Death Spurs Calls For Action
63 Have Perished In Denver Traffic Accidents So Far This Year
By Cara DeGette
Editor, GPHN
On Aug. 10, just before 7 a.m., Steve Perkins was heading home from an early morning ride around Cherry Creek reservoir with his twin brother Dan. Post-ride, the two men had split up, with Steve heading home to Central Park, his brother to Littleton.
Denver police say at the intersection of Syracuse and 13th Avenue, just southeast of Park Hill, the driver of a blue Ford Explorer failed to stop for a red light. The driver hit Steve Perkins, and didn’t stop. Perkins died of his injuries. As of press time, the driver of the Explorer, last seen heading westbound on 13th Avenue, has not been apprehended.
In addition to being a twin, Perkins, 52, was married, the father of two teenage boys. He was an attorney. He is the second cyclist killed by a hit-and-run driver in Denver this summer — and the 32nd killed on Denver’s streets since 2011.
Five years ago Mayor Michael B. Hancock rolled out Denver’s version of Vision Zero, a program that has its roots in a Swedish effort to reduce traffic fatalities in that country by half. Hancock’s stated goal for Denver is to end all traffic deaths by 2030. Instead, the number of fatalities has risen — last year 84 people perished, more than in any of the previous 12 years.
As of Aug. 28, this year 63 people have died in traffic fatalities in Denver, including at least 14 pedestrians, a scooter rider and two cyclists — including Perkins. In 22 of those cases, there were either no charges, charges have yet to be filed, or suspects have not been apprehended.
After his brother’s death, and as Denver’s cycling community reeled, Dan Perkins, who is also an attorney, issued the following plea amid an outpouring of condolences:
“I do want to ask one thing of all of you. Please, if you have the time or the resources, do something locally to pressure your elected officials to do something about unsafe driving,” Perkins posted to his social media accounts. “In my almost nine years in Denver, the streets have gotten progressively more dangerous for vulnerable road users. If you can spare a few minutes of your time — especially if you are here in the Denver area — please take a few minutes to write your local elected officials to demand more resources to make our roads safer.
“Protected bike lanes and other bike-specific stuff would be great, but none of that would have saved Steve’s life. We need tougher enforcement penalties for unsafe driving. We need tougher penalties on people who text and drive or drink and drive — not just for cyclists, but for all of us.”
Two weeks after the hit-and-run, family members and friends gathered at 13th Avenue and Syracuse for a “ghost bike” dedication. The ghost bike, painted all white, is a roadside memorial that marks where Steve Perkins was killed.
Far From Zero
Denver’s Traffic Death Counts Continues To Climb
Denver’s vision is zero — that is, a goal of zero traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2030. This is how the numbers are looking since the Vision Zero program was introduced in 2012.
2013 — 47
2014 — 49
2015 — 57
2016 — 61
2017 — 51
2018 — 64
2019 — 71
2020 — 57
2021 — 84
2022 — 63 so far
Source: Denver Vision Zero
denvergov.org/Government/Citywide-Programs-and-Initiatives/Vision-Zero