes: 401 (last bus at 8:18 going east, last buses at 8:59 and 10:29 going west)

Westminster

City Park Recreation Center

10455 Sheridan Boulevard

Bus routes: 104 (last bus at 7:20 going east, last bus at 7:13 going west) Usually, I would not recommend a bus that stops so early, but the 51 stops serving this location even earlier. There are no other choices.

Wednesday, September 15 - 6 pm

Englewood

Englewood Civic Center (right next to Englewood Station)

1000 Englewood Parkway

Light Rail: D (every fifteen minutes)

Bus Routes: 0 (every fifteen minutes), 12 (hourly), 51 (hourly)

The 27 and 35 also stop here, but may stop running too early to be useful.

Thursday, September 16 - 6pm

Denver

Park Hill Golf Club

4141 E. 35th Avenue (May actually be on Colorado Boulevard.)

Bus Routes: 40 (every fifteen minutes), 44 (hourly), 24 (every half hour until 8:24, last bus at 9:24)

Denver (again)

RTD offices

1600 Blake Street (above Market Street Station)

Bus Routes: all that go downtown, take the free downtown shuttle from light rail

Northglenn

Northglenn Recreation Center

11801 Community Center Drive

Bus Routes: Depends on whether or not this location is walkable from the Wagon Road ParknRide. According to Google Maps, the nearest bus route is the 7. I will need to research further.

Monday, September 20 - various times

Boulder - 6pm

West Boulder Senior Center

909 Arapahoe Road

Bus Routes: JUMP (every half hour). The B, SKIP, DASH, 204, and 203 all stop within walking distance.

Lakewood - 7pm (note that this meeting starts later than most of the others)

Clements Community Center

1580 Yarrow Street

Bus Routes: 16/16L (every fifteen to twenty minutes), 76 (every half hour)

There is a short walk from the bus stops to the community center.

Longmont - 6pm

Longmont Senior Center

910 Longs Peak Avenue

Bus Routes: As far as I can tell, the only bus that runs in Longmont in the evening is the Boulder/Longmont bus, the BOLT. It runs hourly.

Wednesday, September 22 - 6pm

Arvada

The Apex Center

13150 W. 72nd Avenue

Bus Routes: none?

Aurora (Second Meeting)

Heather Gardens Community Center

2888 S. Heather Gardens Way

Bus Routes: none? Is the 130 in walking distance?

Littleton

Douglas H. Buck Community Recreation Center

2004 W. Powers Avenue

Light Rail: D (every fifteen minutes). You have to walk out of the station area and then across the tracks.

Bus Route: 66 (every half hour) This is the route that runs closest to the center, but any route that runs to Littleton Station is within walking distance. Just remember that most buses stop south of the station and that the center is north and east of the tracks.

Thursday, September 23 - 6pm

Denver

Quigg Newton Senior Center

4430 Navajo Street

Bus Routes: 6 (every half hour until 7:58, hourly until 10:58), 52 (hourly) Both buses stop on W. 46th and on Lipan, two to three blocks away.

Parker

Parker Recreation Center

17301 E. Lincoln Avenue

Bus Routes: none?

Friday, September 24 - noon

Denver

RTD Offices (second meeting)

1600 Blake

Bus Routes: all that go downtown. Take the free downtown shuttle from the light rail.

Well, we now know that the RTD planners are not taking the bus to these events.