A smarter way to do mass transit0

• March 14, 2004

The first tastes of freedom often come in very tiny bites. And a little, and I do mean a little, sliver of freedom has found its way to Colfax Avenue in Denver.

Toure David and Modest Kouame came to America a decade ago. When it took them an hour and 20 minutes to get to where they were going by bus, compared to 40 minutes by car, they knew their business would succeed. And they are gambling their entire life savings on it.

Are we lying? Judge for yourself0

• February 22, 2004

It was fun to watch RTD go into anaphylactic shock this week when the Independence Institute released a study that merely publicized federal data. Unfortunately that data showed that Denver not only had the most deadly light-rail system in the nation, but the most energy-inefficient.

MLK on RTD0

• January 21, 2004

What would Martin Luther King, Jr. say about RTD’s SlowTracks rail transit tax increase? Rail transit’s professed goal is to attract middle-class drivers who own one or more automobiles out of their cars and onto transit. Yet RTD’s plan is likely to reduce mobility for low-income people.

Train in Vain0

• November 18, 2003

For more than a decade, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been evaluating alternatives to relieve congestion and improve mobility in the 118 mile I-70 Mountain Corridor (C-470 to Eagle County Airport). During the last four years, they have been preparing a federally mandated Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) that is supposed to evaluate reasonably available and financially feasible alternatives. From day one, rail transit advocates from corridor communities, and environmental groups, and smart growth planners have steadfastly maintained, that rail transit (a passenger railroad on tracks or fixed guide way) is the only solution. This is despite the fact that practical rail transit technology hasnt advanced much in the last century and that no realistic source of funds to construct a rail system has ever been identified. In the I-70 PEIS Summary of Preliminary Findings,[1] CDOT reported that maybe $1 billion dollars could be available for corridor improvements in the next 20 years. The cost of a rail transit system is at least $4.4 billion, according to CDOT.[2]

It's Not Too Late To Make T-REX A Success0

• June 19, 2003

Anyone who’s ever had the misfortune of traveling on I-25, or rather, of
sitting in the parking lot otherwise known as Interstate-25, knows that as
you head from downtown to the Tech Center things go from bad to worse.
T-REX will add capacity. But, will the improvements increase mobility?

Metro Traffic May Get HOT HOT HOT0

• June 15, 2003

Would you believe that there’s a way to guarantee a highway lane never gets jammed? If there was such a congestion-free lane, would you pay a buck to ride on it?

About a decade ago, high occupancy vehicle lanes were constructed on Interstate 25 north of Denver. This was part of a larger national movement based on a false hope that people could be persuaded to jump on buses or organize carpools. In reality, carpooling has declined dramatically since most HOV lanes were built