Could this be Denver's safer streets tipping point?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มิ.ย. 2024
- In Episode 198, I connect with Amy Kenreich, a Denver crossing guard mom turned safe streets advocate who is part of a growing number of engaged community members making a difference on the streets of the mile-high city. We talk about recruiting new crossing guards, conducting bike rodeos, fighting for a needed protected bikeway where a tragic fatality occurred, as well as engagement activities like Viva Streets and Bike to Work Day.
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Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
- Who is Amy video: • I AM DENVER: Bike Advo...
- Denver Bicycle Lobby: denverbicyclelobby.com/
- Bicycle Colorado: www.bicyclecolorado.org/
- My Bicycle Colorado episode: • Legislation and fundin...
- Denver Streets Partnership: denverstreetspartnership.org/
- My Denver e-Bike Incentive video: • Inspiring e-bike parti...
- Just A Minute Activist Campaign: sf.streetsblog.org/2022/01/26...
- Ride For Racial Justice: • Can riding a bike help...
- Nicole McSpirit's episode: • Why Fietsster Nicole i...
- Safer Streets Austin: www.safestreetsaustin.org/
- Denver Viva Streets: www.vivastreetsdenver.com/
- Colorado Bike To Work Day: biketoworkday.co/
- Megan Ramey's episode: • This mom is leading th...
- Austin's 2023 Bike to Work Day: • Austin's 2023 Bike to ...
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Credits: Video and audio production by John Simmerman
Music via Epidemic Sound: bit.ly/3rFLErD
Resources used during the production of this video:
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Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 30 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.
Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."
The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.
Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.
Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2023
John, you find the best guests. You have found some of Colorado's best advocates and activists. Amy exemplifies the very best of advocacy, activism, and volunteerism. Thanks.
Thank you so much, Gary! Yes, I totally agree 💯 😎
Shout out to the crossing guards! Best 20 minutes of my day!!
Thanks so much for watching and for serving such a critical role. Cheers! John
"A welcoming comité on every block."
Great quote by Amy.
Yes, indeed! Thanks for tuning in. Cheers! John 😀
Great ideas Amy. Keep up the good work and activities. You really do think out-side the box.
Yes indeed! Thanks for joining the Premiere today. Cheers! John
Wash Park, representin' (DU). Yes, we are fortunate in this part of town. My commute to my job downtown is about as close to car-free as you can get in Denver. And I get there just as fast as I would by driving. Oh, and rock star parking, inside the building!
Great to hear! Thanks so much watching. I hope you are enjoying the channel. Cheers! John
In Dutch crossing guards are called klaar-over, meaning ready - go.
Cool! Thanks for this info 😀
Shifting the paradigm, as elaborated upon in a previous podcast session.
Yes, exactly. 😀
Bike to work day was awesome! This was my first year participating, but I am definitely going to next year assuming my company still has an office of some sort downtown. If not I'll bike to a coffee shop or something 😆
Yeah, I much prefer the branding of bike anywhere and everywhere day 😅
why not bicycle commute everyday like the rest of us once a year does not help anything or anybody
@@scruf153 I work from home
I love that "just a minute" idea, also because it clearly shows the other drivers that not the "cyclist using the car lane" is the problem. It's the one idiot blocking the bike lane.
Yes! Exactly... and the way they play it up is so classic. 🤣
We had Bike to Anywhere Day. The official pitstop in my area was at City Hall, which is just off Main Street, south of the interstate. I live and work north of the interstate, and there's only one practical route east to west across town north of the freeway.
Crossing under the freeway and going to the festivities would involve a long detour along some pretty sketchy roads, so I posted a reply to the Facebook notice that I wouldn't make it, and why I wouldn't.
So I went to work that day and went home. The only practical way to join the festivities would be to load the bike in a car and drive through the worst parts to reach the safe places to ride.
Which would defeat the purpose.
I think you did precisely the right thing. Sounds like the city has a lot of work to do. Also, sounds like more “pit stops” dispersed throughout the city near other meaningful destinations might be helpful. Keep up the good work. Cheers! John
I bike anywhere everyday of the year no bike lanes no crosswalks do not own a car nor a cellphone
40:10 they feared devaluation of their property. Wnich is ironic because improvement of the infrastructure (when done right) to cater to more than just cars, would likely increase the value of their property in the long run
Yep, exactly. Honestly I think it’s also just a fear of change… of the unknown. People will grasp at any excuse that might work to maintain the status quo. Thanks so much for watching. Cheers! John
even now, they probably already enjoy less noise, as cars drive slower.
@@kailahmann1823 Yes, exactly.
IAmDenver👍
Yes, indeed! 😎
Why not try to replace the ANR I think it is called, with say AAB (Advocacy and Activist Bike group). Saver routes to school and less chances of a school shooting, making things a whole load better as it is now. (And working at a federal level, makes getting things done a bit faster and more equal across all states.)
Great question. One of our biggest challenges at the federal level when it comes to policy setting is the influence of corporate lobbying efforts by the Motordom & Oil and Gas industries, so our federal-level advocacy groups don't make much of a real impact on meaningful structural policy change. We must grow the movement to fix the ability of corporate influences to undermine our democracy.
Therefore control of what the streets look like and how they operate is hyper-local at the city and community levels. It's frustrating, but it's our reality, and it won't change anytime soon. So our success stories, which will continue to happen, are one at a time. The good news is that they are accelerating, and there is some state and federal support for funding the transformations even though there isn't sweeping policy change.
If you are really interested in this challenge, which is not unique to the USA, I highly recommend the book Dark PR: How corporate disinformation harms our health and the environment by Grant Ennis bit.ly/DarkPR_DarajaPress
I'll be featuring Grant on the Podcast on Friday, September 1pm
Cheers!
John
38:55 while I understand esthetics are a thing, at the same time it's the most superficial argument out there. Besides, there are other ways!
Yup. Sad really.