DENVER | Transportation Thread

[TakeFive]

Out Here in the West, We Do Things Differently

I've come to know a good amount about transit. Things like Headways, Tailways, Byways and other cool stuff. I understand what conventional wisdom says it should perform like and why. Good urban dense, walkable places. I appreciate how transit can both encourage and enhance that experience.

I recently found a good piece on StreetsBlog USA:
The Secrets of Successful Transit Projects — Revealed!
July 10, 2014 by Payton Chung

A landmark report from a team of researchers with the University of California at Berkeley identifies the factors that set successful transit investments apart from the rest.

The secret sauce is fairly simple, when you get down to it: Place a transit line where it will connect a lot of people to a lot of jobs and give it as much grade-separated right-of-way as possible, and it will attract a lot of riders.

So far so good.

Another look at Return on Investment
I didn't consider comparing Denver to Seattle for reasons; for similar reasons I didn't compare Denver's A Line with DC's Silver Line. Rather I picked San Diego a reasonably similar peer city.

San Diego's Mid-Coast Corridor project is a 10.9 mile extension of their Blue Line. According to Keep San Diego Moving:

The Mid-Coast Trolley will extend light rail service... and travels in existing railroad right-of-way and alongside I-5 to Gilman Drive. It crosses to the west side of I-5 just south of Nobel Drive and continues on to serve the heart of the UCSD campus. It then crosses back to the east side of I-5 near Voigt Drive to serve the UCSD east campus medical centers...

In many respects this is very similar to Fastracks Lines and specifically to the R Line. Cost comparisons with the R Line were $33 million per mile versus $182 million per mile. The fact that it is costing other cities 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, 6X, 7X, 8X, 10X times what Denver is paying makes a quantifiable difference.

If RTD has defined goals and objectives for Fastracks, can adeptly manage their capital investment and operating costs, can reasonable achieve their defined goals, both short term and long term then what does it matter all this "conventional wisdom" propaganda?

It's hard to believe but...
assuming no hidden P3 costs Fastracks is projected to cost $3.5 billion for an average $55 million per mile for the new rail corridor lines including any ancillary needs like new rolling stock and maintenance facilities. Of the $3.5 billion total costs I believe that Federal funds will cover close to half that amount.

GO BRONCOS

[TakeFive]

Well, dang it all. Eh, live and learn. I just knew that the $3.5 billion cost figure couldn't be right. Turns out that my own guestimate of $4.3 billion is pretty close as total project costs for the rail corridors is projected to be $4.4 billion. Including 71.5 miles that's an overall average cost of $61.54 million per mile.

It just took finding the ole APE - Annual Program Evaluation. Too bad I found it last instead of first. The corrected numbers are:

• Eagle project (A, G and NW Lines) - $2.274 billion Total Cost / 35.9 miles / $63.34 million per mile
• I-225 or R Line - $693.2 million Total Cost / 10.5 miles / $66 million per mile
• North or N Line - $708.3 million Total Cost / 13 miles / $54.5 million per mile
• West or W Line - $707 million Total Cost / 12.1 miles / $58.5 million per mile
• * Light Rail Maintenance Facility - $17.2 million Total Cost / if allocated to the W and R Lines would add $.76 million per mile

Eagle Project
The corrected figure of $2.274 billion in place of the previous figure of $2.1 billion accounts for the NW Line being paid by RTD even though it's a part of the Eagle project. The new Total Cost figure is inclusive of all hard and soft costs.
I-225 or R Line
The construction or hard costs are $440 million or 63.5% of the $693.2 million total project costs while the soft costs are 36.5% of the Total Project Costs. The $440 million corrected consstruction costs includes $90 million spent under a different contract from Kiewit.
North Metro or N Line
The construction or hard costs are $343 million or about 48.5% of the $708.3 million total project costs while the soft costs are 51.5% of the total costs. The reason for the soft costs being so high here is I believe RTD went ahead and acquired all of the ROW needed for all 18 miles.

Total projected Fastracks program costs are currently about $5.35 billion (as opposed to the rail corridors) and include $315 million for DUS and $344 million for misc.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by bcp

This post is my personal Groundhog Day. Ned....Ned ryerson???

Just teasing...kinda...we all have our themes

I know.

And now that I've got my corrections posted I think that about puts a wrap on my Great Adventure and Learning Expedition into transit along with attendant comments. I have, at least learned quite a lot.

