The DRCOG Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) met on Monday, April 5th via Zoom. After reviewing the notes from the last meeting held February 22, final eligibility rules and the selection process for FY22-FY23 Community Mobility Planning and Implementation (CMPI) Set-Aside were presented and approved by the TAC. This was followed by a final presentation of the draft 2050 Metro Vision Regional Transportation Plan (MVRTP) and Air Quality Conformity. DRCOG staff, Jacob Riger and Alvin Bidal-Sanchez shared information from the plan and its six investment priorities: multi-modal mobility, safety, freight, air quality, active transportation, and regional transit. They also shared information from the recently completed public engagement process. The following represents some overall themes from the public engagement:
General Public
- Strong support for multimodal projects & funding – even more desired
- Minimal support for road projects & funding
- Interest in equity and environmental justice analysis
Local Governments
- Support for 2050 RTP projects & priorities
- Technical questions and requested revisions
Agency Partners (CDOT, RTD, FTA, FHWA)
- Support for 2050 RTP projects & planning process
- Requested revisions to clarify methodologies, processes, etc.
The draft of the 2050 MVRTP and the accompanying Air Quality Conformity documents were approved and will be sent to the Regional Transportation Committee (RTC) for approval.
The 2022-2025 TIP and associated air quality conformity documents were presented and approved by TAC as were recommendations for the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) waiting list funding distribution. There were informational briefings on the FY 2022-FY 2023 Unified Planning Work Program and CDOT Senate Bill 17-267 Year 3 Project Options. An AMP working group update was also provided. The next TAC meeting will be April 26, 2021. For more information about this meeting, visit DRCOG’s website.
The Colorado Senior Lobby (CSL) has been active this legislative session tracking bills impacting older Coloradoans- including transportation bills. One of these bills is SB21-187, The Creation of a Dialysis Transportation Provider Reimbursement Program. The program is created to reimburse dialysis transportation providers that transport dialysis patients 50 years or older or older not covered by Medicaid. The program is to be administered by CDOT. In 2020 there were 6,265 Colorado patients- 400,412 treatments administered at 895 Dialysis Centers. These figures are projected to grow by 4% yearly. Another transportation bill is HB21-1206, Medicaid Transportation Services. The bill, if passed, would transfer the requirement of the PUC to oversee the safety and oversight of these services to HCPF and to collaborate with stakeholders to establish rules and processes for the transportation services. CSL is monitoring at this time.
Meeting via Zoom
Guest: Debra Johnson, RTD General Manager and CEO:
Ms. Johnson introduced herself and said that she appreciates the work the individual LCCs do. She is focusing on listening to the concerns of different groups and defining the problems RTD and wants to look forward to finding solutions. Although she is not able to attend every meeting, she is happy to come back and meet with the group again.
Review of meeting with Debra Johnson:
The LCC believes Ms. Johnson is doing a good job with how RTD is handling the pandemic, bringing back ridership and working with the community. Krystin Trustman told the group about the meetings she has had with Ms. Johnson and Michael Ford to identify the challenges the disability community has with RTD and the suggestions for improvement that have been made.
Accountability Committee Recommendation for Sub-Regional Councils to Advise RTD:
The Accountability Committee has a proposal to Make LCCs the Sub-Regional Councils. Discussion – LCC Priorities and Whether/How This Role of Sub-Regional Council Fits. Different views were presented:
Will regional councils further drive the wedge between parts of the region and exacerbate the move away from a truly regional focus to RTD’s future? Will they make things worse; Is the very idea of regional councils emblematic or the problem rather than a good solution for RTD and the region as a whole?
The LCC Serving Jeffco has committed to goals to serve and engage in the Life Long Jefferson County project, which may or may not benefit from being a part of Sub-regional Service Councils. Does the LCC Serving Jeffco will have the time to take on another project?
Next meeting: May 6, 2021 1:30-3:00pm via Zoom
Rising more than 17 feet above the train tracks at Alameda Station is a new art installation: Four Gates, by artist Herbert Bayer. Bayer was an Austrian student of the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany, who then became its instructor in Dessau, Germany. The Bauhaus is the century-old school of design that gave modern architecture and modern design a foundation.
Bayer became a U.S. citizen in 1944 after he fled the Nazi regime and resided in Aspen. He died in Montecito, Calif., in 1985.
“Four Gates is Bauhaus at its best,” said Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, an RTD architect. “It is composed of clear and simple forms interposing four porticos painted in primary colors.”
As COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out across the world, it’s clear that the vaxxie will be 2021’s defining social media trend. But some vaccine selfies will be exposed to more eyeballs than our own or our friends’ and neighbors’. Celebrities, ever just like us, and their social media feeds have also become a reliable source of these photos in recent months. From Ian McKellen’s vaccination in December to Dolly Parton’s earlier this month, some of them have made headlines on their own.
Read the Latest Extra Dose!
