Nearly 400 people turned out today to join the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and its many partners for a unity parade and rally as a part of “Stand Up 4 Transportation Day” — a national day of advocacy on April 9 to create awareness and support for long-term, sustainable transportation funding.
The event began with a unity parade down the 16th Street Mall from Market Street Plaza to Denver Union Station. Leading the parade were various modes of transportation including buses, shuttles, vans and bicycles, cabs, car services, and pedicabs, followed by regional leaders and members of the public. Participants wore matching SU4T t-shirts, carried signs, waved “transportation rally towels” and chanted in unity as they marched to Union Station – an iconic example of the importance of federal transportation funds.
At Union Station, the crowd gathered for a rally to encourage Congress to pass long-term transportation funding. The rally featured speakers from a cross-section of the community sharing brief comments about the importance of transportation in their lives.
The Stand Up 4 Transportation effort is being led by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) to push the U.S. Congress to pass a long-term transportation spending bill. The current funding bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP 21), expires May 31. RTD General Manager and CEO Phillip Washington initiated the idea in his role as this year’s chair of APTA.
Along with RTD, more than 300 transportation partners from across the nation marked the day with a variety of activities in many other cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta, New Jersey, Phoenix, Charlotte, Boston, Salt Lake City and others.
In Colorado, RTD collaborated with various transportation partners on this effort including the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, the City and County of Denver, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Contractors Association, Transit Alliance, the Downtown Denver Partnership and other regional transportation organizations. The Governor of Colorado, along with several other local cities, officially proclaimed April 9 as Stand Up 4 Transportation Day.
An online petition to Congress as well as information on how to contact members of Congress voicing support for transportation funding is available online at www.standup4transportation.org.
