According to an audit, the Denver Moves plan hasn't lived up to its goals, mainly because of a poor showing in the city's budget since implementation in 2011.
"The Denver Moves plan, approved in May 2011 when Mayor Michael Hancock was still on the City Council, aimed to add 270 miles of mostly on-street bike lanes as well as multi-use trails to the 172 miles that existed then." Since then, only portions of that goal have been realized.
The problem is obvious: minimal funds allocated to the plan. A recent audit "found that the city has carved off just $2.8 million for bike lanes and pedestrian-oriented projects from its capital improvement fund since 2013. That's a smidgen of the plan's overall estimated cost of $119 million."
"'Talk is cheap, and apparently so is the funding of the plan,' said a statement issued by Auditor Dennis Gallagher, who will end his third and final term Monday as Tim O'Brien takes office. 'The mayor and City Council have identified Denver Moves as one of the city's foremost priorities, yet insufficient funding is resulting in a failure to meet the goal of an easy-to-use network for bicycle and pedestrian transportation.'"
"On the larger question of funding, both Gallagher and O'Brien, an Audit Committee member, expressed hope that the audit would spur budget discussions by the mayor and City Council about potential solutions."
The article includes a copy of the audit documentation.
FULL STORY: Audit: Denver's bike plan suffers from cheap funding, slowing pace
Boston Launches Ambitious Bike Plan
The city plans to dramatically expand its bike lane network, add to its bike share fleet, and provide new e-bike subsidies to residents.
Boston Installs New Bike Lanes as Part of GoBoston 2030 Initiative
The city wants to cut its car use in half by 2030 as part of an aggressive set of "aspirational" goals.
Less Paint, More Barriers, Make for Better Urban Cycling
New research from the University of Colorado Denver and the University of New Mexico sheds light on how to make cities safer for cyclists and other road users and refutes some assumptions about bike safety, such as "safety-in-numbers."
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
