Neighborhoods In Revolt / Cries For Recall Of Sawyer
by Charles C. Bonniwell
Aerial View: The project by DOTI at the intersection of 7th Avenue created ugly and highly dangerous conditions for automobiles, bicyclists, and pedestrians, and has residents up in arms.
The redesign of the intersection at 7th and Williams was supposed to be a neighborhood friendly effort to make it more safe and pleasant for non-automobile traffic in one of Denver’s more pleasant areas near Cheesman Park. Instead, it’s become a Rube Goldberg contraption endangering bicyclists, automobiles, pedestrians, and even children.
Instead of admitting its errors, Denver’s Department of Transportation (DOTI) and the area’s City Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer have dug in their heels and refused to remedy a highly dangerous situation exposing how government seem to be no longer responsive to its citizenry.
The project was part of DOTI’s Neighborhood Bikeway program which was supposed to improve safety for people riding bikes on city streets. Instead, according to Kitty Koch, a 7th Avenue Historic District resident, “these measures are unnecessary, unsafe, and negatively impact the beauty, character, and integrity of this historic neighborhood.”
The Intersection
A confused motorist crosses 7th Avenue and Williams Street, heading West through a Do Not Enter sign, and endangers the woman with her baby on the right.
The intersection at 7th Avenue and Williams Street is an asymmetrical four way stop where the 7th Avenue Parkway median begins. Heading east on 7th Avenue, a traveler needed to simply to move over to the south side of the median. This was not deemed a problem until DOTI intervened. It constructed a kaleidoscope of colored signs, bike lane bollards (110 in this intersection alone), street markings, and caution bumps. Bicyclists, pedestrians, and automobiles are directed every which way, sometimes into oncoming traffic.
In just standing at the intersection for an hour this reporter observed over a dozen unintentional traffic violations. Bicyclists
are confused on where to go and pedestrians are unsure where to walk. When DOTI was alerted to the dangers, it refused to make any significant changes declaring in Orwellian fashion everything they did was in the name of “safety.” The minor changes that were made have made the situation worse.
The Strange Roundabouts
Strange Roundabouts: DOTI constructed three so-called “traffic calming” roundabouts on a narrow two-way street which fire trucks, garbage trucks, and other large vehicles have extreme difficulty navigating.
Heading east on 7th Avenue from the Country Club area there are a series of three strange roundabouts. Roundabouts were first designed in Europe to help with the flow of traffic but they require space to work. On 7th Avenue DOTI built three of them on a narrow two-way street as a “traffic calming” device. But garbage trucks, fire trucks, and other larger vehicles get stuck trying to get through the intersection. Resident Natalia Ballinger indicates that there have been at least four accidents at the 7th and Gilpin intersection within a span of six weeks. There is an informal moratorium on these types of roundabouts due to criticism from the Denver Fire Department but the 7th Avenue roundabouts remain.
The Rigged Meeting
The physical work on the project in April of this year came without the city informing the 7th Avenue Neighborhood Association of the project but notifying all other uninvolved neighborhood associations. The 7th Avenue area residents only learned about it belatedly from the Capital Hill United Neighbors Association. Residents do not believe that was simply an interferant mistake by DOTI.
“They didn’t say anything to the neighborhood about this,” said Rob Brown, a cyclist and a resident in the area. “This was something that was done to us and not with us. I think you would find everybody in the neighborhood is incredibly happy to promote safety in this corridor.” As more and more residents became upset, calls were placed to Amanda Sawyer, District 5 Councilwoman, to intercede on their behalf with DOTI which was ignoring all their complaints.
Concerned Citizens: Left to right, Rob Brown, Larry DiPasquale, and Kitty Koch are three of the many residents of the 7th Avenue Parkway area that are outraged at the actions of DOTI and District 5 Councilperson Amanda Sawyer.
On July 20, 2023, she finally responded and agreed to a neighborhood meeting but two hours before it was to occur Sawyer changed it to a webinar with a panel that included herself, Sawyer’s aides, and Nick Williams, the Deputy Manager of Internal and External Affairs, being the only ones who could talk. “They were the only ones able to speak,” said Koch. “Everyone else was a call in. It was clearly staged in my opinion because they did not accept our questions [50-60 questions].”
According to those involved, which included over 180 citizens, the calls were screened so that only the questions from a small number of people who were in favor of the project were allowed.
Recall Candidate: District 5 Councilperson Amanda Sawyer’s actions regarding 7th and Williams have so outraged residents that petitions are being drawn up and funds raised for her eventual recall.
Sawyer originally got into office as a neighborhood advocate against high density apartment projects in single family neighborhoods. She was a graduate of the scandal plagued Emerge Colorado program to get Democratic women elected. The group was dissolved by Emerge America under claims of fraudulent mismanagement. Sawyer became known in the city for her haughty and contemptuous attitude to the mayor’s staff and others she comes in contact with, and she even threatened to shut down road projects in the city over a dispute with a city employee.
After the rigged webinar meeting Sawyer stopped taking calls from individuals she deemed not approving of the 7th and Williams fiasco. Rob Brown indicates that he called her seven times and never received a return call. He noted: “The reason I am here now is because I am a cyclist. I know the city is trying to promote safety. I just don’t think they got it anywhere close to right.” He went on to note: “If they want to elevate the safety of this intersection, I think they need to go back to the drawing board. As a cyclist, I consider this intersection to be dangerous.”
Natalie Ballinger agrees: “We’re all thrilled to have a bikeway. This was such an opportunity for them [the City of Denver] to reach out to the people who live here to get their input and collaboration and to build community. It is almost a textbook example of how not to roll out a bikeway. “
Sign incorrectly labels the distances to the Congress Park and Cherry Creek neighborhoods.
Automobile about to illegally take a right on Williams Street from 7th Avenue. The motorist was required to somehow know that it had to go on the right of the bollards 100 yards back.
The Recall Momentum
Many activists in Sawyer’s District 5 do not intend to let the dangerous situation go unaddressed. Sawyer was re-elected in the spring election over Michael Hughes on a campaign of championing street safety. One activist noted: “We can’t recall until six months from the time she began her second term, but we are drawing up the petitions and raising money for the fight. We have had enough of this crooked politician and her intentional endangerment of our kids and others.”
Until Then
Until Sawyer can be recalled, DOTI most likely will not do anything to make the situation any better. Residents note that accidents will inevitably happen at 7th and Williams and the roundabout come winter. Some other wonder out loud what type of horrific accident will have to occur for city officials to act.