We’ve also included “Experience Potentially Related to this Issue” to provide pertinent suggestions of the skills and insights each candidate would likely bring to bear while addressing this issue while in office. Candidate names are listed in the order in which they appear on the ballot.
Michael Hancock
Bottom line:
Denver must take a balanced approach to addressing sustainability issues that include transportation.
On his campaign website:
Under “Sustainability,” Hancock says he will:
• coordinate Greenprint Denver with other city agencies and set benchmarks and goals in key areas such as transportation.
In his campaign flyer:
No mention of transportation issues
Issue-specific ideas or solutions presented at March 24 and April 6 events:
No mention of transportation issues
Issue-related comments:
Via a recent Colorado Conservation Voters sustainability questionnaire, Hancock said he also will:
• implement additional multimodal choices to reduce transportation-related greenhouse-gas emissions
• promote transit-oriented development (TOD) by applying the appropriate zoning
• market TOD areas to Denver’s development community as priority places for new development and investment
• honor the Strategic Transportation Plan and continue to find creative ways to fund multimodal projects.
Experience Potentially Related to this Issue:
• City Councilman 2003-Present
--President 2006-2008
--Business, Workforce, & Sustainability Committee, Co-Chair
• Former Chair, Better Denver Bond Program
Chris Romer
Bottom line:
Denver must become more “bikeable and walkable” with less of a focus on moving cars.
On his campaign website:
Under “Transportation,” Romer promises to:
• improve Denver’s quality of life through transportation improvements
• encourage alternative modes of travel
• maintain and improve access to Denver’s industry clusters
• reduce the congestion impacts associated with Denver’s growth
• focus on fixing troublesome main corridors such as Speer, Colfax, T-Rex, Martin Luther King Boulevard, and the I-25/85 junction
• work with RTD to adopt more creative and cooperative approaches for funding transportation-oriented development projects
• fight to correct state and federal transportation funding distribution formulas that often leave Denver short-changed
• improve pedestrian and bicycle safety on common routes through new sidewalks, striped crosswalks, bicycle lanes, curb extensions, and traffic signal modifications
• work with CDOT on Safe Routes to School projects
• support regional mobility initiatives
• enhance the mobility of the entire Denver metro area through the city’s increased participation in the Denver Regional Council of Governments and CDOT’s Transportation Improvement Planning processes
• actively support a ballot initiative to approve the additional revenues required to finish FasTracks
• personally monitor the progress and coordination of the redevelopment of Union Station as the primary multimodal transfer station for the metropolitan area to ensure it is completed on time and on budget
• join with corridor and state leaders to design and structure a public-private partnership that can fix I-70 gridlock
• expand Denver’s multimodal transport network
• improve Denver’s bike system into a commuter system rather than just a recreational one
• focus on the safety of cyclists via better signage, more marked lanes, and bike storage accommodations
• improve Denver’s transportation hubs to make walking and biking through downtown Denver safer and more comfortable
• improve transfer opportunities between light rail, Union Station, major bus routes, and DIA
• develop housing that supports transit
• create transit-supportive incentives for businesses
• empower a range of job-creators to locate and employ citizens near the city’s transportation hubs
• keep Denver on the leading edge of innovative transportation
• study the practicality of restoring streetcar service along East Colfax and other high-use city arteries
• complete the long-discussed DIA seventh runway for international flights now while federal assistance remains available for this project
• move ahead with the proposed DIA terminal hotel and RTD commuter rail station to provide attractive and much-needed facilities for travelers and meeting planners
• actively market DIA to international air carriers
• focus on eliminating inefficiencies in public departments and construction projects, especially those involving transportation
• further streamline procurement procedures to cut costs
• size the city’s transportation departments to eliminate redundancies.
In his campaign flyer:
No mention of transportation issues
Issue-specific ideas or solutions presented at March 24 and April 6 events:
Said Denver must “finish FasTracks” and focus on mobility, making the city more “bikeable and walkable” with less of a focus on moving cars.
Issue-related comments:
Via a recent Colorado Conservation Voters sustainability questionnaire, Romer said he also will:
• work very hard to achieve the transit-oriented development needed for FasTracks
• work to make Denver the most bike-friendly city in the country by significantly expanding B-cycle, ensuring bike paths and routes do not stop at city lines, and improving infrastructure throughout the city to encourage cycling tourism and commuting
• ensure that pedestrian access is a significant consideration in new development.
Experience Potentially Related to this Issue:
• Senator 2007-2010
• Experience working as a banker on municipal projects that included improvements to roads and airports