DENVER | Transportation Thread

[SnyderBock]

DTC needs those autonomous buses being used at the Panasonic campus.

[Denvergotback]

^ That reminds me, a few months back you all were talking about a smaller scale version of the hyper loop starting to do test runs along E470 and possibly to the airport. It was suppose to start in January of this year, does anyone know anything about that or if it started? I believe they have been doing similar tests out in the desert in Nevada, and wanted to start in a metro.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Denvergotback

^ That reminds me, a few months back you all were talking about a smaller scale version of the hyper loop starting to do test runs along E470 and possibly to the airport. It was suppose to start in January of this year, does anyone know anything about that or if it started? I believe they have been doing similar tests out in the desert in Nevada, and wanted to start in a metro.

I know nothing.

But I'm reminded that I later wondered if your parents might live in the vicinity of Grandview HS. Nice area but the transportation options would be rather limited.

[TakeFive]

Aurora - Here's looking at you

Denver may have Denveright but Aurora has Aurora Places which is an update project of their own Comprehensive Plan. They have various Projects, Plans & Studies including Transportation Planning

Allow me to make things easier for you
Aurora needs to fund their own upgraded buy-in service from RTD. The Iliff Corridor is Job One. It's a no-brainer that should include dedicated bus and bike lanes along Iliff Ave between Peoria and I-225 and the Iliff Station at a minimum.

With respect to the Aurora City Center
I'll let your Tempe/ASU trained professional transit/transportation planner figure out how to improve transit/mobility access in that area. But for god's sake do something constructive.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

provide basic rider services as a key hub in the transit network. Not sure covering tracks or bus lanes is all that important

Oh, well if that's all then we can spend a lot less.

Less than $10 million (honestly probably half that at I-25/Broadway) for something like this, with bathrooms, a staffed info counter, and waiting area:





Or if you skip the waiting area you can go even cheaper.

Maybe $200,000 for a kiosk info counter:



... and I have no idea but it can't be much for a bathroom kiosk. Be conservative and call it $500,000 for both the info counter and bathroom:


Kristine Stevens on Flickr

[TakeFive]

GPLET'S - It's all about GPLET'S.

Doesn't matter what it stands for but it's downtown Phoenix's way of competing with Tempe and South Scottsdale where the urban development energy comes naturally. For Phoenix. it's their means of providing incentives to attract high-rise construction projects, especially of office or hotels but apartments can work. It seems that 20 stories and up is the sweet spot for these incentives.

Both Lakewood and Aurora
need to create incentives, whether via Urban Renewal/tax increment financing or whatever they wish to attract denser development and redevelopment to designated urban/TOD corridors and areas. It's as simple as that. Offer incentives and developers will come.

First and Last Mile Wrap
Suburban cities can benefit a ton by encouraging and making it easier for their residents to get to a light rail station (or other desired location). Such an effort might be a 5-year funded plan with subsequent reevaluation.

To repeat myself and Marlon Boarnet:
Those distances that bookend a commute are crucial

The End

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by SnyderBock

DTC needs those autonomous buses being used at the Panasonic campus.

It's a cutiepie (check out the fun Sony Music India video)


Image provided by Panasonic City Now

I also found this from December:

Can autonomous vehicles solve the “first-mile, last-mile” problem?
December 08, 2017 by Allen Best, Mountain Town News - The Colorado Independent

Well what do you know?

It’s called the first-mile, last-mile problem of mass transit, and it has vexed transportation planners forever during the automotive era. Until you make it easy to get to and from light rail and other public transit, they will remain underused.

It's not all that vexing really; it's just that everybody wants somebody else to take responsibility for solving what are their problems.

To be fair, in addition to Lone Tree, Golden was making an effort and I recall that Centennial also started a shuttle service but not sure what happened. Cities may need to initially offer demand-call service. Get one person in a neighborhood to use the service and soon a couple other people in the neighborhood hop aboard and then three more, and so it grows. Might be another way of utilizing D-Met Transport matching funds.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Interesting array of what other places have done.

What I like about the transit center in Indianapolis and if I understood wong's thinking is that it would provide basic rider services as a key hub in the transit network. Not sure covering tracks or bus lanes is all that important at that location although it would be nice.

I think that covering the tracks is actually the most important part of any Broadway station improvements. This is the #1 transfer station in the system and one of the only stations where it makes sense to enhance the ridership experience by giving cover to riders switching from one line to another to complete their trip, buses are less important as most of the transfers are rail to rail.

Covering the stations that have ridership above 10,000 seems like a no-brainer. Downtown stations should be treated similarity to Calgary's downtown stations:

Source

Moving down the stations this can be done at Auraria and Peroria as well. Nine Mile is pretty good cover wise, but could certainly benefit from basic rider services being added.

[Cirrus]

Covering the rail platforms but not necessarily the bus depot makes it a lot cheaper than these big bus depot canopies I've been pulling.

Calgary is a cool example.

Here's another: Dallas has a standardized canopy that I think is great. It's not exactly comparable to what I-25/Broadway would need because 1) it's for side platform stations, and 2) I don't think Dallas has any 3-track stations. Also, cost info for only the canopy is hard to find, since the rest of our station (tracks, platforms, etc) is already in place. But I'd ballpark this at only a few million.




