Did you Know Transit did That?... Mobilizes Voters? With a 79% success rate, 2011 was another great year for transit at the ballot box. Voters once again demonstrated their support for investment when the benefits are made clear. Twenty-eight measures were on the ballot in 5 states throughout the year and 22 were approved by voters. Election Day alone resulted in more than $30 million in new funding for transit.
source  |
|
|
Hello Everyone! This is Bill Spriggs and I have found several news articles, links and blogs that I wanted to share along THE BACK FENCE & beyond in this Wednesday Edition, March 14, 2012. |
 |
West Corridor, Denver & Region
|
>Denver Union Station Tour, Sat March 17th, 2pm.
Going to the St. Pat's Parade downtown on Saturday the 17th? Why not take the 16th Street shuttle down to Wynkoop, get off, and walk over to Denver Union Station and see the latest news and construction progress with a tour of the site lead by Ken Schroeppel, instructor of Planning and Design at UC@Denver. Meet in front of the Union Station at 17th and Wnykoop St. Tour; costs $10 and goes to the Denver Union Station Advocates. Check in at the DenverInFill /blog before you leave home just in case there is a last minute cancellation. LongmontTimesCall.com
Longmont Looks at the Future of First and Main
By Scott Rochat, Mar 12, 2012
Even if FasTracks derails, there are still plans for First and Main. READ MORE...
TheDenverPost.com
T-REX Company Offers Plan to Finish Aurora FasTracks Segment
By Karen Augé, Mar 14, 2012
The company that built the T-REX transportation project wants to be part of RTD's current behemoth, and it has surprised the transportation district with a confidential, unsolicited bid, most likely to bring the FasTracks Interstate 225 light-rail project northward.
RadioGolden.net
Hosts Jacob Smith, former Mayor of Golden, Matt Burde, Transit Alliance graduate and Pamela Gould, citizen activist, interview Golden Mayor Marjorie Sloan in the inaugural episode of RadioGolden.net. Mayor Sloan chats about the challenges and priorities for the Golden City Council in 2012, but also lets listeners know that the RTD Circular Bus that will anchor at the Golden Light Rail Station and will connect with downtown Golden is a reality with a set preliminary route. She also mentions that the circular bus will be used as a Call-a-Ride Bus during non-peak hours within the City of Golden.
|
|
National
| |
DC.StreetsBlog.org
Don't Count Out HR 7 Yet: House GOP Could Revive Their Bill This Week
By Tanya Snyder, Mar 12, 2012
Last week, when House Speaker John Boehner indicated his willingness to bring up the Senate transportation bill, it seemed like an admission of defeat for the brazenly partisan approach and insanely destructive policies the Republicans have been promoting. But it's not over yet.
READ MORE...DC.StreetsBlog.org LaHood to House: "Get on the Bus" With a Bipartisan Transportation Bill
By Ben Goldman, Mar 12, 2012
This morning, at the American Public Transportation Association's annual legislative conference, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said he was recently asked by the House Appropriations Committee if he prefers a two-year transportation bill or a five-year transportation bill. Neither, he said: "I prefer a bipartisan bill."Money.CNN.com Mass Transit Use Rises as Gas Prices Soar
By Steve Hargreaves, Mar 12, 2012 Ridership on the nation's trains and buses hit one of the highest levels in decades, with officials crediting high gas prices, a stronger economy and new technology that makes riding public transit easier. READ MORE...FastLane.dot.gov Answer to Energy Challenges: All of the Above.
By Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, Mar 13, 2012 We know that gas prices are rising again, as they did last year. And we know that families across the country are feeling the pinch. While there is no silver bullet to solve this challenge immediately, there are a lot of things we can do to reduce our reliance on foreign oil and provide Americans with affordable transportation to their jobs and schools. READ MORE...
Transportation.NationalJournal.com
Time to Hit the Gas on Transpo Bill
By Fawn Johnson, Mar 12, 2012 Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was in town last week, lobbying as he has been for the last several months for lawmakers to get it together and pass a surface transportation bill.
The Sorry State of American Transport
By Aaron M. Renn, Mar 11, 2012
We constantly read about the infrastructure crisis in America. I'll have more to say on this at a future date, but it is pretty clear that we need to spend more money in a whole lot of areas: airports, roads and bridges, public transportation, and more. READ MORE...TheAtlanticCities.com
Reinventing the Big Box Store By Kaid Benfield, Mar 12, 2012 June Williamson, co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia, and landscape architect Anne Vaterlaus have designed a very appealing conceptual demonstration project in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, on the edge of the San Gabriel Valley. The community is working-class, 92 percent Latino, and relatively low-income. Air pollution levels are high. TheAtlanticCities.com The Death Row of Urban Highways, Part 3 By Eric Jaffe, Mar 13, 2012 Previous installments of the Death Row of Urban Highways looked at those roads still awaiting execution. This time we reflect on those whose time has already come and gone. A new report,...illuminates "what can be done when a highway no longer makes sense." From waterfront parks to street-level boulevards to robust transit systems, the answer is: a lot.
READ MORE...
