ENVER— "Getting
on the Fast Track to a Livable Denver Region", a report released today
by Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center and the Livable Communities
Support Center, found that the proposed FasTracks plan to build out the transit
system in the Denver region would create more than 8000 construction jobs, strengthen
the local economy through increased spending, reduce air pollution and limit
the rapid pace of increasing traffic and sprawl in the metro area.
"It's time to get on
the fast track to shorter commutes," said report co-author Elena Nuñez,
transportation advocate for Environment Colorado. "Its not every day that
we have an opportunity to stimulate job growth and economic development while
reducing air pollution."
"This report confirms
what people stuck in traffic know already—we need to expand the transit
system soon to address growing gridlock and sprawl," said co-author Rich
McClintock, program director of the Livable Communities Support Center, a program
of CRNA.
Lauren Martens, Executive
Director of the Transit Alliance, a coalition of citizen groups, business associations,
and local governments added, "This valuable new report makes the case for
FasTracks even stronger."
Key findings of Getting
on the Fast Track to a Livable Denver Region included the following:
• Despite
the recent downturn in the economy, the Denver region's population is projected
to increase by 45% over the next 22 years, from 2.5 million to more than 3.5
million people by 2025.
• Congestion
in the Denver metro area is 5th worst in the nation and area drivers experienced
67 million hours of delay due to traffic in 2000. Studies estimate that congestion
cost the Denver region $1.2 billion dollars per year.
• Based
on a federal analysis of similar transit buildouts around the country, an estimated
8,200 construction jobs and 1200-1800 permanent operations jobs would be created
by the $4.2 billion FasTracks financing plan being considered by the RTD board
this month. FasTracks would also have a multiplier effect on the economy as
wages are spent and business expands, resulting in a projected $380 million
annual impact to the regional economy, on average.
• The
FasTracks plan would also encourage transit-oriented development (TOD), in which
housing retail and offices are co-located near transit stops. Compact development
at the more than 60 new transit stops identified in the Vision Plan would result
in a projected additional 160,000 to 320,000 residents and 250,000 to 500,000
employees being located within a half mile of a transit stop.
• As
more compact development occurs around transit corridors and transit stops,
open space would be saved from development. If the system were fully built out
as proposed, an estimated 6,500-13,000 acres of land would be saved from development
over the next twenty years.
• FasTracks
would improve air quality in the region by giving commuters viable transit alternatives
to driving, especially summertime ozone pollution. Ozone pollution would be
cut by nearly half for commuters who chose to use transit rather than drive.
• The
report also analyzed data regarding the projected development patterns in 2025
and found that 91% of the region's population would be within a five mile drive
of a park and ride station when the system is completed.
Getting on the Fast Track
to a Livable Denver Region included an examination of population, land use and
transportation data from RTD and DRCOG as well as national analyses of similar
transit systems and the development impacts of transit in other major metropolitan
regions.
The RTD Board of Directors
will be voting this Tuesday August 19th whether to move forward with the public
comment process on Phase 1 (the FasTracks Fiscally Constrained 10 Year Plan)
of the FasTracks Vision Plan.
The report recommended that
the RTD Board submit FasTracks to voters in November 2004, citing the fact that
the sooner FasTracks is approved, the sooner the region will reap the economic,
environmental and quality of life benefits of the transit system buildout.
