Denver, CO
Denver Fire pauses approval of new bikeway traffic circles amid response time concerns
DENVER — Changes could be coming to the traffic circles installed through Denver’s Neighborhood Bikeway program. The Denver Fire Department paused its approval of new bikeway traffic circles, an assistant chief with the department confirmed, in response to concerns over their impacts to emergency vehicles.
The Denver Neighborhood Bikeways program was created as part of the city’s Vision Zero mission to eliminate traffic deaths. The city has been installing several different types of infrastructure to improve safety for cyclists, including the traffic circles.
While smaller than a full roundabout, traffic circles function in a similar way by instructing drivers to travel counter-clockwise around them through intersections with the goal of reducing driving speeds along bikeways. This has led some residents to raise concerns over potential impacts to response time for emergency services.
Several neighbors near the 7th Avenue neighborhood bikeway shared accounts and videos of fire and utility trucks struggling to maneuver around traffic circles installed.
“It makes the neighborhood less safe,” argued neighbor Mark Turnage. “Fire trucks cannot get in. Ambulances cannot get in because of the [traffic circles] that have been put in.”
Denver
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Denver Fire Assistant Chief Carly Helwick said conversations are ongoing with Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) to determine the future of traffic circles and the broader Neighborhood Bikeways project. Helwick said there is not yet enough data to know the exact impact these traffic circles may have on department response times, in comparison to other options for intersections along bikeways.
“From the fire department’s perspective, our priority is to ensure our apparatus and crews can respond in case of emergency to any address in the city,” Helwick said. “We are engaging in conversation frequently with DOTI as they determine what are the best next steps for these and other traffic features across town.”
Denver7 has heard from cyclists who feel the traffic circles have made their rides feel safer. Rob Toftness, a founder of the Denver Bicycle Lobby, said they have improved his commutes and applauded DOTI’s priority on safety for bikes.
“The nice thing about these is they lower speed and volume [of cars],” Toftness said. “It makes it so there’s not as many frequent drivers behind me. And if there are, they’re going slower.”
Follow Up
Denver makes changes to intersection amid criticism from neighbors, cyclists
8:29 PM, Aug 31, 2023
DOTI confirmed ongoing work with Denver Fire on the traffic circles to address concerns, while also stressing their importance in the Neighborhood Bikeways network. On its website, DOTI describes the traffic circles as a method to “disincentivize” non-local drivers from taking Neighborhood Bikeways streets.
“Traffic circles are a valuable tool for reducing vehicle speeds on streets that DOTI is prioritizing for biking and walking and for creating a safer and more comfortable environment for multimodal travel,” DOTI spokesperson Nany Kuhn said in a written statement. “We believe working together with Denver Fire, we can refine our design and implementation so that the goals for both of our departments are met.”
The Follow Up
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Denver, CO
Colorado State Patrol urges drivers to remain in Denver amid winter weather in the mountains
GEORGETOWN, Colo. — The Colorado State Patrol said the “best option” is to remain in Denver amid winter weather that’s impacting roadways in the mountains.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the agency said westbound Interstate 70 is closed at Georgetown due to unsafe conditions between Georgetown and the Palmer Divide.
There is limited lodging and parking in Clear Creek County, according to CSP. The agency said the “best option is to stay in Denver.” It is unclear when the roadway will reopen.
Eastbound I-70 traffic was held at the Eisenhower Tunnel due to a crash just east of the tunnel, according to CSP. The roadway has since reopened.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Denver, CO
How Broncos’ Alex Singleton, Wil Lutz ended up in the Colorado Ballet’s rendition of “The Nutcracker”
If you find yourself in a Christmas chariot this week, perhaps a pair of Broncos will be carrying it.
Denver inside linebacker Alex Singleton and kicker Wil Lutz looked like pros over the weekend at the Colorado Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker.”
The duo made brief appearances in the ballet’s rendition of the Christmas classic on Sunday night at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House downtown.
They carried out a chariot with a ballet dancer inside at the start of the Arabian Dance. Then they stood on the stage and posed for a minute before their appearance was finished.
It lasted, Singleton told The Denver Post, maybe two minutes.
And it was nerve-wracking.
“Oh yeah,” Singleton said on Tuesday. “I didn’t know what to do. But it was kind of funny, we just stood there.”
The whole thing came about because the Broncos and the Colorado Ballet each have Dr. James Genuario on their medical staff.
That helped clear the path for Singleton, who is on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in September, to participate.
“That was my first question: Can I do it? And he was like, ‘Yeah, you’ll be fine,’” Singleton said. “I mean, I think the dancer weighed about 80 pounds and the carriage weighed about 10. So I carry more than that every day, which is nice.”
Range of motion is no problem exactly 10 weeks post-operation for Singleton.
“I got to 152 degrees,” he said. “Regular life is normal.”
Performing in a ballet, though, is hardly normal life. Singleton and Lutz had exactly zero advanced prep work for their big debut.
“I think it started at 6:30, we showed up about 6,” Singleton said. “At intermission, before we did it, they showed us how to do it and that was it. We just had to make sure the costumes fit us. … But it was really cool. We got to watch from backstage, meet all the people. It was really cool to see how it all runs and everything.”
Did you see Will Lutz and Alex Singleton in the Nutcracker with the @ColoradoBallet?🎄#BroncosCountry | @gs_off_field pic.twitter.com/Lon7TMqNj1
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports_) December 24, 2024
Singleton said he was not particularly familiar with “The Nutcracker,” Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet.
“I still don’t know the story,” he said. “We asked a couple of the dancers and they were explaining it to us. So I kind of know that it’s like a dream for the little girl where the Nutcracker comes alive, but that’s about it.”
Singleton, of course, was Denver’s leading tackler the past two years, a captain this fall and was calling Denver’s defense before tearing his ACL in Week 3 at Tampa Bay. The injury happened early in the game, but Singleton played the rest of the game with it before being told the severity of the injury that evening. He had ACL surgery on Oct. 15 in Los Angeles and then returned to spend time around the team and rehabilitate here.
Lutz has been a model of consistency in his second year kicking for the Broncos. Three days before appearing in the show he knocked home a pair of field goals against Los Angeles, including a season-long 55-yarder.
Lutz is now 29 of 32 for field goals on the season. The only kick of less than 50 yards he’s missed was a game-sealing block by Kansas City in Week 10. Lutz has also made all 38 extra points on the year.
His 90.6% field goal rate is sixth in the NFL among kickers with more than 20 field goal attempts.
On the Colorado Ballet’s social media channels, Singleton gave himself a 7 out of 10 and Lutz an 8 of 10, with the kicker saying he was proud that he didn’t blink once.
In the locker room, at least one teammate was skeptical.
“Oh my god, I had no idea what was going on,” tight end Adam Trautman told The Post. “All they did was pick something up. Now, if they’d have danced or something, that would have been elite. But no chance they can move like that.”
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Denver, CO
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