The "W" Line Opens in
268 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 Wednesday Edition, Aug 01, 2012. |
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In response to our Sunday photo of Colorado Hwy 121 (Wadsworth Blvd),
Lakewood Colorado traffic engineer, John
Padon wrote that the City has plans to widen the highway from 10th Avenue to 14th (where the Lakewood-Wadsworth Light Rail Station will be located) and will be adding a 10 foot multi-use trail on each side. (There was no mention if the trails continue south of 10th Avenue)
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West Corridor, Denver & Region
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Editor's Comment:
August 01, 2012
Usually I post films as secondary entertainment down the long column of TBF, but I thought that this film was too important for such a lowly position.
I once made a suggestion to a local transit group that perhaps the students at the Auraria campus should be allowed to compete in a YouTube competition to produce a musical to sell the possibility of a tax increase for FasTrack in the fall 2012 election; the suggestion fell on non-receptive ears.
But now that RTD is faced with a situation on how to "sell" Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to the poor folks in the NW Corridor where they were once promised a sleek and sexy light rail line, perhaps the answer is merely a super sales job by the future riders of the system - the youth of the region.
Below is a link to the video, "The Michigan Transportation Musical." Produced entirely by University of Michigan students and filmed over 3 days in May of 2012, it will air at New Student Orientation for incoming students starting later this summer. It's about 12 minutes long, and starts a little slow, but there are some great original songs and dance routines worth watching. Very smart and original! And it's all about TRANSPORTATION!
Afterwards, perhaps the Denver RTD Board members should get out their calculators and add up how much a student-produced musical would cost to "sell" BRT to the NW Corridor public compared to hiring a slick public relations firm whose slick & chic personnel would never be caught dead on a "bus."
 | | The Michigan Transportation Musical |
* * * UrbanLandC.org Urban Land Conservatory Acquires 7th Property Using Transit Oriented Development Fund By Christi Craine July 11, 2012The .83 acre property is located less than 1/4 mile from the future Sheridan Station on the West Line corridor of FasTracks and will be developed into 58 affordable senior homes. ULC will partner with Rocky Mountain Communities who will manage the design and construction of this 5 story development. READ MORE...New Bike Lanes Help Denver's Upper Larimer Street Prosper By John Hayden, Jul 30, 2012 In October of 2011, less than a year ago, Public Works converted Larimer Street between Downing and Broadway from a three-lane one-way arterial into a two-way street with one auto traffic lane and one bike lane in each direction. The result of of this relatively minor public investment has been great for this once neglected commercial corridor. |
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National
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AtlantaJournalConstitution.com
Voters Reject Transportation Tax
by Ariel Hart, Jul 31, 2012
Distrustful of government and riven by differences, metro Atlanta voters on Tuesday rejected a $7.2 billion transportation plan that business leaders have called an essential bulwark against regional decline.Streetsblog.org
Report: Transit and Walkability Keys to Age-Friendly City
By Noah Kazis, Jul 31, 2012 The best places to grow old aren't in Florida or Arizona, according to a report released today by the Milken Institute, a California-based think tank. Phoenix's woeful transportation system, which offers few travel options for people too old to drive everywhere, disqualifies that purported haven for retirees. No, the best places for the fast-growing 65-plus demographic are ones more like, well, New York City.
TheAtlanticCities.com
Can We Quantify a Good Walk?
By Kaid Benfield, Jul 30, 2012 We have a number of formal and informal ways to think about what makes a good walkable community...(can a child comfortably walk to buy a popsicle and walk back home?)...(does the neighborhood attract kids walking door-to-door on Halloween?), and...(can you meet most all of your daily needs within a 20-minute walk or transit ride?).
READ MORE...
AmericanCity.com
Google to Cities: 1 Gbps for All
By Sean A. Chen, Jul 30, 2012 From bridges to high-speed rail, the U.S. frequently lags behind other developed nations in infrastructure investment and development. One increasingly vital piece of infrastructure that has kept Americans envious is Internet speed.
READ MORE...TheAtlanticCities.com
The Case for More Urban Trees
By Kaid Benfield, Jul 31, 2012
If you're interested in the subject of the community benefits of trees, you can get additional information from the websites of the National Arbor Day Foundation and the US Forest Service. Among the tidbits I learned on one or the other of those two sites are these:READ MORE...BetterCities.net
Singles are Good for Cities
July 30, 2012 The growing number of people living alone are a much more positive force than many Americans have thought, says Eric Klinenberg...[He] recently told a Washington conference that notions about singles being neurotic, immoral, sick, or lonely are off the mark. Those who live alone are in fact more likely than married people to take advantage of urban amenities, go out at night, attend public events, and engage in activities that "animate the streets," according to Klinenberg, a sociology professor at New York University.
READ MORE...
TheWallStreetJournal.com
For Creative Cities, the Sky Has Its Limit
By Richard Florida, July 27, 2012
It's not enough to build tall if people aren't thrown together to interact-just look at Shanghai vs. New York.
READ MORE...
TheAtlanticCities.com
Bus Riders and Invasive Advertising
By Nate Berg, Jul 30, 2012
Public transportation users may be accustomed to an odd smell from time to time, but bus riders in Seoul, South Korea, were recently exposed to a different league of olfactory input. Devices installed on public buses in that city were programmed to release a coffee-like fragrance whenever the Dunkin' Donuts jingle played over bus speakers.
READ MORE...
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International (when available)
| | TheAtlanticCities.com
The Coolest New Maps of London
By Eric Jaffe, Jul 30, 2012 This is an extract from an impressive infographic of Olympic venues created by LondonTown.com. This view focuses on the 2.5-square-kilometer Olympic Park, home to the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Center, and several other arenas. The full map provides brief descriptions of the major sites and stretches far across the city.
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| Wednesday's Film (when available)
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See above for today's film.
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Things you need to know along the West Corridor
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Photo: Lakewood 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].
>Lakewood, Thursday, Sept 13, 2012 7pm. Mary Harris Auditorium on the Campus of the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. 1600 Pierce Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80214.
Music! Singing! Dancing! Comedy! Oh My! A variety show produced by the 40 West Arts District showcasing the performing arts with an array of upbeat, high-energy, family-friendly acts. The inaugural show, emceed by the inimitable "Naughty Pierre" from Lannie's Clocktower, is set for September 13 at the Mary Harris Auditorium - Click here to learn more & purchase tickets.
[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, Aug 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 are back but ending soon!! All tours will be from 9am to 11am on the 3rd Friday of the month (Aug & 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. |
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Commercial Real Estate Assemblages, Land or Buildings Available on The West Corridor
Please note: TBF does not
own or sell any real property.
Prices displayed may not be correct.
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>4917 West 11th Ave Assemblage
>10th Avenue Light Rail Assemblage
>1010 Sheridan Blvd TOD Site
>13th Avenue & Newland St., Light Rail Vacant Land
>5830 West Colfax Ave
>1025 Ammons Complex
>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.
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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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, and the Denver Region. 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 light rail stations. We also consider the bicycle as not just 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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