Fastracks

Denver Transit Plan Touted as Nat'l Model
By JON SARCHE, Associated Press
DENVER - FasTracks, a 12-year plan to expand bus service and add 119 miles of rail lines, has been called extraordinary not because of its scope, but because voters in a car-worshipping red state approved a $4.7 billion tax increase to pay for it.
"It's not going to get any better as the metro area grows," says Richard Feuerborn, who has taken a bus from the suburbs to his downtown Denver job for seven years. "We have a window of opportunity here to help."
The proposal is already being viewed as an example of how to boost mass transit around the nation. Despite opposition from the governor, nearly 58 percent of voters in Denver and six surrounding counties last fall accepted the argument that their investment would pay off with reduced congestion.
In fact, ballot initiatives nationwide proposing public spending on mass transit fared well last year, with voters approving 42 of 53 proposals worth some $55 billion, according to the Washington-based Center for Transportation Excellence.
One of the keys was showing residents exactly what was going to be built and when, and that the light rail lines in the Denver area had become so popular that parking was hard to find.
"Opponents were totally disconnected as to what's happening in the region," Berry said. "There is no magic bullet any more to congestion and growth. You have to have a combination of things. You have to have enhanced roads but you also have to have transit."
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