GOAL:
"PROMOTE TRANSPORTATION
ALTERNATIVES TO THE AUTOMOBILE."
2003 Lakewood Colorado Comprehensive Plan, pg. 30.
>Newly installed "detector symbols" for cyclists at 14th Ave & Carr Streets. A far cry from Bike Boxes as "loud & large" street signage to motorists that cyclists have as much right to be on the City's streets as they do. We'll take what we can get in this early stage of our advocacy.
>Have a bicycle related issue within
the city limits of Lakewood Colorado?
>Public Rights-of-Way (streets) 303-987-7980
>Trails within City Parks? 303-987-7800
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THE BACK FENCE
The Newsletter Featuring Livable Community Items That Readers Value and Highlights of Happenings Along the West Corridor on the RTD "W" Light Rail Line Serving Golden, Lakewood & Denver.
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The "W" Line Opens in:334 Days
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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 Sunday Edition, May 27, 2012. |
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West Corridor, Denver & Region
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For those of you interested, here are two slide presentations of the RTD Elected Officials Briefing held May 11, 2012. There are some great photos in both parts, don't miss them.
Part One: Clearance Testing; Construction Update; Swinerton Builders Parking Structure Update; Sheridan Community Meeting; Lakewood-Wadsworth Schedule; LW-Groundbreaking; Balfour Beatty Rail systems update; Overhead Cantenary Systems & Traction Power Substations.
Part Two: Denver Transit Construction Group - Civil Construction Group, photos from Area 1 - Jeffco to Federal Center, Area 2-Federal Center to Sheridan; Area 3 - Sheridan to Auraria.
DenverPost.com
Aurora Mayor Eyes Loan to RTD to Speed up Work on I-225 Light Rail By Carlos Illescas, May 26, 2012
If Aurora wants to see light rail along the entire Interstate 225 corridor anytime soon, it might have to fund it upfront itself.
UrbanIndy.com
A Denver Transplant, But Still a Hoosier at Heart: Views of Denver by a newbie resident who wanted to live:
within 5 miles of downtown
walking distance to light rail
walking distance to restaurants and local shops
close proximity to a park We settled on Washington Park, a neighborhood located three miles south of downtown Denver.
READ MORE...
BicycleColo.org
Colorado Ranks Fourth in 2012 Bicycle-Friendly State Rankings May 23, 2012
The 2012 Bicycle-Friendly States Rankings by the League of American Bicyclists show a big shift for Colorado. Our state ranked 4th this year, joining the top states for the first time since the rankings began in 2008. Colorado climbed from 22th place to where we sit now in just a few short years!
READ MORE...
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National
| NYTimes.com
Now Coveted: A Walkable, Convenient Place By Christopher B. Leinberger, May 25, 2012
Walking isn't just good for you. It has become an indicator of your socioeconomic status...Today, the most valuable real estate lies in walkable urban locations. Many of these now pricey places were slums just 30 years ago.
Grist.org
Congress Raises a Middle Finger to Young Bicyclists By Ozzie Zehner, May 24, 2012 A small federal program is punching holes through the unsafe barricade of freeways, busy roads, and rushed drivers that surround the nation's schools. Yet despite the program's success, Congress is now threatening to terminate it - not to save money, but to redirect its funds toward more car-centric infrastructure.
DC.StreetsBlog.org
Tea Party Republicans Take Aim at Bike-Ped Funding in Conference
By Tanya Snyder, May 23, 2012
Although Senate Republicans had hoped the carefully crafted compromise over the Transportation Enhancements program would stand, some House members are stating their insistence that the program be stripped out entirely in conference.
READ MORE...
MinnPost.com
Agenda 21 and Looming Battles Over Urban Development
By Marlys harris, May 24, 2012
What do bike lanes, historic preservation, light-rail development, protection of open space and energy conservation have in common?
Forbes.com
We're All Infrastructure Socialists By Timothy B. Lee, May 24, 2012 the point of the post was that to some extent everyone who's not an anarchist is an infrastructure socialist. For example, I've never seen a libertarian give a coherent explanation of how a free market in roads would work.
READ MORE...WashingtonPost.com
Neighborhood Affects How Much we Walk, Bike and Take Transit, Survey Finds
By Katherine Shaver, May 16, 2012 The overall finding: Residents in densely developed communities with homes above or near stores, restaurants and offices are more likely to forgo driving to walk, ride a bike or take public transit.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities.com
Can Trees Actually Deter Crime? By Eric Jaffe, May 25, 2012 Silly as it may seem to the public, there's an intense disagreement among scholars about the impact urban trees have on a city's crime rate. Some are convinced urban greenery increases crime... Others are convinced that urban trees have exactly the opposite effect.
READ MORE...
WashingtonPost.com Has the Passion Gone Out of America's fabled Love Affair With the Automobile?
By Ashley Halsey III, May 21, 2012 The 389-cubic-inch overhead-cam V-8 holds a sweet spot in many aging hearts, but their grandchildren are more likely to lust after a 1-terabyte hard drive streaming video to a high-resolution screen. READ MORE...TheFiscalTimes.com
How the Housing Crisis Shafted the Next Generation By Eric Pianin, May 22, 2012 In sorting through the debris of the financial and economic crisis, some experts say that one of the most harmful and long-lasting effects is the demise of the "generational compact." Plummeting home values is one reason children may not live as well as their parents, thus breaking the long-standing assumption that life will be better for the next generation.
