The Sunriser | Colorado is getting deadlier for pedestrians and cyclists

1 year ago 572

Good morning and happy last Monday of the month!

I’ve been part of a one-car household for a little over a year now, with most of my personal local transportation happening via e-bike, electric scooter or just good old-fashioned shoe leather. I know I am in an extremely particular situation where this is viable (no kids, work from home, walking distance to grocery stores and other services), but since the root of so many of our modern issues (climate change, transportation expenses, land use, etc.) is related to our reliance on cars and highways, there’s going to need to be a lot more people like me in the future.

That’s why when data like what CDOT released recently (more on that below) shows that it’s more dangerous than ever for people traveling outside of cars, it should get attention from everyone — not just non-car folks like me. Because it’s going to take us collectively imagining a world where everyone gets to be safe — no matter how they decide to get to work, or school, or the grocery store, or a doctor’s appointment — for us to actually make that world happen.

So before the next time you hit the road, just take a moment to imagine what would need to happen in your city/town/neighborhood that would let you skip a car trip a couple more times a week. And maybe that world is closer than you think.

OK, if you’re done with your pedestrian reverie, let’s catch up on the news from a very busy weekend, shall we?

TRANSPORTATION

Colorado is getting deadlier for pedestrians and cyclists, despite overall drop in traffic deaths

First, let’s talk about the good news: Traffic deaths went down overall in 2023 after climbing every year since 2019. But single statistics can sometimes mask other trends, as Olivia Prentzel reports. Click through to see more charts and stats about the deadliest year yet for pedestrians and what advocates are demanding the state and local communities do to reduce traffic violence.

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CHILD WELFARE

A public-private program has helped Colorado’s toughest foster kids get adopted. Now the state is cutting its funding.

Sharon Saiz holds 1-year-old Madison after her daughter, Deanna (right), formally adopts her Nov. 4, 2022, National Adoption Day, in Denver. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

“We are not going away. I can’t let these kids not be seen.”

— Ann Ayers, CEO of Raise the Future

For six years, Colorado has invested in the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program (yes, related to the square-hamburger Wendy’s) that uses specially trained caseworkers — similar to private investigators — who dig into records and conduct interviews in search of relatives, coaches, teachers, family friends or anyone who has crossed paths with a child and might adopt them. But as Jennifer Brown reports, funding for the program was not included in next year’s state budget, causing a rift over how to handle the state’s toughest adoption cases.

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HOUSING

At a Glenwood Springs mobile home park, residents are working toward controlling their destiny

Felix Jimenez at his home in 3-Mile Mobile Home Park in Glenwood Springs. Jimenez has lived there since the late 1980s and has helped lead recent efforts to allow residents to purchase the park themselves. (Luna Anna Archey, Special to The Colorado Trust)

A lot more goes into owning a mobile home park than one might expect. Just ask the residents of the 3-Mile Mobile Home Park, who will soon become the owners of the park thanks to a mix of a loan, some grants and donations shepherded by the Manaus organization. Nancy Lofholm has all the details of the plan for 3-Mile’s future.

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Tent meant for festivals and galas used to put services for homeless people in Grand Junction under one roof

Unhoused residents and volunteers check out the new Resource Center in Grand Junction on a distribution day. (Gretel Daugherty, Special to The Colorado Sun)

After Grand Junction closed a park near downtown that had become a hangout spot for the city’s unhoused residents, advocates began working on a plan to combine regional services, a warming station and other resources under one roof. That plan has culminated in the opening of the 9,500-square-foot glass and canvas Resource Center. Nancy Lofholm has more on how the program came together, what neighbors are saying and how leaders hope the model can be put to use elsewhere.

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ECONOMY

Labor union growth flat in U.S. but not in Colorado

Starbucks workers hold signs June 26 during a coordinated strike in Boulder as negotiations between the union and company stall. (Parker Yamasaki, The Colorado Sun)

6.9%

The share of workers in Colorado who are union members, below the national average of 10.1%

Despite several high-profile national labor actions in 2023, overall union membership didn’t change much around the country. But in Colorado, which has historically lagged behind the national average, the share is slowly ticking upward. Tamara Chuang has more on Colorado’s labor actions and much more in this week’s “What’s Working” column.

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MORE NEWS

Former Adams County undersheriff pleads guilty to forgery, misconduct. Woman, 22, dies at Aspen Highlands ski area after colliding with tree. Lauren Boebert’s ex-husband formally charged after 2 domestic incidents.

COLORADO SUNDAY

Colorado’s Nicole Hensley and her peers may have finally found that elusive future in pro hockey

It’s been a long time coming for Nicole Hensley, who started playing hockey on boys’ recreational youth teams in Colorado and just this month, stood on the ice alongside her peers during her inaugural game in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The league is a historic step to promising stability for elite athletes like Hensley, Kevin Simpson writes.

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THE COLORADO REPORT

Man dies while skydiving in Longmont. The 36-year-old was wearing a wingsuit at the time and it doesn’t appear his primary or reserve parachutes deployed before he hit the ground, police said. — 9News Colorado bill to make free youth therapy permanent moves forward. Supporters of the bill say the program has made mental health counseling easy to access for thousands of Colorado students who’ve struggled with unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression.
—Chalkbeat Headaches and a $5,300 bill: Customers say Xcel making it hard to disconnect from gas. Residents wanting to make the switch toward electrifying their homes say they are facing hefty price tags to flip off the switch to natural gas.
— The Denver Post 🔑 Colorado bill aims to regulate food additive increasingly used for suicide. Lawmakers who support the bill aim to regulate the sale and transfer of the highly concentrated sodium nitrate.
— Denver 7

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

COLUMNS

If only someone had asked the Colorado GOP Six if they thought an arrest record was a must in the Trump era. Despite what you may have heard, most of the arrests of the GOP candidates were long ago and for minor offenses. Still, I’m sure Trump would have approved.
— Mike Littwin Mike Lynch made mistakes, but he can still make the best out of it. I have used the story of my own DUI to warn others against making the same mistake and Mike Lynch could do the same
— Mario Nicolais Sometimes the price of a perfect powder day is a long, gnarly drive home. Snow and ice mean Colorado isn’t always an easy place to live, but many of us love it because it’s still a little weird and a little wild.
— Diane Carman Reimagining the public square: Coloradans deserve better. Consider this a public call for partners to join Colorado community newsrooms to reclaim and reimagine the way we engage in civil discourse.
— Melissa Milios Davis, Colorado Media Project, and Martín Carcasson, founder of the Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation Colorado electorate should have more say in filling vacancies in elected office. Contingency elections and special citizens’ elections would reduce vacancy appointment powers.
— Celeste Landry, Boulder

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at [email protected].