Serving the community since 1926
WEEK OF AUGUST 15, 2024
VOLUME 97 | ISSUE 37
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City moves to reduce fatalities on Alameda Boulevard
These teens want to change the world — starting with Colorado laws BY ANN SCHIMKE CHALKBEAT COLORADO
At 40 mph, a pedestrian struck by a driver has a 73% chance of a serious or fatal injury. By reducing the speed of a car to 30 mph, that same pedestrian now has a 40% chance of a serious or fatal injury. The posted speed limit for the stretch of Alameda Boulevard near Downing Street is 30 mph. DOTI will be taking a multilayer approach to reduce speeding. For starters, it wants to give drivers a chance to slow down on their own before it starts issuing speeding tickets. It’ll post additional speed limit signs, add the type of speed feedback signs that tell drivers what speed they are going, and implement a marketing program warning drivers to slow down.
Help schools install solar panels to cut fossil fuel use. Reduce cafeteria food waste by creating “share” tables and composting programs. Stock opioid overdose remedies in school AED cabinets. These are a few of ideas that Colorado teens recently proposed to state lawmakers as part of a program that seeks to include young people in the legislative process. It’s possible some of the ideas could eventually become law. Most of the eight proposals presented by students on the Colorado Youth Advisory Council touched on environmental or health issues. Others addressed the shortage of school bus transportation and the difficulty that students with disabilities face in navigating school buildings. The advisory council consists of 40 students from across the state who are appointed for two-year terms. One theme that emerged from Thursday’s presentations was students’ concern about the impact of climate change and their desire for solutions. Alex Fabbri, a 17-year-old who attends Lakewood High School, suggested the creation of a state program that would award grants and no-interest loans for schools to install solar panels. He cited both the rising cost of natural gas and the fact that burning fossil fuels worsens the greenhouse effect on the Earth’s atmosphere.
SEE ALAMEDA, P6
SEE LAWS, P11
Cars traveling on Alameda Boulevard at Downing Street, a section of Alameda where the crash rate is nearly seven times the average Denver arterial street. Efforts to reduce speeding and traffic fatalities are coming to drivers on Alameda. PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE BY ALLEN COWGILL SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
A disproportionate number of Denver’s most serious and fatal crashes happen along Alameda Boulevard. And the section of Alameda within a few blocks east and west of Downing Street are among the most dangerous in the city, with a crash rate almost seven times higher than the average Denver arterial street. Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) wants to decrease that rate by reducing speeding along Alameda, as well as Federal Boulevard, through a pilot program aimed at reducing crash deaths on the two streets in what has become known as Denver’s high-injury network.
The move comes after several record years of traffic-crash deaths, including 2023, when 83 people were killed in crashes on Denver streets. The city recently doubled down on its Vision Zero by 2030 goal of decreasing traffic deaths to zero. “Building a safe and vibrant Denver means improving traffic safety by reducing speeds on Denver roads,” Mayor Mike Johnston said. “I’m proud to roll out our new pilot program that coordinates evidence-based actions that are shown to reduce speeds and reduce deaths.” A DOTI report found that speed was the biggest factor in fatal and serious injury crashes, thus the pilot program will focus on reducing the number of drivers choosing to speed.
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