Street murals enhance ‘pedestrian buffers’ along Santa Fe Drive
DENVER— Don’t call them bike lanes.
The Arts District on Santa Fe is getting a makeover to improve the pedestrian experience along its narrow sidewalks that are in places obstructed by gas-meters, light posts, and other barriers to walking.
A streetscape redesign, multiple years in the making, has removed a lane of vehicle traffic and added “pedestrian buffers” in the extra space, creating about six-extra-feet along the existing sidewalks on both sides of the road.
The buffers look a little like the city’s increasing collection of protected bike lanes, defined with lightweight vertical bollards, but these are protected people lanes.
Throughout November, three local artists are giving the spaces a welcoming touch with street murals that invite walkers to slow down, step off the sidewalk... and take a selfie.
Is going to be a gorgeous Saturday. Be sure to stop by the 3D murals on Santa Fe Dr!@artindenver #denver #thingstodo #StreetArt pic.twitter.com/VolA7gTRwd
— Gaby Serrado (@PlannerGaby) November 6, 2020
Heather Burke, spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), said the city has been collaborating with residents in the area and the Santa Fe Business Improvement District for several years to plan improvements for the road.
“We collaborated with the community to not only enhance the experience for people that walk that section of the corridor, but also enhance the uniqueness of the corridor,” Burke said. “We have the artists out there right now trying to help us make the pedestrian space more inviting while keeping true to the history of that Arts District.”
The pedestrian buffers are part of the larger Santa Fe Streetscape Improvements project that aims to improve safety and the overall pedestrian experience in the Santa Fe Arts District between 6th Avenue and Colfax.
Burke said that the project's pedestrian-focus reflects the overarching goals of Denver’s Vision Zero initiative, announced by Mayor Hancock in 2017.
“Through our Vision Zero program we’re creating safer streets, because safer streets can save lives,” Burke said. “Pedestrians are our most vulnerable users on the roadway, so we’re trying to implement more projects that can help them have safer travels.”
The Santa Fe improvements were recommended in a study (pdf) that found people walking or biking were involved in 51% of crashes involving injuries in the corridor between 2014 and 2018.
Safety treatments being implemented along the corridor from 6th to Colfax Avenues include:
- Reconfiguring Santa Fe from three travel lanes to two to calm traffic and reduce vehicle speeds; the reconfiguration will center the vehicle travel lanes and add a five-foot buffer between the on-street parking spaces and existing sidewalk to provide people with more space and comfort to walk.
- Using bollards and paint at intersections to shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians
- New signage to dedicate left turn lanes at the intersections of 6th, 7th, 8th, and 11th Avenues to accommodate traffic flow
- Adding two “parklets” adjacent to the sidewalk to provide a place for people to sit and gather
- New bike racks to provide people on bikes/scooters dedicated places to park and reduce conflicts with pedestrians on the sidewalk
- Realigning bus stops for better placement and spacing to make bus travel more efficient
- More seating, planters, and lighting enhancements to improve pedestrian visibility, safety and comfort
Burke said that the artwork and additional streetscape features should be complete by the end of November, or into December, depending on the weather.
Denver artist Bimmer Torres was rolling his first layers of blue and purple paint onto the road when we visited the project, creating a gradient background for layers of cultural tapestries he planned to add next.
Along with Torres, artists Jennifer Chaparro and Alexi High are working on their own sections, with street murals at the intersections of 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 12th Avenues.