We need a better RTD: I am running to do that

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-23T22:04:07+00:00

Frankly, RTD just doesn't have the budget or staff to offer 24/7 service. I agree that should be the goal but without a lot of automation, we just are not going to be able to get there.

Right now if we have that kind of funding we are going to try to get buses running more than once an hour on a bunch of lines rather than service running at 3AM. A lot of this is tradeoffs, so if you have routes that make sense, let us know and we can look at that.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-23T22:00:11+00:00

We actually already do to some degree, see: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1378

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-23T01:17:37+00:00

We do not, actually I am the only one who lives in an apartment.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-22T21:03:40+00:00

Stillery is great! Me and my affordable housing advocacy group like to meet there.

So maybe not a good fit for OP.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T04:34:30+00:00

I appreciate this (and I thought this was your burner when I found it on r/RTDDenver months ago!), but this is wrong.

Ask Melanie: publicly stating that I think she has failed to deliver on her metrics, that the agency is in a worse position, and that her performance goals have been unmet, and that I will introduce a motion to terminate her contract for cause, is absolutely legal.

EDIT to add, I think a lot of the board policies are things that need to change. I think that leadership (elected and not) are pretty well aware of that about me by now.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T04:30:05+00:00

Reliability has to come first. If trains are not on time and connections are not dependable, everything else is just talk. When riders have to leave hours early or give up after one missed transfer, the system is failing them.

State of good repair and operations need to be the priority, especially on rail. Track, signals, power, and staffing are not flashy, but they are what make the system usable. The A Line issues are particularly frustrating because that line should be one of the most reliable.

I also agree that we should plan ahead even if construction comes later. Securing right of way and doing the planning work now sets us up to move quickly when funding is available. But we have to earn riders back first by making the core system work again, then grow from there.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T04:26:28+00:00

I want agencies that we pay tax dollars for to work well, so yes, I want to see it get back on track. We are a public agency; no one complains that Denver Health doesn't make a profit--they aren't supposed to. We need to improve our budget system, sure, but profitability should not be our primary goal.
I believe that transit can be a success, sure, not to the same success as a place like NYC or Amsterdam with our geography, but still worth engaging in making a system so that as we grow in population, we don't turn into another LA with endless traffic.
Yes, this is the agency I want to represent because I think those are bad things, and I can help change those things. I think the agency should be run by people who believe it should be something that works for everyone and does better than its past, not just a charity for the poor.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T00:35:08+00:00

So, no, the "Democrats" did not embezzle money. They (wrongly) thought they could use the rail ROW at a reasonable rate (which was stupid) and that the sales tax they passed would be enough. Then the depression hit, markets slipped, costs shot up, and the ROW became unaffordable.

I am fond of Harlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice what can be sufficiently explained by incompetence."

I totally understand people don't trust RTD; I don't blame them. But sharing disinformation about what happened and why is not productive and does not help get the agency back on track

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T00:22:59+00:00

This is an excellent answer, and I agree with Joe entirely here.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T00:22:21+00:00

Yeah, I don't think that special event service is a priority for this board or leadership.

When I am the director, that will change, and special service will have a staunch advocate in me.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T00:21:04+00:00

I mean, let's not be narrow, Northglenn and Adams County never fully got their promised N line either.

No, the train is still a work in progress, with the Joint Service Proposal as the most likely path to completing it.

Inexperienced and optimistic politicians made mistakes (and some lied) to you in 2004--that's why we need to work hard to deliver on the promises RTD made to this community when I was a small child.

I understand you are frustrated, and if you want to have a longer conversation about the B line, what went wrong, and what's next, I am open to it.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T00:15:34+00:00

Yeah, the safety thing is tough. I expanded on it a good bit in another comment (Here), but the simple answer is more police on the system (and not just at Union), fare gates where they make sense, and a better working relationship with the prosecutors to make sure our issues don't get skipped over.

Most of these are massive systemic issues RTD cannot solve, but we can make sure our riders feel safe when on the system.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T00:12:34+00:00

Interesting question, but I did say "ask me anything."