READ MORE... NationalHousingConference.org The Housing Challenges Facing Low-Income Renters In a world of constrained government resources, what steps can be taken to help the millions of households with serious housing needs that are not being aided through government rental assistance?
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities.com
The High School Curriculum Every Urban Planner Wishes They'd Had
By Nate Berg, May 24, 2012 For a high school curriculum, dividing up subjects into separate specialized classes is pure pragmatism. For understanding real life, it's a little disjointed.
READ MORE... PerSquareMile.com Urban trees Reveal Income Inequality
May 17, 2012
Wealthy cities seem to have it all. Expansive, well-manicured parks. Fine dining. Renowned orchestras and theaters. More trees. Wait, trees? I'm afraid so. TheAtlanticCities.com The Best City Parks Systems in America
By Nate Berg, May 23, 2012 San Francisco and Sacramento have the best citywide parks systems, according to a brand new ranking of the 40 largest American cities by the Trust for Public Land. Both cities received a score of 4.5 out of 5 on "Park Benches." Fresno, California, was the lowest ranked of the top 40 cities, with a score of just 0.5.
READ MORE... |
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International (when available)
| [Comment to below. Aww...the little automobile drivers who get stuck in their own congestion are complaining that the buses "use up good stretches of highways" -- what a bunch of crying weenies].
The Big Bad Bus Rapid Tran Blogs.WallStreetJournal.com/India
Separate bus corridors, which eat into the space for private motor vehicles, have been a tough sell everywhere.
READ MORE...
EconomicTimes.IndiaTimes.com
New Cities Built Around High-Speed Train Corridors Desirable May 24, 2012
A near-perfect correlation between urbanisation and economic growth has been established by several studies done by World Bank and others. India has increasingly become become more urbanised on the back of the economic development over the last 20 years.
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Sunday's Film (when available)
| MomentumMag.com
To Catch a Bike Thief - The Bait Bike
(Psst...it's the hidden GPS)
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Things you need to know along the West Corridor
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[Note: in just 11 short months West Corridor residents will be able bike to a West Rail Line station, jump on board with their bikes, get off at Union Station & cycle just six blocks to Coors Field and LEAVE THE CAR BEHIND. But until then, those of you adventurous souls who commute downtown, check out the facilities in place this year.] 
2012 schedule of Ride to the Rockies Games
June 03, July 01, Aug 05, & Sept 02. All games are Sunday Day games. Over the course of 20 games this season the Rockies along with media partners ROOT SPORTS, 850 KOA and The Denver Post will once again be enlisting players and fans toward making a positive impact on the environment through the 2012 Games of Green initiative. NEXT BIKE TO THE GAME! WHEN: Sunday, May 20 for the game against the Seattle Mariners. Bike lot opens at 11:30 a.m. and closes 10 minutes after the game ends.
WHERE: Coors Field, the special Bike to the Game secure parking lot at 21st and Blake St., across from Gate C.
WHAT: Check in at the Bike to the Game Tent at the entrance to the bike lot at 21st and Blake to enter a drawing for great prizes, like a Rockies Batting Practice experience, Rockies tickets, autographed items and more! >Denver Union Station Historic Summer Tours Thursday, June 14, June 28, July 12, & July 26, 2012 at 4:30pm - 5:30pm The Denver Union Station Project Authority (DUSPA) will be conducting free guided tours of the Denver Union Station redevelopment site this summer. This guided tour will emphasis the early station history and famous travelers who visited Denver by Train. The tour will also tell visitors about all the new features that will soon be part of, and surround, the historic station. The one-hour tour will start inside the Great Train Hall at the historic station, 1701 Wynkoop Street. Participation is limited to 35 people per tour. To reserve your spot, visit. RSVP here [Scroll down on left] 
>Lakewood, starting Friday, June 08, 2012, 5-9pm; June 09, 10-4pm; June 10, 12-6pm Lakewood's celebration of the Arts week - Inspire -- starts with a Ribbon-cutting, Arts Exhibit & Community Art Project Preview of the new 40 West Studios at 7175 West 16th Avenue, Lakewood, Colorado 80214 starts June 08, 2012. The new art studio is located just 0.6 miles - an 11 minute walk, or a 6 minute bike ride from the future Wadsworth Light Rail Station. Click here to learn more
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 (June 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
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. |
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Please Note: Begining today, May 06, 2012, TBF will use the Sunday Editions of THE BACK FENCE to provide links to Real Estate agents who "get the big picture" of Transit Oriented real estate and walkability.
Stay tuned.
Residential Real Estate
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Please note: TBF receives no promotional fees for the placement of links to the various agents.
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* * * RTD West Rail Line video flyover (entire line from Union Station to the Golden Jeffco Station. West Corridor Vision |
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Things You Need to Know Around the Region
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 >What is the Better Block?
The "Better Block" project is a community revitalization effort that temporarily demonstrates how to improve a street with pedestrian and public infrastructure mixed with art, culture, pop-up businesses and street life. For one day, the project will fill vacant storefronts, create pedestrian seating areas, provide landscaping and street furniture, redraw the street, provide live music, and more. Better Block aims to create quick, inexpensive, high-impact changes that lead to permanent solutions for areas in Denver. >Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Bike to Work Day in the Denver Region
Get set to win prizes for individual and business challenge categories.
Pedal to Work instead of driving the old burdenmobile.
Remember: A bicycle burn fat and saves you money
A Car burns money and makes you fat. |
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| The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of William A. Spriggs and no one else. |
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