 | East Side of Sheridan Pedestrian/Bicycle Plaza Looking West Toward the Future Sheridan Street Station.
Just a Reminder: Don't Miss the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the
Sheridan Street Parking Structure,
Friday Morning,
June 29, 2012, 9:30AM,
NW Corner, 10th Avenue and Sheridan Blvd. |
|
|
THE BACK FENCE NEWSLETTER
The Newsletter Featuring Livable Community Items That Readers Value and Highlights of Happenings Along the West Corridor on the RTD West Rail Line Serving Golden, Lakewood & Denver. |
|
The "W" Line Opens
in
306 Days
 |
|
|
Hi 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, June 24, 2012. |
|
West Corridor, Denver & Region
| |
Tour de FasTracks - West Rail Ride Bike Event
Saturday, Sept 08, 2012
Calling all cyclists in Golden, Lakewood, west Denver, and the Denver Region.
The RTD FasTracks West Rail Line which will serve our West Corridor will host a bike event on Saturday, September 08, 2012 to show off its magnificent bike path that parallels most of the future "W" line.
The Back Fence, in the coming months, always a huge supporter of alternatives to the single occupier automobile, will advocate for the "final mile" and call for more and safer cycle access from the light rail stations. We also consider the bicycle as not only a recreational vehicle, but a tool of economic empowerment that helps our citizens stay healthy and keeps more expendable cash in their pockets in which to enhance our local businesses; and I won't bore you with lectures on sustainability, oil dependence and air quality.
Although the Tour de FasTracks event is billed as a "leisurely ride" that will start at the future Oak Street Station parking area and end at the Decatur Federal Station, there also will be a stage for the intermediate and advanced cyclists that will start at the Jefferson County Government Center-Golden Station. Details will be forthcoming, but you can Click here to view the current RTD bike path.
* * *
THE TRANSIT ALLIANCE IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE FALL 2012 AND SPRING 2013 ACADEMIES!
Please note that the Academy application process is competitive as they only have 50 slots available and usually have 100 applicants or more. Applications must be submitted by 5 PM on August 17th to be considered for the Fall 2012 Academy.
The Fall Academy (2012-02) will begin September 5 and end on October 17, 2012.
Click Here to Learn More and Fill Out Application. Hurry!
* * *
BoulderBlueLine.org The Cost of Parking Our Cars
By Sue Prant, Jun 22, 2012
Parking a car in the United States is expensive. Not necessarily to the car owner, but to society. A fascinating and recent report by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute sheds some light on how much a parking space costs, and who actually pays the freight for this luxury.
READ MORE...
|
|
National
| DC.StreetsBlog.org
386 to 34: House Instructs Conference to Get It Done By Friday
By Tanya Snyder, Jun 20, 2012
There's no excuse for dilly-dallying. That was the overwhelming sense of the House of Representatives, which just voted 386 to 34 that the conference should wrap up its work and pass some sort of transportation compromise by Friday.
READ MORE...
AmericanCity.org
Cities Losing Out in Transportation Bill Debate
By Ben Alder, Jun 20, 2012 It looks as if the long overdue reauthorization of the Surface Transportation law may soon get a tenth temporary extension under current rules instead of a multi-year renewal. Either of the two likely outcomes - continued congressional paralysis or a law that cuts funding for mass transit, bicycle and pedestrian accommodations - will create a more difficult environment for cities.
READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog.org
Top 10 Reasons Sen. Boxer Must Keep Her Word on Bike/Ped Programs
By Andy Clarke, Jun 22, 2012 For the past 20 years, local elected officials have been given rare access to state transportation funds through a handful of programs administered by state Departments of Transportation as grant programs. These also happen to be the primary sources of funding for bicycling and walking initiatives:...
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCites.com
America's Melting-Pot Cities By Richard Florida, Jun 21, 2012
Immigration is a powerful driver of the economic growth and development of American cities and metros. As many of half of all recent Silicon Valley start-ups count a foreign-born American as a member of their founding team, according to recent studies.
Salon.com
Bicyclists: The New Limousine Liberals By Will Doig, Jun 21, 2012
Libertarians bash D.C.'s successful bikeshare for serving wealthy whites, and miss the point of public transport.
READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog.org
Making Lawmakers Answer For Pedestrian Deaths In Their Districts By Tanya Snyder, Jun 21, 2012
Rep. James Lankford, a Tea Party Republican representing Oklahoma City, probably wasn't responsible for any of the 118 pedestrian deaths in his district between 2001 to 2010. And it's unlikely Rep. Steve Southerland of Panama City, Florida was behind the wheel when any of the 164 people were killed while walking in his district during the decade.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities.com
Homeownership Means Little to Economic Growth
By Richard Florida, Jun 20, 2012
Homeownership has long been a crucial pillar of the American Dream. For the better part of a century we've believed that building and buying homes is synonymous not only with the "good life" but with a productive and prosperous economy.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities.com
The Future of Measuring Community Sustainability By Kaid Benfield, Jun 21, 2012
Some very interesting things are happening in the world of sustainability measurement, or our ability to gauge how well we are doing in moving neighborhoods, cities and regions toward a healthier future.
READ MORE...TheAtlanticCities.com
How Community Colleges Can Spur Economic Development By Ellen Ruppel Shell, Jun 21, 2012
Every company, municipality, and government agency in America would be lucky indeed to have an Adam Murka on its payroll. Adam has the memory of a savant, the work ethic of a dairy farmer, and the can-do attitude of a young man who has never experienced disappointment or despair. READ MORE...DC.StreetsBlog.org
Explaining the Psychological Appeal of Rail Over Buses By Angie Schmitt, Jun 21, 2012
An often-remarked-upon phenomenon in the transit world is the preference, perceived or otherwise, for rail over buses. But this tendency has not been well understood.
TheAtlanticCities.com
A 'Vertical' Future for the Urban Factory By Nate Berg, Jun 21, 2012
If the question is "belching smokestack?" the answer is almost undoubtedly "not in my back yard." The factory is maybe the least enticing of all neighbors, and yet it has been so important to the development of nations and cities. So while the industrial revolution brought countless factories and their plentiful jobs into cities, those same cities eventually got tired of their negative, sooty externalities. READ MORE...Opinionator.Blogs.nytimes.com
The American Dream: Phase II By Allison Arieff, Jun 18, 2012 "Sprawl ... It's the American dream unfolding before your eyes." That's L Brooks Patterson's irresistible description of sprawl, proving yet again how masterful the stalwarts of the status quo are at messaging that which they hope to preserve in amber.READ MORE...TheAtlanticCities.com
Building a Better Bus Stop
By Kaid Benfield, Jun 20, 2012
When I was a kid growing up in Asheville, bus stops were marked with stenciled lettering on utility poles. It was fairly primitive, other than perhaps at the busy downtown transfer points, Pritchard Park and Pack Square, where if I recall correctly there was some indication of which routes stopped at which points.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities.com
Confessions of a Strap-hanger By Eric Jaffe, Jun 22, 2012 Taras Grescoe spends most of his new book, Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile, guiding readers on a world tour of public transit.
READ MORE... |
|
International (when available)
| TheAtlanticCities.com
What's Making China Fat?
By Sarah Goodyear, Jun 22, 2012
Mariela Alfonzo just got back from a three-week trip to China, where she's been researching walkability in the rapidly expanding megalopolises of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. And a lot of what she saw wasn't exactly pedestrian-friendly. Kind of the opposite. In a scary way.
|
| Sunday's Film (when available)
| MomentumMag.com
Bicycle Sounds A short film created using bicycle parts.
Created by Stephen Meierding, Jun 20, 2012
|
 |
Things you need to know along the West Corridor
|
>Denver Union Station Historic Summer Tours, 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 exciting 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]
[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 can commute to downtown, check out the facilities in place this year.] 
2012 schedule of Ride to the Rockies Games 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, July 01, for the game against the San Diego Padres. 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. >Lakewood/Denver, Friday, June 29, 2012 9:30am Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Sheridan Parking Structure! 9:30am on the NW corner of 10th Avenue and Sheridan Blvd. Speakers at the event include Mayor Michael B. Hancock; RTD General Manager Phil Washington; ULC Real Estate Manager Debra Bustos; RTD Board Member, Angie Malpiede; and Scott Conrad. 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 (July 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
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. |
|
Residential Real Estate Agents
Who Get the "Big Picture" of Transit Oriented Living
| Jim Smith
|
|
Things You Need to Know Around the Region
|
>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. Click here to learn more. |
|
|
|
|
| The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of William A. Spriggs and no one else. |
|
|
|
|
|
