DENVER (KDVR) — Across the Mile High City, plenty of intersections look far different than they did one year ago.
From orange barriers to new roundabouts, city staff has worked relentlessly to create safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians.
The Shared Streets Initiative did just that, allowing pedestrians to socially distance themselves by moving them off sidewalks and into roads, while asking drivers to share those roads.
“To make it safe, they needed to add these traffic-calming elements that would slow drivers down and make sure they yield to people walking and biking,” says Jill Locantore with Denver Streets Partnership.
Locantore lives near East 16th Avenue and North Gaylord Street, where a two-way stop has been replaced with a temporary roundabout.
She’s been advocating for that temporary change to become permanent.
“As somebody who walks on this street every single day, I feel so much safer now,” she says. “People can’t plow through the intersection at high speeds. They have to slow down.”
The Shared Streets Initiative was originally set to expire at the end of March, but a Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) spokesperson says it could be sticking around, saying, “DOTI will once again assess its shared street initiative as spring approaches and in coordination with the latest developments in Denver’s battle with COVID-19.”
If you’re confused about how to navigate a particular Shared Street in Denver, you can find them listed on the City’s website.