They also have a DIA-tent-fabric-style version that's probably pretty cheap, and would go well in Denver:




If you just want to cover the platforms, and are happy to leave the tracks to the elements, then something like this would be super cheap (IDK exactly how cheap, but definitely affordable):

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

I think that covering the tracks is actually the most important part of any Broadway station improvements. This is the #1 transfer station in the system and one of the only stations where it makes sense to enhance the ridership experience by giving cover to riders switching from one line to another to complete their trip, buses are less important as most of the transfers are rail to rail.

Covering the stations that have ridership above 10,000 seems like a no-brainer. Downtown stations should be treated similarity to Calgary's downtown stations:

Source

Moving down the stations this can be done at Auraria and Peroria as well. Nine Mile is pretty good cover wise, but could certainly benefit from basic rider services being added.

Ah hah, well then, since you're in the lead boat and I was apparently stuck in a canoe, the I accept enthusiastically your thinking. Cirrus adds some nice examples for that and as he also suggests if the "amenity center" is a separate item that means much less expense. Works for me.

[mhays]

Sun cover is a key we often forget in my area. There's nothing worse than 80F with nothing but a skinny light pole for shade. Ok, maybe 90F and the same.

[TakeFive]

Respectable then?

Denver Metro is batting a bit above its weight when it comes to congestion ratings by TomTom. According to Wikipedia the 2016 numbers have Denver as the 19th largest MSA. TomTom rates Denver 25th for congestion.

OTOH, Phoenix which is listed as having the 12th largest MSA is rated highly for congestion by TomTom at 47th.

[Cirrus]

All right, new topic. Who's got $78,000 and wants to buy 3 used DMUs? Two out the three have not been involved in a derailment, and that ain't bad.

Link to buy

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

All right, new topic. Who's got $78,000 and wants to buy 3 used DMUs? Two out the three have not been involved in a derailment, and that ain't bad.

That's easy enough. That would be perfect for Boulder; they can build a monument-museum in honor of the "Train that never came." At the least they should buy the one that derailed and lay it on its side.

[Launch 12]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

That's easy enough. That would be perfect for Boulder; they can build a monument-museum in honor of the "Train that never came." At the least they should buy the one that derailed and lay it on its side.

Everybody on this thread likes to shit on Boulder when it comes to train service (among other things), but the truth is if there was a train to Boulder it would get a lot more ridership than the R or W Lines.

[LooksLikeForever]

Does anyone have an update on either the G line testing or the A/B line approvals for the quiet zones and removal of the flaggers? It's hard to keep up on all this...

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Launch 12

Everybody on this thread likes to shit on Boulder when it comes to train service (among other things), but the truth is if there was a train to Boulder it would get a lot more ridership than the R or W Lines.

The NW Line project ~10K daily ridership, the W Line has ~12K daily ridership (using a mean daily average for YTD calculations, which is going to be way under a weekday ridership average). Maybe if we kill the FlatIron Flyer and force all those bus riders onto the choo-choo (adding 15 minutes each way to a Boulder residents commute) then the NW Line would have better ridership then the W Line. But same could be done for the W Line and the 16/16L.

The R Line is hopeless and will always woefully under perform.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Launch 12

Everybody on this thread likes to shit on Boulder when it comes to train service (among other things), but the truth is if there was a train to Boulder it would get a lot more ridership than the R or W Lines.

I accept your gotcha; it's a fair point to make. Couple of things.

RTD was relying on the railroads to be reasonable which they weren't; that was beyond RTD's control; it made the whole project not financially feasible. I never hear Boulder CO put the blame where it belongs?

The FF has VG ridership of 14,428. Just the three busiest stations on the R Line route (including the H Line) have a ridership of 14,167. On the W Line, the four busiest stations have a ridership of 9,388 - case made on the W but not the R&H Lines.

Originally Posted by LooksLikeForever

Does anyone have an update on either the G line testing or the A/B line approvals for the quiet zones and removal of the flaggers? It's hard to keep up on all this...

Thinking March may bring happy news; we'll see.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

I accept your gotcha; it's a fair point to make. Couple of things.

RTD was relying on the railroads to be reasonable which they weren't; that was beyond RTD's control; it made the whole project not financially feasible. I never hear Boulder CO put the blame where it belongs?

The FF has VG ridership of 14,428. Just the three busiest stations on the R Line have a ridership of 14,167. On the W Line, the four busiest stations have a ridership of 9,388 - case made on the W but not the R Line.

How are you coming to those figures on line ridership? They seem overinflated for the R Line.

[TakeFive]

Denver chamber to drop ballot question to raise state sales tax for roads
By Joey Bunch - February 8, 2018 - Colorado Politics

Update: The chamber said Thursday morning it will hold off on filing paperwork a few more days while it works out some details. A chamber official initially expected to file the initial request with the Secretary of State’s Office Friday.

lol, the article does do a nice job of defining the landscape and competing approaches. For now this proposal will need the backing of the group Fix Colorado Roads which can't happen until after the legislature fails to provide a fix.