THE OBVIOUS PROBLEMS OF A CENTER-RUNNING BUS FOR EAP RESIDENCE/BUSINESSES

April 18, 2023

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*Corrected link to "Watching Erratic Passengers and Assaults on RTD Buses"*

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Dear Denver East Neighbors-

The plan to move forward with center-running Bus Rapid Transit (“BRT”) on Colfax is a vanity project that should not move forward until and unless the City answers important questions, conducts objective studies, and engages the community most impacted by the proposal. The city has never directly reached out to the residents and businesses most impacted by the Colfax BRT project.

What needs to be addressed?

The City needs to justify moving forward with center-running BRT given the runaway costs of the project and other concerns stated below.

Since it was proposed, the costs of this project have increased from $135 million to $350 million. Residents should be presented with a comparison of costs and benefits that would result from the installation of a center-running bus as compared to a side-running bus.

The city’s message that we approved of center-running bus rapid transit, though repeated often, is simply not true. 

Voters supported a ballot measure in 2017 to fund “rapid transit service and pedestrian improvements along Colfax to reduce congestion and increase safety.” Taxpayers did not specifically support bus rapid transit, nor center-running bus service, let alone the elimination of traffic lanes to provide for bus rapid transit. [1] Further, though 75% of respondents to a survey conducted in connection with the Colfax Corridor Connections Alternatives Analysis responded “yes” to the question “Do you agree with the recommendation for center-running BRT on East Colfax?”, citizens were never asked whether they supported center-running BRT over side-running BRT, nor provided with comparative information about the costs and benefits of each.[2] In fact, 2,481 citizens signed a petition stating their opposition to center-running bus-rapid transit after plans for center-running BRT were presented in connection with proposals to adopt the East Area and Central Area Plans in 2020.[3] The city ignored this petition. Under the circumstances, the city’s narrative that citizens support center-running BRT is extremely misleading.  

Projections as to the number of passengers to be carried on center-running on East Colfax have dramatically decreased since the Colfax Corridor Connections Alternatives Analysis was first conducted. This begs the questions: Would our dollars better be used by implementing side-running, rather than center-running bus service, and does center-running BRT promote social and environmental justice? 

Pre-pandemic ridership was just over 20,000 boardings per day. Projections suggested that, with BRT, ridership would increase to 50,000 boardings by 2035. However, Colfax ridership dipped 40% during the pandemic, to about 12,000 boardings per day. RTD’s data shows that there were 15,910 boardings per day during the summer of 2022. The city projects that by 2040, boardings on Colfax will increase by 7,600 per day. Based on those numbers, we can expect to have will have 23,510 boardings during the weekday by 2040 – only 3,510 new transit riders more than we saw pre-pandemic. This is a far cry from original projections offered in support of center-running BRT. Importantly, we will be building a transit line which equals about $99,715.00 per additional passenger ($350 million divided by 3,510 passengers) while irretrievably changing the landscape of Colfax by eliminating existing traffic lanes and parking spots. Further, the $350 million price tag for BRT does not take into account the loss of revenue for businesses, costs to the community of traffic diversion, or the environmental pollution caused by the construction and health risks placed on residents in an already polluted corridor/city that will arise as a result installing center-running BRT. Given this, we should be looking at alternatives, such as side-running BRT, and evaluating whether continuation of this project makes sense. The studies should be rerun to account for data obtained since the study was run in 2018. In particular, the following factors should be taken into account: (1) Ridership has not increased dramatically since the pandemic; (2) some form of hybrid work will stay in place; (3) the cost of living in Denver is driving people away from the Colfax corridor/core of Denver; (4) increased costs of living in Denver have pushed families out of Denver, increasing the likelihood that schools will be closed and/or that school populations will decrease and thereby lessening the need for bus service; (5) only 40% of employees have returned to downtown offices post-pandemic, resulting in a 24.7% office vacancy rate and lessening the need for bus ridership;[4] and (6) costs of fare are increasing at a rate that will become unaffordable.

