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>Lakewood Colorado, Saturday August 11, 2012, 10am - 2pm
Bring the whole family and enjoy a free ride on this completely restored trolley car that connected early Lakewood residents to the booming downtown
Denver area starting in 1911.
>Scroll down to "things you need to know along the West Corridor" for location instructions.
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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. |
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The "W" Line Opens
in
278 Days
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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, July 22, 2012. |
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West Corridor, Denver & Region
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$8,000,000 for the 16th Street Mall! By Ryan Mulligan, Jul 18, 2012
A quick post with some exciting news from RTD!! As I mentioned in one of my posts last week, RTD had submitted nearly $70 million in Federal grant applications through the highly-competitive Bus & Bus Facilities Program.
Coloradoan.com
New Study Digs Into Details of High-Speed Rail Possibilities Imagine boarding a bus in downtown Fort Collins, taking a short ride to a transit station and boarding a high-speed train. Imagine that train spiriting you away to Denver International Airport, Union Station or perhaps a connection with another train to Summit County ski resorts. Imagine those trains traveling at speeds greater than 100 mph.
READ MORE...
BizJournals.com/Denver
Denver Launches Major Solar-Power Installation Project on Low-Cost Housing
by Cathy Proctor, Jul 19, 2012 About $10 million worth of solar power systems will be put on 387 affordable-housing buildings in Denver through a 2.5 megawatt, 20-year power purchase agreement signed by the Denver Housing Authority.
READ MORE...BoulderBlueLine.org
Separate But Equal? By Kurt Nordback, Jul 15, 2012 Transportation engineers like to solve traffic problems using engineering solutions, meaning building things out of concrete and steel. That's in their training and in their nature. In general, they prefer the "hard" approach of physical structures to "soft" solutions based on psychology and subtleties of human behavior. |
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National
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DC.StreetsBlog.org
Why Congress Can't Kill the Partnership for Sustainable Communities
By Tanya Snyder, Jul 19, 2012 Let's say you worked for a city that was trying to revitalize a piece of land with a bunch of dilapidated buildings on it. You want to build some residences and some retail space, and you want to make better connections to the street grid. Congratulations - HUD and U.S. DOT both have money to help you get where you're going. Except, oops: HUD is going to demand that you hire locally, to create jobs in the community, while U.S. DOT is going to demand that you get a competitive bid, showing no preference for local hires.
READ MORE...
DC.StreetsBlog.org
Tea Party Deficit Hawks Don't Mind Charging the Taxpayer For Personal Cars
By Tanya Snyder, Jul 19, 2012 ThinkProgress has done some sleuthing and found that seven Tea Party freshmen, who came to Congress on a platform of strict frugality and deficit reduction, have been sticking taxpayers with the bill for their own personal cars. These are some of the same people who hijacked the transportation bill conference process by speechifying about spending when hardworking Hill staff were up nights trying to make compromises. READ MORE....
AmericanCity.org
Do Bus Rapid Transit Right, And It Won't Get Killed
By Annie Weinstock, Jul 18, 2012
The growth in popularity of bus rapid transit ( BRT) in the U.S. is providing American cities with an important public transit option that has already been shown to reduce congestion and improve quality of life for urban residents around the world. As new BRT systems are planned, however, it is increasingly important that they meet the emerging industry-standard definition of what constitutes true BRTREAD MORE...TheHill.com Atlanta Mayor Predicts Victory for Georgia Transportation Tax By Keith Laing, Jul 18, 2012
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is predicting that a proposed transportation tax in Georgia will pass when voters cast ballots on the measure at the end of the month.READ MORE...TheAtlanticCities.com
The Secret Lives of Zipcar Drivers
By Emily Badger, Jul 20, 2012 Fleura Bardhi believed what many of us do about members of car-sharing services like Zipcar. They care about the environment. They want to take cars off the road. They've created a trusting community to share assets that previous generations insisted on owning...This Zipcar research suggests that what holds the whole thing together is self-interest, not community - and certainly not ideals about the environment, consumerism or sharing. READ MORE...
TheNewYorkTimes.com
Cameras Are Cyclists' 'Black Boxes' in Accidents When Evan Wilder went flying onto the pavement during his bicycle commute one morning here, he didn't have time to notice the license plate of the pickup truck that had sideswiped him after its driver hurled a curse at him. Nor did a witness driving another car. TheAtlanticCities.com
How the Suburbs Gave Birth to America's Most Diverse Neighborhoods By Myron Orfield, Jul 20, 2012
Despite the stereotypes, suburban communities are now at the cutting edge of racial, ethnic and even political change in America. Racially integrated suburbs are growing faster than their white counterparts. Diverse suburban neighborhoods now outnumber those in their central cities by more than two to one.
