During 2015, Colorado became the fastest growing state with many of those residents living on the front range, and that includes Denver highways and roads.Īlong with the population increase is the growing number of cars on the roads. The 2010 Census put Denver’s population at 600,158 and 10 years later the Census would have Denver surging to 704,621. Staying Safe on Denver Highways and Accident Riddled Roads A gif showing Denver Highways Traffic Increase from 2014 -2017ĭenver ranks 19th in population size compared to other U.S.
#DENVER TRAFFIC DRIVER#
Underinsured / Uninsured Driver Accident.We're not naming any of the victims, to protect the privacy of their families.
The same information is also listed below, in chronological order. Click on each pin to see the date, address and details about the incident, including whether criminal charges have been filed. The map below shows the 54 fatalities listed by the Denver Police Department for 2021 through September 8. "The Vision Zero program has the right intent, but I think Denver's implementation of it is just fucking frosting," he says. Vision Zero's name is clearly aspirational, but with the plan's fifth year coming in 2022, the city has shifted the goalposts its website now states that Denver is shooting for "zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2030." That doesn't satisfy Evans. But these technicalities don't make their outcomes any less deadly. The rest of the fatal crashes involved automobiles either smashing into other cars, rolling over or striking what the DPD categorizes as a "fixed object."įour of these crashes - on January 1, June 22, July 22 and September 5 - will not be counted by the Colorado Department of Transportation as traffic fatalities because of reporting protocols established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Two bicycle fatalities are included on the list, while ten were pedestrians struck by vehicles. A quarter of an inch can be the difference between being fine and wiping out if you're not prepared for it, and people can die." "There are holes in the pavement, there are curbs that aren't cut right. "The street infrastructure isn't made for that mode," he says. Accidents involving scooters have been escalating (the DPD tweeted about one on September 10 that resulted in serious injuries), and Evans worries that this trend will continue. Of the 54 fatalities on the DPD roster, three involved scooters - two characterized as "electric stand-up" devices and one dubbed "low-powered" - probably a non-motorized, Razor-type item. The Vision Zero website lists 55 fatalities, including a death on September 14 that has yet to make the DPD's final roster. On September 16, the Denver Police Department provided Westword with its latest list of traffic fatalities for the year: 54 through September 8. But it's still a disconnected bowl of spaghetti." "The city has spent a lot of money and has a plan for bikes and parks and people.
"A plastic bollard isn't going to save anybody - it's not going to protect a bike from getting hit by a car," he says.
But she was frustrated by Denver's failure to build twenty miles of sidewalks (only six miles were completed) and the unmet objective of installing so-called "Smart City" technology at fifteen intersections (data collection devices were put in place, but her organization maintains that there have been "no operational improvements").Įvans has particularly harsh words for protected bike lanes that feel temporary rather than permanent. Among the positive moves emphasized by DSP director Jill Locantore were the city's efforts to increase safety on two of the city's most heavily traveled routes, East Colfax Avenue and Santa Fe Drive. This past spring, Denver Streets Partnership gave Denver a mediocre B- score for the infrastructure-related steps taken over the previous year. "Denver isn't taking the strides it needs to to keep the streets safe - not just for bikes, but for everyone." "The thing I constantly call Vision Zero is 'Zero Vision,'" Evans says. The death toll frustrates Brad Evans, founder of the Denver Cruisers bike rides and a longtime traffic safety advocate. So far in 2021, more than fifty people have died during Mile High City traffic accidents involving cars, bicycles and scooters.įour of the fatal crashes happened during a six-day span this month, including a September 7 hit-and-run near the intersection of Arkins Court and 29th Street 43-year-old Kathleen Sugaski was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide. The City of Denver's Vision Zero, launched in 2017, was originally described as a five-year action plan with the goal of "eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by making our roadways safer for everyone." But a year from the deadline, Denver is a long way from accomplishing this mission.
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