Nathaniel Minor/CPR News
Jesse Balderrama, a security officer with Allied Security, an RTD contractor, hands a fare card back to passenger Afaf Al-Johani, a student at the University of Denver, on an RTD light rail train Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2019.
When the Regional Transportation District’s CEO and general manager traveled to Denver last year, she found herself struggling to figure out how to use the system she’d been just hired to run.
“I was trying to discern what the base fare was, and it was difficult for me to figure that out,” said Debra Johnson, a veteran of the public transit industry with nearly 30 years under her belt. “If I was having that difficulty, recognizing my acumen, what does that mean for our customers?”
An RTD W Line train pulls into the Sheridan station in Denver on Monday, Feb. 8. 2021.
Update 5/24: Gov. Jared Polis has signed the bill.
A bill that will give the Regional Transportation District more power to lower fares and raise new revenue for itself cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday.
The legislation now goes to Gov. Jared Polis. A spokeswoman for his office did not immediately say whether he would sign it.
The bill builds on recommendations from the RTD accountability committee the governor and other state leaders convened in 2020. Committee leaders and legislative sponsors say none of the provisions in the bill amount to major changes, but collectively they give RTD more power to make decisions for itself.
Armenian Genocide Commemoration at the Colorado State Capitol Armenian Genocide Memorial Garden (Photo by by Mher Ginosyan)
Colorado’s top public officials joined the Centennial State’s vibrant Armenian-American community in Armenian Genocide commemoration events over the weekend that included acknowledgment of the Genocide’s ongoing consequences in Artsakh.
On April 23, both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly unanimously passed Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 21-017, sponsored by State Senator Dominick Moreno and State House Majority leader Daneya Esgar, in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. This year’s annual genocide resolution, which was first introduced in 2002, noted the ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, including Turkey-Azerbaijan’s recent aggression, occupation, ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, as well as Azerbaijan’s refusal to release Armenian POWs or allow UNESCO monitoring of churches.
by Robert Davis, The Center Square contributor | April 29, 2021 10:00 AM Print this article Colorado lawmakers advanced a bill on this week that would pave the way for a high-speed rail line along the Front Range corridor.
If passed, Senate Bill 21-238 would establish the Front Range Passenger Rail District (FRPRD), a government agency that would work separately yet collaboratively from the Regional Transportation District (RTD) to maintain the new rail line.
The legislation is sponsored by Sens. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, and Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, and Reps. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, and Matt Gray, D-Broomfield.
“Front Range Passenger Rail is a crucial opportunity for us to prioritize the long-term economic health of Southern Colorado,” Garcia said in a statement. “A high-speed train will connect Coloradans with new communities, and facilitate stronger investments in communities that have been overlooked.”
Published Thursday, April 29, 2021
by Robert Davis | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) Colorado lawmakers advanced a bill on this week that would pave the way for a high-speed rail line along the Front Range corridor.
If passed,
Senate Bill 21-238 would establish the Front Range Passenger Rail District (FRPRD), a government agency that would work separately yet collaboratively from the Regional Transportation District (RTD) to maintain the new rail line.
The legislation is sponsored by Sens. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, and Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, and Reps. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, and Matt Gray, D-Broomfield. Front Range Passenger Rail is a crucial opportunity for us to prioritize the long-term economic health of Southern Colorado, Garcia said in a statement. A high-speed train will connect Coloradans with new communities, and facilitate stronger investments in communities that have been overlooked.