Denver Traffic Is Jamming Up; No End In Sight
From Not Bad, To Annoying, To A Real Problem
Like most Park Hill residents, District 6 City Councilman Paul Kashmann is keenly aware of Denver’s worsening traffic.
Kashmann, who represents the Washington Park area southwest of Park Hill, has been intensely studying traffic since he recently determined that it was the primary cause of concern among his constituents.
“I’ve learned I can no longer get anywhere in ten minutes,” says Kashmann in comments for Greater Park Hill News. “We all need to allow more time to get from anywhere to somewhere. It’s a wise investment in mental health to realize that it’s taking longer to get around town.”
According to Kashmann, traffic in the past few years has gone from not bad, to stupid and annoying, and now it is an actual problem. One of the biggest difficulties, he notes, is people driving irresponsibly as they cut through neighborhoods trying to find ways to avoid congestion (see accompanying traffic story on next page).
“The collector, or arterial streets, were designed to carry traffic across town in all directions, while local streets were designed to get people to their homes,” he says. “There’s nothing inherently wrong with driving through a neighborhood, as long as everyone recognizes the nature of the smaller streets, different conditions, and lower speeds.”
The councilman, a former newspaper publisher who was elected last June, acknowledges that he doesn’t have the answer. It’s going to take some creative vision, he says, to resolve the dilemma of increasing population and the need to continue moving people through the city.
“There is not a person in city government who does not realize that we have a problem,” he says. “We are in an urban environment and our roads are packed far above a level of satisfaction. Local neighborhood streets used to be semi-urban, but now we are feeling the pain of urban sprawl.”
Construction in the city adds to the problem, says Kashmann. He points to new buildings on Josephine Street south of Buchtel Boulevard where congestion got so bad the roads had to be closed completely. Some Park Hill residents going west on 17th Avenue encounter a similar situation at York Street, where a high-rise apartment building is going up.
Traffic movement includes better snow removal, adds Kashmann. He says losing parking and travel lanes because of plowing exacerbates the traffic problems.
“Some people in city government are finally admitting the city needs to spend more on snow removal and not rely so much on solar energy (i.e. the sun) to melt the snow,” says the councilman.
Kashmann also says it might be time to consider street designs, including roundabouts, which are common in most other countries. Roundabouts – also known as rotaries or traffic circles – have not been embraced as an option in Denver, according to Kashmann.
In his office, he shows an artist’s conception of a landscaped roundabout at Colorado Boulevard and Colfax. Roundabouts can work, he says, but they have to be well designed.
“We need to look at all the alternatives to achieve some improvement,” Kashmann says. “We’re going to need some sort of supplemental transit for the first and last mile connections.” He cites the potential use of the University of Denver rail station as a connection for people and workers getting to and from the highly congested Cherry Creek shopping area.
In addition, Kashmann says reducing traffic accidents and deaths – an initiative unveiled last month by Mayor Michael Hancock – is “a laudable goal.” But that objective, the councilman says, has to be coupled with a serious examination of the way streets are designed and laid out.
“We’re not as bad as Boston, New York, or New Jersey, but we could get there if we don’t do something dramatic and soon.” He says he has a friend who lives in Henderson and works in the Tech Center and describes her commute as “brutal.”
“I also care deeply about how traffic affects the environment, with people sitting in fossil fuel vehicles” Kashmann notes. “How badly are we going to beat up the environment before making the changes we need to make? We’re at the very beginning of getting away from fossil fuels, but remember the Industrial Revolution was 20 minutes ago in human history.”
Environmental consideration goes beyond traffic. For example, Kashmann says the city is moving on potential changes to the building code, which would require new homes to be built with a wiring connection for electric vehicle charging.
“We need a major effort if we are going to be a major city,” Kashmann says. “We need to get a grip on solving all of the problems of transportation.”
Change frequently comes much slower in city government than he and most people would like, says Kashmann.
In the meantime, the councilman encourages everyone to recognize the reality and participate actively in discussions leading to solutions.
Dave Felice is an At-Large Board Member of Greater Park Hill Community Inc. He is a member of National Writers Union, Local 1981, and recipient of a 2015 award from the Society of Professional Journalists for news column writing. He can be contacted at gelato321@aol.com.