By now, you’ve probably read the coverage regarding last night’s decision by the RTD Board to accept most of the staff proposed transit service cuts.  If not, you can catch two of the stories here: Daily Camera:  RTD holds firm on bus route cuts in Boulder County; and, Denver Post: RTD board approves transit cuts [...]

RTD is in the midst of wrestling with budget challenges that are forcing the agency to consider a proposed $12 million in bus and rail service cuts.  The initial menu of cuts that staff presented attempts to eliminate low performing routes and run periods while considering a variety of other factors, such as regional equity.  The full staff [...]

As the Denver Post reported on Monday, ”RTD delays decision on how much to request from taxpayers,” the RTD Board decided to wait until its March 8 meeting before making a final decision on seeking a proposed tax increase for FasTracks in 2011.  The primary reason for this delay is the notice we received from some [...]

In one of the more audacious knocks to regional cooperation, Denver is making a bid for taking $7 million in funding away from transportation projects in Boulder County in order to cover the cost of their $25 million in desired improvements at the intersection of Peoria Street and Smith Road.  Here is the full story, [...]

As expected, RTD staff offered their proposal at the end of last month for speeding completion of the FasTracks program.  The full staff presentation is available here:  Annual Program Evaluation ( I addressed some of this material in a previous post).   In summary, their initial recommendation is a modest increase in the FasTracks sales tax of 0.2%.  With public support [...]

I have received great input from a number of local citizens regarding the two significant FasTracks decisions the RTD Board will be making in the near future associated with the distribution of remaining FasTracks dollars and whether to pursue additional sales tax funding.  I thank you for this continued input and, in the words of former [...]

As a follow-up to my April blog regarding progress toward completing the US 36 BRT system, I am please to report that my RTD Board colleagues voted this month to immediately commit $30 million toward further advancing elements of the full system.  This decision is expected to leverage sufficient funds to construct high occupancy vehicle [...]

.  .  . or, at least, it is making it’s final approach. No matter how you slice it, the news RTD received from the Federal Transportation Administration yesterday is a big leap forward toward realizing the full vision of the FasTracks plan.  You can read about all the developments at the following link: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14345646.  The summary, though, [...]

I am typically pretty focused in my transit advocacy, as an RTD Board Director, on influencing RTD policy.   However, when the actions of outside agencies threaten our transit goals, I feel it is my duty to speak-out.  Such is the case with respect to current maneuvers to complete the Denver metro beltway. Specifically, proponents of the beltway are asking the Denver Regional Council of [...]

I am pleased to report that, due to some unanticipated additional revenue for 2010, the RTD Board voted to preserve most of the service that was slated for cuts in January.  This includes the initial proposal to reduce service frequencies along Route 205, Route 228, and the Stampede.  The only remaining service efficiencies the Board approved [...]