Good news from our Denver Public Works Department: Cherokee and Delaware streets in Downtown’s Golden Triangle district will be converted from one-way to two-way streets.
While one-way streets can make driving around easier for motorists, they also encourage higher driving speeds and generally make the environment less appealing for pedestrians and bicyclists. Since we’re focused on making urban Denver as friendly to peds and bikes as we can, this is a good thing. I look forward to more one-way street conversions (where it makes sense) in the future.
Here’s the official press release from the city:
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One-Way Delaware and Cherokee Streets To Become Two-Way Streets
DENVER, CO — November 28, 2011
Starting November 28th, Denver Public Works will begin converting Delaware Street between 13th Avenue and 11th Avenue from a one-way southbound street to a two-way roadway. The conversion of Cherokee Street between Speer Boulevard and 13th Avenue will begin the week of December 5th.
The conversions are expected to be complete by December 7, however the schedules are weather dependent and may change due to any adverse weather conditions. No work will be conducted from December 1st thru the 4th to ensure there are not conflicts with the Parade of Lights activities.
In order to install the new travel lanes on Delaware and Cherokee Streets, temporary parking restrictions will be in effect, beginning Monday, November 28th. These restrictions will allow crews to turn all the parking signage to orient towards the new direction of traffic. There will be a lane closure in place for a few days to allow the work to be completed. No parking restrictions will be in place from December 1st thru the 4th.
Our staff has been working with Councilwoman Jeanne Robb and the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Association over the past three years regarding the Denver Justice Center and related traffic impacts. The Golden Triangle Neighborhood Association, with the support of Councilwoman Robb, requested that Delaware Street from 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue, and Cherokee Street from 10th Avenue to 13th Avenue, be converted to two-way traffic to help mitigate anticipated traffic impacts from the new Denver Justice Center. The daily volume of traffic on both Cherokee and Delaware is below 5,000 vehicles per day, which can be accommodated with a two-way street design.
Are there any plans to convert these streets north of 13th? It seems odd that they wouldn’t go all the way to Colfax.
Both Cherokee and Delaware are already two-way between 13th and 14th around the Police Administration Buildings. The streets between Colfax and 14th are on either side of the Denver Mint. The Mint has a complex process of truck inspection on the street, entry and exit. Sometimes you have to work at these things one step at a time. Turning Cherokee and Delaware back to two-way streets has been a goal of the Golden Triangle Association at least since the Neighborhood Plan was adopted in 1998.
I was walking at 14th and Cherokee a couple of months back, and someone pulled up to ask me how to get to the Hyatt. I could see it right in front of me – it was only 6 blocks away. However, because they weren’t in the left turning lane, which would have taken them across Colfax to 15th and directly to the hotel, instead, they would have had to go all the way to Lincoln, in order to turn left on Colfax, and make it back to 15th. That’s an 11 block drive – 5 blocks just to do a u-turn. Suffice it to say, I was no help at the time. One-ways are “neat” but completely unnecessary in 75% of the time that they’re used downtown. I would argue that they increase traffic in some instancess by forcing people to drive in large arcs and feed them into more predictable and connected arterial roads.
Success! One block at a time. I hope public works is at the ready to measure the success of these conversions and publicize it heavily! I’m hoping for a contagious outbreak of similar conversions throughout the metro. Thanks for the update Ken.
I have mixed feelings about one ways. As a pedestrian, I actually like them b/c I only need to worry about traffic from one direction but as a capitol Hill resident I feel that they are unnessary most of the time and promote speeding in our neighborhoods. On a side note, In California their One Way Signs are shaped like an arrow, pointing the right direction; here they are rectangle with a painted on arrow. Am I the only one who has been caught driving in a snow storm when the One Way signs are covered in Snow? Also, The words “SPEED LIMIT” means the highest speed you can legally drive, so why is it that so many Denverites go over the LIMIT and give me dirty looks for driving legally at or below the limit??
I suggest our city swap out rectangle one way signs with Arrow Shaped One Way signs and
change “Speed Limit” signs to “Maximum Speed” signs, both would improve pedestrian and driver safety. Thanks
Please insert joke about some guy from California trying to drive in the snow here 🙂
Replacing all of the one way signs for the one or two days a year that a particular sign might be illegible due to weather? I don’t think that’s a sound use of financial resources. If it is snowing outside, people should be driving with caution anyhow. Let’s blame the true reason for driving the wrong way on a one-way street: drunk drivers!