Grist.org
Goodbye-Ways: The Downfall of Urban Freeways By Greg Hanscom, Mar 13, 2012 We can say this for our Great Urban Freeway Experiment: It seemed like a good idea at the time. TheAtanticCities.com
America's Most Optimistic Communities By Ricard Florida, Mar 13, 2012 The economic crisis has cut deeply into America's economic confidence and optimism about the future. But large majorities of Americans are satisfied with their communities, and a majority are optimistic about the future of the places where they live. That's according to new data... TheAtlanticCities.com
When it Comes to Parks, it's Not Just How Many, But Where BY Nate Berg, Mar 12, 2012 The median land area dedicated to park space in U.S. cities is 8.1 percent... How that 8.1 percent spreads itself out, though, varies from city to city - some with a handful of very large parks and others with many smaller parks. But according to a 2010 report from the Centers for Disease Control, only one out of five children in the U.S. lives within a half-mile of a park or playground. TheAtlanticCities.com
Living in a Poor Neighborhood Actually Hurts By Nate Berg Mar 12, 2012 From educational attainment to safety to public health, residents in America's poorest neighborhoods are so often found to be at a disadvantage. And now according to a new study, they're also much more likely to be in physical pain.
|
|
International (when available)
| ThisBigCity.net
Has Bogotas Transmilenio Become a Victim of Its Own Success? By Andres Jara-Moreno, Mar 12, 2012 A few weeks ago, I wrote an article for This Big City on how Bogotá's sustainable transport initiatives had positively influenced cities around the globe...[however]...the TransMilenio system can no longer be considered an example of public transport best practice because of its growing operational crisis.
READ MORE...
|
|
Wednesday's Films (when available)
| StreetFilms.org
From the Netherlands to America: Translating the World's Best Bikeway Designs By Elizabeth Press, Mar 07, 2012
The Netherlands is widely recognized for having the highest cycling rates in the world. What's not so well known is that the Dutch don't bike so much because cycling is in their DNA. They do it because after the country started down the path toward car dependence, they made a conscious decision to change course
[Great video about "people places" to get us in the mood for spring and summer!]
YouTube.com People Habitat - Great City Places |
|
Things you need to know along the West Corridor
| |
>Lakewood, Wednesday, March 14, 7:3- - 8:30am Cindy Baroway and Scott Koop, Lakewood City Council representatives for Ward 2, will meet with residents and considerate guests from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District Office, 7125 W. Colfax Ave. The West Rail Line traverses the northwestern section of their Ward.
>Lakewood, Saturday March 17, 9am to 10:30am?
Karen Kellen and Ramey Johnson, Lakewood City Council representatives for Ward 1, will meet with residents and considerate guests at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 17 at the Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District Office, 7125 W. Colfax Ave. The West Rail Line traverses the northern section of their Ward.
>Lakewood, Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 9:15am to ? 1425 Brentwood, Ste #7, Lakewood, Co. 80214
The Jefferson County League of Women Voters will examine the proposed expansion of Chatfield Reservoir to help meet future metro area water demand. Members will discuss the need and effects of expanding the reservoir, which could flood park facilities, impact recreational use and wildlife habitat, among other things. The meeting is open to all. For more information, call Carmah at (303) 239-0981. To learn more about Jeffco LWV
visit
The very popular RTD West Corridor bus tours are back!! All tours will be from 9am to 11am on the 3rd Friday of the month (April thru Sept). Each reservation that is made is for one seat only; please sign-up all attendees individually. You will receive e-mail confirmation within one week of your registration. Click here to register
MAY 19 - 20TH, 2012
JUNE 9-15th, 2012
AUGUST 20-26th, 2012
SEPTEMBER 21-23RD, 2012
Denver Union Station
Construction Cam
Golden Jeffco Station
Construction Cam
Wish You Could Find an Apartment/Condo near a Light Rail Station? As part of TBF's continuing efforts to bring TOD's to the West Corridor & elsewhere, this link from Walk Score.com will now be a permanent feature. Thanks. |
|
Commercial Real Estate Assemblages, Land or Buildings Available on The West Corridor
Please note: TBF does not
own or sell any real property.
| |
>4917 West 11th Ave Assemblage
>10th Avenue Light Rail Assemblage
>13th Avenue & Newland St., Light Rail Vacant Land
>5830 West Colfax Ave
>6990 West Colfax Ave Pad Site
THE BACK FENCE supports a corridor wide, regional vision, with individual nodes of unique "places" within that corridor. We hope that the listing of commercial properties available will help to speed this vision to fruition sooner. Learn more about this vision below from the Center for Transit-Oriented Development.
Here's a PowerPoint Presentation of the RTD Elected Officials Briefing held Feb 10, 2012. Part One deals with grade crossing safety (boring) and Part Two has (awesome) photos of the latest civil construction of the West Rail Line. Well worth a peek.
RTD West Rail Line video flyover (entire line from Union Station to the Golden Jeffco Station.
West Corridor Vision
|
|
Things You Need to Know Around the Region
| |
>Arvada, Thursday, March 22, 6pm to 8pm?
A regularly scheduled meeting of the Gold Line Advisory Committee GLAC. The meeting will be held at Arvada City Hall, 8101 Ralston Road (same as 58th Avenue.
As part of their 15th anniversary celebration they invite you to:
THE ROAD AHEAD 2012
"Connecting Livable Communities"
Featuring"
Denver Mayor Michael B Hancock
Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan
Glendale Maory Larry Harte
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kelly J. Brough & other local experts will respond with an interactive panel discussion.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Registration & Breakfast 7:45am
Program 8:00 am to 10:30am
Infinity Park Event Center Ballroom
4400 E. Kentucky Ave, Glendale
|
|
|
|
|
