RTD adopts resolution focused on eliminating transit-related traffic fatalities and injuries
The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is bolstering efforts to eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries within its transit operations and infrastructure. During Tuesday night’s Board meeting, RTD’s Directors approved a resolution that outlines agency-specific initiatives related to a Vision Zero strategy.
Vision Zero is an internationally recognized, data-driven systems approach to increase personal safety in transportation spaces. The initiative recognizes that traffic-related deaths and serious injuries are preventable and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including cyclists and pedestrians. The agency’s adoption of Vision Zero principles aligns with RTD’s mission to make lives better through connections. At least one third of all RTD customers begin and end their transit journeys as pedestrians, and many others use bicycles or other mobility devices to reach their destinations.
“This resolution is a public commitment to Vision Zero and highlights that public transit plays a critically important role in safety,” said RTD Director JoyAnn Ruscha, District B. “This effort was only possible after months of collaborative work with local jurisdictional partners and community-based organizations. Simply put, we want to provide safe streets and pedestrian pathways for everyone and will do everything we can in support of that goal. Traffic deaths and injuries are never acceptable.”
RTD’s Director-led Vision Zero planning efforts began in October 2023 and included multiple public meetings and feedback sessions with dozens of community partners and participants. From the meetings, Directors created the Vision Zero resolution, outlining strategies and a timeline for creating a Vision Zero Action Plan. The Board-adopted resolution also highlights RTD’s current and ongoing efforts related to roadway and customer safety.
In 2023, RTD registered as an ally to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) National Roadway Safety Strategy. The agency adopted USDOT’s Safe Systems Approach, which includes a public awareness campaign and bus operator safety trainings. RTD also continues to collaborate with city planners, community organizations, and local governments to develop and implement strategies and make infrastructure investments that align with Vision Zero principles.
RTD also previously committed to the Denver Regional Council of Government (DRCOG) Vision Zero working group at its inception. DRCOG, Boulder County, the City and County of Denver, and the cities of Thornton, and Westminster have each adopted Vision Zero policies to improve transportation safety in the region. RTD now joins the efforts as one of the first mass transit agencies in the United States with a Vision Zero initiative underway. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has found that increasing transit ridership is one of the best ways to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries.
“Safety is a cornerstone of RTD’s core business, and the Vision Zero resolution amplifies the agency’s inherent commitment,” said Debra A. Johnson, RTD’s General Manager and CEO. “This effort will require RTD to work more closely with municipalities and community partners to further enhance safety on their public rights of way, and the agency is prepared to leverage those partnerships in support of the Board’s action.”
As outlined in the resolution, RTD will identify funding for bus stop, rail crossing, and pedestrian safety enhancements and incorporate system safety feedback sessions into its ongoing community outreach. In addition to engaging with customers, the agency will also specifically focus on bolstering dialogue and feedback from disability rights organizations, transportation advocates, and individuals from disadvantaged communities throughout RTD’s service area.
By April 2025, the agency plans to assess the viability of having dedicated employees to support the outlined efforts to implement the Vision Zero Plan and its related tactics.
RTD’s Operations, Safety, and Security Committee will receive an annual report detailing the number of injuries and fatalities involving pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists on RTD’s system during the prior year. The report will also highlight RTD’s efforts to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities.
RTD is currently conducting a wayfinding planning assessment and will continue to review its fixed route bus, light rail, and commuter rail networks to identify high-risk areas for accidents and injuries. This information will inform staff efforts related to areas that may require additional safety infrastructure investments. An example of this effort is the installation of new blank-out signs along light rail’s L Line. These traffic signals alert motorists and pedestrians to changing traffic patterns in areas such as those located along light rail corridors running parallel to surface streets. RTD has also enhanced operator training to include strategies and skills to mitigate the risks of traffic-related injuries and deaths.
RTD Board Directors JoyAnn Ruscha (District B), Ian Harwick (District L) and Michael Guzman (District C) kindled a grassroots effort involving transit-oriented organizations in 2023 to review and make Vision Zero policy recommendations to RTD. The community partners included representatives from the Denver Streets Partnership, Greater Denver Transit, Pedestrian Dignity, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001, the Denver Bicycle Lobby, and the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, among others.
A copy of the Board-approved resolution is available on page 771 of the meeting agenda packet.