The odds are very good that I'm as relieved as anyone to be done.

/Lights fade slowly as curtain starts to come down. WAIT, need to have some good closing music. (Over 816 million views can't be wrong)

[DenverRider2]

Public works will be discussing options for the broadway corridor on tuesday- http://denvermovesbroadway.com/get-involved/

You know the bike people where be out there in force. It would be nice if there was a similar push for transit and we ended up getting true BRT in addition to the protected bike lanes.

[TakeFive]

Back on track?

Despite drop in Frontier passengers, DIA reports record September
Nov 10, 2015 by Ben Miller

Denver International Airport said it had 4.53 million passengers flying in September, which is the highest passenger total for the month in the airport's history.

Year-to-date passenger traffic is down 0.5 percent with 40.2 million passengers compared with 40.4 million a year earlier.

I also read recently where Delta is picking up the gates that Frontier is vacating. While airlines are always fine tuning there's been some significant re-positioning over he last couple of years. With that behind, DIA should get back to more of a growth trajectory I'd think.

Also on a positive note, The Hill reported that the House passed a $325 billion transportation bill by a 363-64 vote. They used the summer passed Senate bill and added a few changes so it will need to be conferenced but is clearly headed for passage. I'm sure that the Full Funding Grant for the SE light rail line is in there.

[LAM]

Has anyone ridden their bike or driven on Iola Street in the Stapleton area lately? I really wish I took a picture because what I saw was so strange.

They used to have a straight bike lane with parking on the curb side as you can see in this Google Maps view. BTW: It's more current to see it if you view it in Google non-angled aerial view.

I recently went through there and noticed that they added flimsy reflector poles on both sides of the bike lane as you approach the intersection at 28th Place and 28th Avenue. However, instead of straight, the bike lane abruptly hooks to the right as if to force the bikes to nearly stop at the intersection. This is very strange since the cars on that road do not have to stop.

I assume that most bike riders will either ride around the reflectors in the auto lanes, or pass them in the parked car lane.

My only guess is that bike riders move quite fast though there and the curb side parking blocks the view of crossing traffic. So, in order to protect the bike riders, they put up this contraption. I'd rather they just add a sign that says something clever like "Blind Intersection Ahead."

[Cirrus]

^
It would help a lot to get a picture, but yeah that sounds to me like a non-standard attempt to reduce "right hooks,"
where a person in a car turning right drives into a person on a bike going straight. That's usually the most dangerous part
of any bike lane (especially on relatively wide streets like Iola).


floridabicycle.org



The way the most up-to-date design guides say to handle that type of situation is to have the cars merge into the bike lane
ahead of time, using road striping that directs drivers to turn at a gentler angle where they'll see any oncoming bikers,
instead of turning sharply at the corner. Like this:


NACTO urban bikeway design manual

[EngiNerd]

Still calling the airport train Light Rail, which always bugs me, but good to hear from Kim Day, and what she sees for the future of the airport

]Why People Actually Like the Denver Airport

By DAN SALTZSTEINNOV. 10, 2015

Q. What do you see for the future of airports? What traveler needs have to be filled?

A. You will be seeing better restaurants, with more variety. Different retail options. What’s evolving in Asia — and I think you’ll see this in the U.S. shortly — is that you go into a shop and you’ll get to feel and try something on, but you order it and it’s delivered to your hotel or your home.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/travel/denver-airport-kim-day.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

[The Dirt]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

Still calling the airport train Light Rail, which always bugs me, but good to hear from Kim Day, and what she sees for the future of the airport
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/travel/denver-airport-kim-day.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

From the article:
Correction: November 11, 2015
An earlier version of this article described incorrectly the type of rail line that is planned between the Denver International Airport and Union Station. It is a commuter rail, not a light rail.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

Still calling the airport train Light Rail, which always bugs me, but good to hear from Kim Day, and what she sees for the future of the airport

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/travel/denver-airport-kim-day.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

Nice find. Somebody read your comment and took it very seriously...

Correction: November 11, 2015
An earlier version of this article described incorrectly the type of rail line that is planned between the Denver International Airport and Union Station. It is a commuter rail, not a light rail.

[EngiNerd]

HA! Well look at that! Thanks for pointing that out, I doubt I would have read the article again to see that.

