Slow Down

Neighbors Raise The Call For Crackdown on Traffic Scofflaws

By Cara DeGette

GPHN Editor

A series of direct hits, near misses, and a cop car speeding through a school zone with no lights, no siren, and on his way to no apparent emergency, has energized a groundswell of residents intent to crack down on traffic violators in Park Hill.

Over the past several years, Park Hill has experienced a rapid spike in traffic – much of it a direct result of nearby development in Stapleton and Lowry. Critics have long contended the city did not plan appropriately for the increased traffic on existing neighborhoods. More cars means more traffic. And more speeders, traffic outlaws, and plain rude drivers.

Efforts to highlight the problem, and to remind people to slow down when driving through Park Hill’s residential neighborhoods, have largely been organic, via social media. Ideas from building do-it-yourself speed bumps to installing traffic lights and designating more pedestrian crosswalks have sprouted up.

One group is organizing a coordinated public education campaign to urge people to “Drive Chill, Park Hill” (see sidebar, page 7).

“This springs from the idea that we can’t control the actions of out-of-neighborhood drivers, but we can control our own, said Andy Keiser, who is helping to organize. “In short, our mission as I see it is to clog our neighborhood roads with safe Park Hill drivers, thereby making it inconvenient for those out-of-neighborhooders to use Montview, 23rd, 26th, etc. as thoroughfares in the first place.”

The citizen-driven efforts have so far been largely focused on the southern portion of Park Hill, from 26th Avenue to Colfax, where speeders and other violators often ignore speed limits and swerve into bicycle lanes and particularly along the east-west streets.

‘How are we supposed to be safe?’

On Feb. 8, Keiser posted this eyewitness account on the Park Hill Neighborhood Facebook page:

“An Aurora Police SUV was speeding westbound on Montview this morning as I was stopped with my two young daughters southbound on Forest,” Keiser wrote. “We commute with my bike and pull-behind trailer. I began to turn west in the bike lane when I noticed that the cop was illegally swerving into the bike lane to pass on the right. No lights and no indication that it was an emergency. He then proceeded to speed through the 20 mile-per-hour school zone that is marked with a blinking light without even slowing down (unless his brake lights are out too).

“If I wouldn’t have seen him, he would have killed all three of us and something like this (usually not a cop) happens almost every day while I’m trying to get to Park Hill Elementary.

“So two questions:

1.) How are we supposed to be safe when the police don’t even respect the laws?

2.) Why isn’t DPD District 2 doing anything about this kind of stuff when they know when and where it’s happening every single day?

“No disrespect intended but I don’t see why we have to wait until someone gets killed before we address a problem. In the meantime, stay safe and be defensive, especially if you’re on a bike.”

Long on anecdotes, short on help

Keiser’s posting prompted what became a long discussion stream, with others weighing in with their own anecdotes. One mom reported frequently getting stuck at a school crosswalk island, with cars speeding by and not stopping to let her and her children cross the road.

Another noted her son was hit on his bicycle. Several wrote they frequently see drivers swerving into the bike lane along Montview, as well as 23rd and 26 avenues, to pass on the right, around cars waiting to turn left. Others were chagrined by speedsters, including those who ride the tails of cars that are driving the speed limit.

Many registered frustration, saying they have contacted their city councilperson’s office, seemingly without any results.

“I think we need systematic changes throughout the neighborhood so people get the point that this is a residential neighborhood, not a commuter corridor,” wrote Park Hill resident Rebecca Zimmerman Voll.

“What can we do as a neighborhood to get the city to pay attention before someone is seriously injured or killed?” asked resident Katie Roach.

Park Hill resident Colin Deihl forwarded a letter to the Greater Park Hill News that he sent last Aug. 27 to Denver City Council members Chris Herndon and Albus Brooks, alerting them to what he described as a dangerous situation.

“There are a number of East High School students who cross Colorado Boulevard in the mornings at Montview on their way to school, mostly on bicycle, but some on foot,” Deihl wrote. “At the time kids are travelling to school, between 7 and 7:30 a.m., the southbound traffic is backed up through the light on Colorado Boulevard as far north as 23rd Street.

The morning he wrote the letter, Deihl reported, his son, on his bike, had hit a car that had cut him off in the crosswalk. The female driver asked if he was OK, and she then proceeded onto Colorado Boulevard without even getting out of her car.

“He is not badly injured, but that is not the point,” Deihl wrote. “Students should not be dodging cars when they are crossing in the crosswalk with a green light.    

“With the increased traffic at that intersection [Montview and Colorado Boulevard], we have a very dangerous situation. I implore you to please address it before another student is seriously hurt.”

Last month, Deihl told the Greater Park Hill News the problem has not been resolved. And Montview/Colorado is not the only problematic intersection for students.

