The partnership between the city and county of Denver and Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) has brought many improvments to the city and its residents in the past couple years.
In early 2022, then-Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Denver RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson announced the partnership between the city and county of Denver and RTD to reclaim the public space of Denver Union Station (DUS). The station, like most of downtown Denver, was affected by the pandemic and other societal issues plaguing U.S. cities.
Since the announcement, RTD and the city have made a positive impact by implementing measures of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). CPTED is not just about designing better places, but also includes the participation of individuals in the public space under the principle of eyes-on-the-street, where police, security personnel and citizens actively participate in making places more defensible and, therefore, safer and more livable.
In addition to increasing security at DUS, Denver RTD identified 20 improvement projects most of which have been completed. As a result, crime and arrests have diminished and the sense of safety and security has improved.
Denver RTD has cleaned up the underground bus concourse, installed directional railings, signage and reconfigured circulation patterns to prevent criminal activity.
Denver RTD has completed design to improve and control the access to the bus concourse and proposes to expand Wewatta and Chestnut pavilions to provide improved ticket vending and access queueing. A similar measure has been designed at the bus transfer level to improve the access from commuter rail Track 1. Additionally, Denver RTD is currently at 50 percent design to upgrade the lighting within the bus transfer facility. Both projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Denver RTD and the city of Denvr implemented crime mitigation measures that resulted in the fencing and alteration of the Wewatta and Chestnut pavilion landscape features. Denver RTD has now completed design and is entering into contract with a contractor to implement those changes. In the meantime, Denver RTD has installed banners to announce the upcoming project.