As far as getting dirty looks for driving the legal limit…just tune to 88.1 on your FM dial and forget about the angries. We need to change people, not signage.
I do NOT find one way streets convenient as a motorist, but I DO find them convenient as a pedestrian. Only one direction to look and I can focus my attention on that direction while crossing. Surprises are not something I want in a downtown street where someone pulls out of a parking garage in the OPPOSING direction of traffic too fast and does not see me. In addition, I believe one way streets give pedestrians and storefronts an ADVANTAGE in downtown areas. Two way streets increase the likelihood of park and go where the driver merely grabs their item and leaves.
Still not sure I understand how one way streets are such a hazard for pedestrians when I find them to be one of the greatest tools I have when walking in and around downtown. I am able to navigate more quickly. Ever tried crossing Colfax? NOT pedestrian friendly.
LOL Urban Zen, but I am a Native Coloradoan and Denverite born at Rose medical. I just think We can learn from other cities and states. I am lucky to be familiar with Denvers streets but tourism is a huge part of our city/state and we have many transplants here also who are not as familiar as you and I. Would you like to volunteer to drive down a One Way only to be hit by someone head on due to a snow covered sign? I didn’t think so.
Of course I was joking, and I agree that we have some especially confusing intersections in this city, where multiple one ways converge at 5 point intersections due to the dual grid action. I know some one ways must stay, but am all for reduing confusion for both the motorist and peds, and that includes conversion to single lane 2-way streets where the traffic counts warrent them and signage improvements.
I have no problem with switching these short little Golden Triangle streets into two-way’s, but I have to disagree with the comments regarding Capitol Hill (and the general argument that two-way streets are better).
I once had a daily commute from Capitol Hill to Cherry Creek. Thank goodness for 13th/14th and thank goodness for York/Josephine. Thank goodness they were one-way streets with timed lights that got me there quickly. And thank goodness I wasn’t relegated to commuting on the likes of Colfax.
There are reasons for one-way streets. Every street in the neighborhood can’t be a quaint little side street. There are just going to have to be some major thoroughfares, with timed lights, that allow some heavier traffic to flow quickly through the neighborhood. Take them away and you have increased traffic congestion. And along with increased congestion comes increased pollution and a small (yet very real) blow to the local economy due to lost productivity.
I agree with Ken’s assessment that, while one-way streets are more convenient for motor vehicles, they’re less convenient for bicyclists. But I will simply never understand the concept of inconveniencing the 98% to appease the 2%. Perhaps it would make more sense in an uber-progressive city like Portland, where all the street-commuters are bicyclists with the exception of a small minority of just 94% (heehee) but it doesn’t make sense in Denver. Provide bicyclists with bike lanes so they can commute safely, but don’t slow the commutes of the vast majority (and it will always be a vast majority) that chooses car over bike.
(I recently made a long-winded argument that two-way streets are actually less convenient for pedestrians so I won’t go through all that again.)
I think it would be nice if they eliminated the parking, widen the one-way lanes so auto’s can safely get some good speed going. Also, if they eliminated or limited traffic inputs like from 13th and 14th, etc.. they may need to put up some barriers to keep people and bikes out. This would also ped and bike traffic outside of this mini speedway, which would add greatly to the pedistrian and bike experience along speer and broadway. It would look as if our city is vibrant as people were driving to downtown.
The conversion to two-way will come with some unwanted consequences for bicyclists, especially on streets that are already very comfortable for bicycling despite their one-way orientation. Converting to two-way here will cause additional turning/crossing conflicts with motor traffic, most importantly it will cause additional left-cross hazard for cyclists. In urban areas, turning/crossing is a factor in around 90% of car-bike collisions, and left-crosses are the most damaging sort of crash for urban cyclists. Certainly some one-ways are uncomfortable for cycling, but it’s not the one-way that causes the problems. It’s the speed combined with narrow lanes which causes the problems.
Unintended consequences and religious adherence to unscientific assumptions run rampant through contemporary urban bike-ped planning.