Denver's Shared Streets returning as city asks for input

Times running out to share your input on the permanent Shared Streets coming to Denver. 

During the COVID shutdown, Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure established 11 temporary Shared Streets to create space for residents to walk and recreate outdoors. 

The streets had traffic calming methods to reduce speeds and the number of cars. 

"They were incredibly successful. All of our city council members and our mayor actually asked for them to stay out longer. That's why the temporary program lasted for close to two years," said Jay Decker with DOTI's Office of Innovation. "Now the city is trying to establish and figure out how to bring them back in a permanent fashion with enough time to properly communicate and think things through with the community."

DOTI is asking the public to weigh in on permanent changes. An interactive map allows people to mark where they would or would not want a Shared Street.

There's an effort to install them over a diverse range of neighborhoods. 

"Shared Streets are really successful in areas where there's a lot of residential and commercial density, but that's not always reflected in some of our more equity neighborhoods in Denver," Decker said. "We're making sure that we look at an equal opportunity to place these strategically around Denver wherever one can benefit with them."

Funding sources are still being identified but will likely be a mix of funding from the city budget and grants. They hope to begin construction by 2025. 

"We want them to look and feel much nicer. So we could be talking about pavers, green infrastructure, landscaping improvements, street art, murals, things like that," Decker said. 

Community Shared Streets are intended to be in residential areas and to provide space for recreation. Commercial Shared Streets will be located in commercial/retail areas to provide gathering areas and safe access to destinations.

Criteria for a Community Shared Street:

• 1-3 blocks in length
•  Local or neighborhood streets
• Not on a street with existing RTD public transit (to maintain safety and avoid creating route delays)
•  Not adjacent to industrial land uses
•  Not connecting to a signalized intersection or arterial street

Criteria for a Commercial Shared Street:

• 1-3 blocks in length
• Local, neighborhood or collector streets
• Not on a street with existing RTD public transit (to maintain safety and avoid creating route delays)
• Not adjacent to industrial land uses
•  Not adjacent to low-density residential land uses
• Not adjacent to areas with over 50% high-density residential land uses. 

You can participate in the prioritization process by dropping pins here: https://bit.ly/41J1kLV