HuffingtonPost.com
How Cars Drove the American Dream to Nowhere, U.S.A. By Henry Downes, Jul 19, 2012
Americans love their cars...However, our love affair with automobiles doesn't come without a cost...In my opinion, however, America's infatuation with cars has produced an even more devastating consequence: the degradation and demoralization of civic life in our towns and cities. I argue that this single, particularly insidious outcome of American car culture is, in many ways, the ultimate source of a whole slew of societal ills that plague us today. TheAtlanticCities.com
A New Model for Green Schools By Kaid Benfield, Jul 20, 2012
Rosa Parks Elementary School in Portland, Oregon is housed in a super-green building that earned a LEED-gold certification and, according to the US Green Building Council, uses 24 percent less energy than a comparably sized but conventionally built school.READ MORE...TheFiscalTimes.com The New Boom Towns: Suburbs Get City Makeovers Not many cities can say they came out of the recession as well off as they went in. Bellevue, a suburb of Seattle, is one of the few. Originally it was a small bedroom community designed for drivers commuting to the city. But in the last 25 years Bellevue's leaders have planned a pedestrian-friendly downtown connected to public transportation and in the process created a booming street scene and high-tech magnet that's become one of Seattle's hottest spots.
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International (when available)
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CitiWire.net
Transit Futures: Korea Offers 'Out-Of-The-Box' Ideas
By Neal Peirce, Jul 20, 2012 My personal favorite: Elevated bike freeways. The idea is to foster cycling in busy world cities by constructing two-directional bike tracks, enclosed in glass tubes mounted above commuter routes. Commuters could pedal in or out of town, no red lights or threatening trucks, in temperate-controlled comfort. Likely result: fewer cars on the roads, reduced carbon emissions, and a healthier population.READ MORE...TheNewYorkTimes.com Commuters Pedal to Work on Their Very Own Superhighway By Sally McGrane, Jul 18, 2012 Picture 11 miles of smoothly paved bike path meandering through the countryside. Largely uninterrupted by roads or intersections, it passes fields, backyards, chirping birds, a lake, some ducks and, at every mile, an air pump.
TheCityFix.com
Woldwide Cycle Superhighways: Copenhagen, London, New York
By Matt Kroneberger, Jul 18, 2012
City planners in Copenhagen launched a new "cycle superhighway" in April, extending from the western suburb of Albertslund into the city proper. This route is the first of 26 planned routes set to comprise a 300-kilometer (186-mile) system. The 20-kilometer (13-mile) corridor scrolls through bucolic suburbs on its way into Copenhagen, adding to 349 kilometers (217 miles) of existing urban bikeways in a city where more than one-third of the work force commutes by bike.
TheCityFix.com
Lessons in "Living" Cities From Santiago
By Christian McWilliams, Jul 17, 2012
Last week in Santiago, Chile, the Plaza Italia was once again crowded with bicyclists for the monthly cicletada. Local bicycling organizations and enthusiastic individuals meet up on the first Tuesday of every month, joining the movement for sustainable urban transportation, cleaner cities and healthier citizens.
READ MORE...
EnvironmentalGraffiti.com
The 10 Most Colorful Town on Earth, July 2012
The eye often wearies of red brick, gray steel and beige stone. For this, the solution is house paint. When an entire neighborhood assumes the colors of the rainbow, even the front gardens pale in comparison. Throughout the world, there are ten particularly stunning towns that resemble freshly opened packages of crayons - offering a respite from our dismal urban surroundings and reminding us that our personal environments need not be so bland.
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| Sunday's Film (when available)
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Are you only happy on a bicycle when it rains? Then the Bikesuit is for you! The Bikesuit is a one piece suit made for cycling, designed to protect the cyclist from bad weather and dirt,
top to toe.
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Things you need to know along the West Corridor
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Photo: Lakewood Co Heritage Culture & the Arts
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>Lakewood, Saturday August 11, 10am - 2pm
Denver & Intermountain Interurban Trolley, Car No. 25, Open House.
Bring the whole family to enjoy a free ride on this completely restored trolley car that connected early Lakewood Colorado citizens to the booming downtown Denver at the turn of the 20th Century.
Location:
Denver Federal Center, Bldg No. 78
Enter on Kipling St. South of 6th Ave. Gate I, Follow the Yellow Signs.
[All adults need a government photo ID (i.e. Driver's License) to enter the Federal Center. Sorry, pets are not permitted].
>[Note: in just 9 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
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, August 05, for the game against the SF Giants. 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.
The very popular RTD West Corridor bus tours will be ending soon! Only two remaining!, The tours will be from 9am to 11am on the 3rd Friday of the month (August & September). 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. |
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Residential Real Estate Agents
Who Get the "Big Picture" of Transit Oriented Living
| Jim Smith
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Things You Need to Know Around the Region
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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 24th to be considered for the Fall 2012 Academy.
The Fall Academy (2012-02) will begin September 12 and end on October 24, 2012.
Tour de FasTracks - West Rail Ride Bike Event
Saturday, Sept 15, 2012
Calling all cyclists in Golden, Lakewood, west Denver.
The RTD FasTracks West Rail Line which will serve our West Corridor will host a bike event on Saturday, September 15, 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 strongly advocate for the "final mile" and call for more and safer cycle access from the future 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.
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| The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of William A. Spriggs and no one else. |
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