[DenverRider2]

Originally Posted by DenverRider2

Public works will be discussing options for the broadway corridor on tuesday- http://denvermovesbroadway.com/get-involved/

So did anyone actually attend this meeting or would people rather just whine on the forums about how transit gets shafted by the all powerful bike lobby?

FYI- nobody (consultants, city, RTD) is talking about a 24 hr transit lane or true BRT on broadway even though the purpose of this project is ostensibly to improve mobility and livability along the corridor.

[TakeFive]

Life's tough for downtown loft dwellers at 1800 Lawrence Street.

It's right outside their door and they're not happy.

What started all this? First it was the Bike Lanes. Now without any warning RTD is plopping down a new concrete island bus stop. They've lost their "access for emergency workers, delivery drivers, residents and guests." Oh, and crime is up.

Interesting the views and opinions of different groups of people affected by change.

[The Dirt]

Aww, poor wealthy white people.

[bobg]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Life's tough for downtown loft dwellers at 1800 Lawrence Street.

It's right outside their door and they're not happy.

What started all this? First it was the Bike Lanes. Now without any warning RTD is plopping down a new concrete island bus stop. They've lost their "access for emergency workers, delivery drivers, residents and guests." Oh, and crime is up.

Interesting the views and opinions of different groups of people affected by change.

People in this building also raised a huge fuss when a 7-11 (GASP) signed a lease on their first floor retail several years ago, IIRC they even filed a lawsuit.

Unfortunately there's some downtown NIMBY's, but most of them seem to be targeting things poor people might use (buses, convenience stores, homeless shelters, etc) rather than any sort of tall building like their 'single family home only' counterparts in Cherry Creek and West Highland.

[EngiNerd]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Life's tough for downtown loft dwellers at 1800 Lawrence Street.

It's right outside their door and they're not happy.

What started all this? First it was the Bike Lanes. Now without any warning RTD is plopping down a new concrete island bus stop. They've lost their "access for emergency workers, delivery drivers, residents and guests." Oh, and crime is up.

Interesting the views and opinions of different groups of people affected by change.

This part cracks me up:

“RTD is moving a bus stop from midblock to literally right in front of our front door. And they’re creating a huge island platform for this stop. For unknown reasons, evidently a bench was not sufficient,” said Kay Coulson, an IsBell resident for about one year.

Coulson said the island will look similar to one with a metal post and canopy -- and consequently block her door, signage and access for emergency workers, delivery drivers, residents and guests.

“Our crime is up exponentially,” said Coulson, saying it has more than doubled on the block in the past three years.

I'm sorry, but someone who has only lived there for a year doesn't get to comment that crime has been up exponentially over the past 3 years, what is their basis?

“If it can happen to our building, it’s going to happen to others in downtown Denver. This is not helping people want to live downtown,” a citizen said.

A bus stop has moved....The HORROR!!!

[mr1138]

Originally Posted by EngiNerd

A bus stop has moved....The HORROR!!!

Not only has it moved... They've added a SHELTER! (or maybe even just a canopy). Damn transit riders only deserve a bench. Enhancing bus stop amenities produces more crime!

[mr1138]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

^
It would help a lot to get a picture, but yeah that sounds to me like a non-standard attempt to reduce "right hooks,"
where a person in a car turning right drives into a person on a bike going straight. That's usually the most dangerous part
of any bike lane (especially on relatively wide streets like Iola).


floridabicycle.org



The way the most up-to-date design guides say to handle that type of situation is to have the cars merge into the bike lane
ahead of time, using road striping that directs drivers to turn at a gentler angle where they'll see any oncoming bikers,
instead of turning sharply at the corner. Like this:


NACTO urban bikeway design manual

As a driver, I totally understand how this is safer (I always hate when a bike rides up on my right while in my car. Admittedly partly out of aggressiveness, but also because I simply cannot always see them and it just feels unsafe).
But having been a cyclist in a newly striped intersection of this design in Boulder, I felt EXTREMELY exposed as a bike rider sandwiched between two cars at a stoplight, and it still doesn't feel right.

I would love for more places to begin trying this Dutch design. I know it's intended for cycle-tracks, but it could theoretically work even with a striped buffer, or potentially even a traditional bike lane.

peopleforbikes.org

[bunt_q]

Nevermind, not worth it.

[ski82]

Good article recently in FT on infrastructure and infrastructure planning that relates to the discussion on these pages. The comments are good too.

https://www.google.com/#q=infrastructure:+bridging+the+gap&tbm=nws