“I see cars regularly passing in the bike lanes on 23rd and Montview at the time when our children are riding their bikes to school. A very dangerous situation and one that needs police and city attention,” he said.

In late February, Councilman Herndon confirmed he has received numerous complaints over traffic problems, particularly along Montview Boulevard. He has also, he said, had several conversations with Park Hill Elementary Principal Ken Burdette.

“By far Montview has been the focus of the complaints,” Herndon said in an interview. “It’s definitely the one that has gotten the most of our attention.”

Herndon said that last year he asked the city’s traffic engineering department for an assessment on what can be done. In the meantime, he has requested an increased police presence along the stretch of Montview through Park Hill.

Mayor Hancock’s ‘Vision Zero’

The timing of the increased concerns coincides with the mid-February announcement by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock for a “Vision Zero” effort in to eliminate traffic fatalities, crashes and serious injuries citywide.

The city has dedicated $750,000 in 2016 for planning, enforcement and education.

“We commit to taking a bold approach to creating safer, better streets for people moving throughout our city,” Hancock said in the announcement. “We will focus on protecting our transportation system’s most vulnerable users and call upon our partners and the public for their support in eliminating traffic deaths and creating the safest roadway system possible.”

Number of traffic citations a mystery

Denver officials say that they cannot provide the number of citations that police have issued in Park Hill during any given timeframe, making it difficult to measure whether increased traffic has resulted in an overall increase in traffic-related citations.

Mary Dulacki, the records coordinator for Denver’s Department of Safety, said that the Denver Police Department does not track the number of traffic citations that officers issue, in Park Hill or citywide. All traffic tickets are filed with the Denver County Court, which also does not have the ability to break down the number of citations by geographical area.

In response to an inquiry about whether Denver Police have a comprehensive plan to address traffic violations as traffic has increased, Dulacki provided this statement:

“The Denver Police Department has spent a significant amount of time investigating traffic complaints in the Park Hill area and will continue to monitor the speeds and driving habits along East Montview, East 17th Avenue, East 23rd Avenue and East 26th Avenue from Colorado Boulevard to Quebec Street. Though there is no ‘comprehensive plan’, the Department is eager to address any problems brought forward by citizens.”

Looking in the mirror

Police Officer Ambrose Slaughter, who routinely patrols Park Hill, also weighed in on the Park Hill Neighborhood Facebook stream last month. He recommended residents who are experiencing problems call DPD traffic operations and request they set up a speed trap. That number is 720-337-1030.

Several Park Hill residents noted that they have indeed have contacted the hotline to request police presence at high-traffic sites. Last month, a traffic van was stationed along Montview Boulevard during morning rush hour. But residents reported the van remained for only three or four days.

Slaughter also pointed out that sometimes the poor drivers are Park Hill residents themselves.

“I must be honest,” Slaughter wrote, “I have written tickets in [school zones]. I’ve been flipped off and yelled at by parents – mainly females – because I’m writing tickets there. They did not like it because it embarrassed them in front of their kids and other parents.”

Keiser, and others, concurred. “In my experience, some of the drivers you have to watch out for the most are parents who have just dropped off their kid and are hurrying to get to work,” Keiser said. “I’m not saying that to call anyone out or blame my neighbors (whom I love!) and trust me I’ve been there (two stop sign infractions at 26th and Birch but never again!).

“Rather, I see this as an opportunity. If we’re part of the problem, then we have full control over part of the solution.

“What I would like to see is some kind of safe driver campaign in Park Hill. My initial thoughts are some kind of safe driving pledge that comes with a deal or two at one of our amazing local businesses as well as a window sticker or car magnet with a snazzy logo/slogan to remind other drivers.

“That way when the car behind you is tailgating you for driving 30 mph. he’ll get a nice explanation and hopefully the hint to find a road more suitable for rush hour traffic.”

Drive Chill In Park Hill

A Grassroots Effort Is Born

By Erin Vanderberg Reynolds

Organizer, Drive Chill Park Hill

We’re a neighbor-initiated safe driving campaign in progress. The few of us who have really gravitated toward the idea have had recent near-accidents, like nearly being flattened in the bike lane or almost crushed by someone speeding down a side street.

We are very much in our infancy, but our general idea is to start an awareness campaign focused around a safe-driving pledge and logo. As the logo gains traction, we hope that it will serve as a visual reminder for us to all chill out and be the good drivers we know we can be when we’re not distracted or in a rush.

We welcome more help! Lend ideas to our safe-driving pledge and logo design. Donate some money for the cost of decal printing. Connect us to local businesses and organizations. Brainstorm with us. Example: Think the neighborhood needs a safe cycling pledge, too? Great, let’s work together!

Find us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/drivechillparkhill

Email: drivechillparkhill@gmail.com