Residents’ requests for traffic and environmental studies have been ignored.

Despite repeated requests, residents have not been allowed to view the traffic and environmental impact studies that have purportedly been conducted and are left to wonder about the potential impact of BRT on our neighborhoods. Failure to provide the studies and the underlying data, more than five years into the project, contributes to a lack of trust and confidence in the city’s honesty about the project and heightens concerns about the project itself.

We encourage each of you to go on record that these studies should be produced immediately so that residents can evaluate the impact of the BRT before further implementation of the project is undertaken.

Even with a fancier bus, the BRT project has not addressed how crime, shortage of staffing, and drugs on buses will be handled, especially since RTD has reversed itself on removing the short-lived policy of removing transit riders who remain on the buses rather than deboarding for a destination.

The RTD documented at least 178 reports of assault or injury of passengers during 2021 and the first two months of 2022 according to a Problem Solvers analysis of RTD records. Combined, the 15 and 15L bus lines accounted for more than a third of all documented incidents.[5] This is the most violent bus line in the city.

Projected loss of parking spaces on Colfax has increased without explanation and without discussion of the effect of such loss on businesses and residents on and near Colfax.

The city’s website previously stated that only 100 parking spaces would be lost in connection with the implementation of the BRT Now, the website states that 300 spaces will be lost. It is imperative that residents and businesses understand how and why the city arrived at this number and that the city identify the locations in which spaces will be lost. A study should be done to consider how the reduction and elimination of parking for new units will impact the corridor and abutting areas.

THE CITY SHOULD ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS BEFORE THE RESIDENTS WILL BUY INTO A PROPOSED CENTER RUNNING BUS.

Aside from the fact that we did not vote for a center-running bus and the reliance of the city on a survey for support of a center-running bus that is flawed, RTD has already stated we have a reliable route with frequent bus service. Better Speed can be accomplished with a side running dedicated bus lanes that are supported with pre-emption detectors at the signals and in the buses, signal controller upgrades, signage and pavement markings, kiosks to pay for trips prior to boarding, and bulb-outs. This would be a minimal cost and would be covered by the monies the project currently has. Construction costs would be minimal and thus potentially allow a better opportunity for businesses to recover from COVID losses, less business loss from major construction, and construction would occur with minimal disruption. 

But the city has not addressed the true reason people do not ride the bus since the 15 has the current density to support any BRT. People do not ride the bus because of speed but because of the lack of cleanliness, safety, the decreased need due to hybrid work schedules, fewer people working downtown, and that the transportation doesn’t get everyone where they need to go. The reach of the Colfax bus is limited and does not justify the current anticipated costs – which we know will be overrun.

We can prevent another Great Hall debacle by having the city address our concerns with data based on our corridor.

If you cannot attend, please join via Zoom.

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[1] Denver, Colorado, Streets and Transportation Bond Issue, Referred Question 2A (November 2017) - Ballotpedia

[2] Colfax Corridor Connections Alternatives Analysis, Appendix at 154, located at  denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/705/documents/projects/ColfaxCorridor/Colfax-BRT-recommendation-summary-jan2019.pdf

[3] change.org/p/denver-city-planners-produce-an-east-area-plan-that-supports-community-needs-and-values?redirect=false

[4] Study underway to look at feasibility of converting office buildings into housing, Denver searches for landlords willing to convert offices to housing, Can converting empty offices to apartments solve Denver’s housing shortfall?; bizjournals.com/denver/news/2022/05/17/denver-office-return-traffic-remote-work-commute.html;  bizjournals.com/denver/news/2022/05/17/denver-office-return-traffic-remote-work-commute.html

[5] kdvr.com/news/problem-solvers/rtd-bus-route-with-most-assaults and Washington Post ran an article on how Denver’s problems are spilling onto its buses. washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/06/06/bus-denver-pendemic-violence See also: Watch erratic passengers and assaults on RTD buses