- Location: Microsoft Teams Meeting (virtual)
- Introductions – 59 in attendance
- Meet every month 2:00pm-4:00pm
- Even months – Longmont
- Odd months – Boulder
- Mission – Overcome transportation gaps in the community
- Multi-modal education
- 30th Anniversary of ADA Panel Discussion
- Panelists: Judy (National Federation of the Blind), Jamie (CCDC), Eugenia (Association for Community Living), and Aaron (Center for People with Disabilities)
- We have come a long way, but there is room for improvement. What and how?
- Enforcement – smaller communities don’t always have someone knowledgeable in ADA compliance
- Input from public – Guidelines are flexible and can be tailored to each community
- Need to focus on rural access – access is important in order to interact with community and stay employed
- Accessible parking in open areas that people don’t think of (i.e. hiking)
- Continued education – let people know that these things play a critical role in inclusivity
- Digital Accessibility – websites & maps to help people navigate transportation are not always accessible.
- COVID-19 has forced us to focus on online engagement. What barriers has COVID posed to accessibility?
- Isolation – this often leads to depression
- Communication barriers (especially for people with low vision) – wearing masks makes it hard for people who read lips or rely on hearing more
- Lack of transportation – Blind people touch everything, so traveling on public transit has become more scary and dangerous with the Corona virus
- Virtual movement – more people are on every meeting (since there is no travel obligations) so people have to learn new virtual tools more quickly
- Inconsistency in applying rules (wearing face mask) – people who are already at high risk are even more at risk.
- What role do you see the ADA playing in the next 30 years?
- A more inclusive society – everyone benefits from ADA
- Sky is the limit – anticipation that growth will happen more quickly especially with growth of technology
- Accessibility – would like to see 50% of all housing to be accessible, want a land use policy that all needed services could be found within 1/3 mile from accessible housing
- Valued for skills – would like to see people with disabilities fully in the workforce and to be seen for their strong skillsets
- LCC updates
- Tech workshops
- 7/16 – RTD apps
- 7/22 – Lyft app
- 7/29 – Uber apps
- 8/13 – Google maps
- Last 2 hours with a follow up Q&A session
- Working on creating a video on how to download the apps before the training
- Used to do this in person, but making a video now that they are virtual
- Tech workshops
- Ride Free Lafayette
- Launching later this month
- 7am-8pm every day of the week
- Free
- 3 ways to get a ride
- App – On Demand Transit
- Website – ridefreelafayette.com
- Phone – 833-456-3359
- Grant funding opportunities
- DRCOG HST
- Will be asking for year 2 funding for Ride Free Lafayette
- Next 50 Initiative
- Pairing with Via & Ego Car Share
- DRCOG HST
- Other updates
- Via Mobility Services
- As of 7/1 Seniors’ Resource Center (SRC) has transferred their transportation services to Via
- Not accepting new riders yet
- New boundaries to cover the Denver Metro Area
- SRC clients will still be able to call the old number and get rides
- The only difference in service for these riders will be new buses and drivers
- Clear Creek County will be running their own service
- Via Mobility Services
- Key Transit
- Expanding their services into Boulder
- Transporting one person at a time (can bring one care giver along)
- Looking to expand into Colorado Springs in the future
- Will be offering 50% off vouchers during COVID
- Not transferring COVID positive patients
- Base rate is $46 + $4.75 per mile
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- DRMAC App
- Resource for transportation options in the Denver Metro Area
- Took the Getting There Guide and made it digital
- In the process of getting it ADA certified
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- RTD
- COVID update
- Cleaning all vehicles every night
- Got an electrostatic cleaner
- Back to collecting fares and using front boarding
- Installing plexiglass barriers for drivers protection
- Strongly encouraging people to wear masks while riding
- Continued financial challenges
- Cutting costs and streamlining projects
- Furloughs in place (salaried employees)
- Reimagine RTD
- Objective – data-driven process to engage with users
- How will RTD evolve both short and long term?
- Will provide
- System Optimization Plan (short term)
- Mobility Plan (long term)
- Key Elements
- Evaluate current system & what RTD can afford
- Seek input on priorities
- Implement the System Optimization Plan in 2021
- Mobility Plan implemented 2022
- COVID update
- NEXT MEETING
- Monday 8/10/2020
- Location: virtual (Microsoft Teams)
- Time: 2:00pm-4:00pm
Dear 16th Street Mall Stakeholder,
The City and County of Denver, along with their partners RTD and the Downtown Denver Partnership, will host a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, August 5th from 5 to 7 pm. The purpose of the meeting is to brief and seek feedback from the ADA community on the 16th Street Mall redevelopment project. The meeting agenda will include an update on the project and an interactive discussion with the group about construction impacts and future community engagement. Your feedback and participation is valued and welcomed!
Please RSVP to Loretta at Loretta.LaRiviere@jacobs.com by July 29. A Zoom link will be sent to you after you RSVP. Please let her know if you are in need of Spanish or sign language interpreters by this date as well.
Thank you!
The 16th Street Mall Project Team
July 5 and 6, 1978, are commonly accepted as the beginning of the Disability Rights Movement. On those days 42 years ago, 19 courageous individualsblocked the busy intersection of Broadway and Colfax in downtown Denver.
The civil disobedience by the “Gang of 19” shed national light on the need for transportation equity and began a movement that ultimately led to passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Read more
Service was the first to connect suburbs and downtown Denver by rail
DENVER (July 14, 2020) – The Regional Transportation District (RTD) marks the 20th anniversary today of the opening of the Southwest Light Rail Line from I-25 and Broadway to Englewood and Littleton. The line was the first to serve the south metro suburbs by rail.
The Southwest Rail Line – an extension of the D Line – added five new stations, at Evans, Englewood, Oxford, Littleton•Downtown, and Littleton•Mineral. Future plans for this line will eventually connect downtown Denver to C-470 and Lucent in Highlands Ranch when RTD secures funds to build the Southwest Rail Extension, part of the 2004 FasTracks plan.
“The success of the Southwest Light Rail Line was key in launching more rail connections over the next two decades,” said RTD Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Paul J. Ballard. “We are excited to mark this milestone as we prepare for the Sept. 21 opening of our newest commuter rail line, the N Line, further enhancing connectivity throughout the region.”
When the Southwest Line opened, projected ridership was reached almost immediately, surpassing the forecast of 8,400 riders per weekday and, in April 2002, averaging 17,900 riders at the five stations. In 2019, average weekday ridership reached 18,400 for the C and D Lines combined.
The Southwest Line is one of RTD’s great examples of regional collaboration between RTD, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) and local governments. Elected officials along the Southwest Corridor joined RTD officials in Washington, D.C., to advocate for federal funds to help build the line. On May 9, 1996, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Federico Peña signed a $120 million full funding grant agreement (FFGA), allowing RTD to begin final design. That phase was completed by RTD’s in-house design team in December 1997, saving $2.3 million and resulting in outstanding design and praise from the federal review team. To demonstrate multimodal cooperation, the Federal Highway Administration (through DRCOG and CDOT) provided $18 million in flexible highway-to-transit funding. The FFGA was paid in full in 2001.
Since RTD opened its first light rail line, the Central Corridor, in 1994, the agency’s rail system has grown to include 60.1 miles of light rail track and 40 miles of commuter rail track, with 73 stations. The opening of the N Line will add 13 new miles of commuter rail track and six new stations. The remaining 5.5 miles of the N Line will be built as funds become available.
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