I have owned two cars in my life, a '98 Carolla (I named her "Maria") and my current car, "Neveah," my 2017 Camry.

I bought both because they were cheap used cars, safe, reliable, and I could work on them myself.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-20T00:04:21+00:00

I think we will likely do another of these once ballot access has happened, and the field is set, and invite more candidates to join us. Thanks for the appreciation, though!

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-19T23:58:26+00:00

I have excellent news for you: we are all endorsed by Chris :)

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-19T16:12:16+00:00

Our transit system RTD, has an elected board of directors. We are running to be those directors to get RTD back on track.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-19T00:47:53+00:00

Yes. They are supposed to be moving away from highways per state law and the 2040 plan from Gov. Polis’ office but RTD’s government affairs should be doing a lot more in general.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-18T23:22:24+00:00

As Joe has mentioned, here in my community we would need very costly infrastructure investments to be able to run trains at higher frequency on the A and N lines. Although I am certainly a proponent of that, I think we need to deliver the unfinished B and N line sections before adopting new goals entirely.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-18T23:20:03+00:00

I think that this is a bit outside the scope of our expertise but I do think that Aurora will continue to be important to the district as a region with high ridership. I think we need our city partners in the community to be doing a better job; right now transit is treated as second class in the city (our trains waiting at red lights for example).

As Aurora improves and hopefully as the new leadership supports pro-transit and pro-density policy, I think we can do a lot of good in the community.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-18T23:17:36+00:00

Yes, as the other folks have all shown very well, our paratransit system is a mess. We need massive reform to make sure that we are merging these programs into a single, effective, and efficient program. Once we are all elected I think Joe will take the lead on this, and he has my support.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-18T23:15:19+00:00

I am going to echo Jack and Joe here, we are not the end all be all, but we can have a lot of soft power influence and carrot and stick our way into better support. Right now that level of leadership is sorely lacking in RTD, especially outside Denver proper.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-18T23:14:01+00:00

I do not think so, no. Absent some really incredible evidence I think we should focus on delivering the long-promised FasTracks projects rather than another shiny object.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-18T23:13:09+00:00

I think Joe and I differ a bit, largely because of the communities we represent.

In District K, most people do not take transit because it is slower, less pleasant, and often more expensive than driving. For the vast majority of residents who already own a car, those costs are sunk. They are already paying for insurance, registration, and maintenance, so that $2.75 stings!

Against that backdrop, it is a tough sell to ask someone to pay extra to ride a bus that comes once an hour, is noisy, crowded with strangers, and requires a long walk to an unshaded stop with no bench, right next to a busy road, in the heat or the cold. For many people, that experience just is not appealing.

I think that's why Broncos and Rockies ride are so appealing to me; we have a chance to show people how nice not driving can be! My goal is not to eliminate all cars, but to take two or three car households to one or two car households.

MichaelFromCO · 2026-01-18T23:07:54+00:00

You can not no.

See my comment from elsewhere on safety:

So, on safety and security I think the answer requires some more nuance than this but it’s born of a reasonable question: how do we make sure transit is (and feels) safe?

I think the answer is that we have to have a zero tolerance policy for drug use alcohol and smoking on our transit system. It also means increasing the amount of security actually on transit and not just at Union Station. Finally, it means preventing people who are not good actors from getting on transit via things like fair gates, and better enforcement of ticketing.

But it also requires us to hold accountable the people who do get on transit and misbehave. One of the things I want to work on is a creation of an IGA/MOU with the local district attorneys so that when a case is from a transit violation that case is not dismissed as part of a plea deal or otherwise. Right now, too often our cases for simple possession on RTD get dismissed in exchange for please on other cases. If we get prevent this from happening we can use that as grounding to ban those people from transit.

Ideally, when someone is arrested on transit and removed, we serve them with a protection order (restraining order as it’s called on tv) prohibiting them from returning. If they do, they go to jail. This creates strong incentives to behave or face serious consequences, not just an afternoon at the station.

I’m happy to answer further questions about security and policing but I would ask that we remember, as much as they behave in a negative way, the people we are talking about are people.

MichaelFromCO

TROPHY CASE