Denver Post 1987/1989?

PHOTO by Denver Post's Duane Howell: A man [Greg Buchanan] in a motorized wheelchair is being wheeled up a very steep ramp into a van. A uniformed policeman is pushing him up, and another man is standing behind them. Greg has a sign taped across his legs and on the side of his chair is a bumper sticker that reads "S.T.E.P.S. spells discrimination."
Caption reads: ACCESS PROTEST: Police Capt. R.H. Kaspersen carts away Greg Buchanan, one of 26 wheelchair-bound protesters arrested Monday outside the entrance of the Radisson Hotel.


RTD move to privatize bus routes praised: Transportation leader says city a step ahead.

By Terry Kilewer
Denver Post Stafl Writer

Denver’s Regional Transportation District, which is contracting 20 percent of its service to private operators, may be a step ahead of other public transit systems with dwindling public money, delegates to a transit symposium were told Monday.

Alfred DelliBovi, outgoing head of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, praised Denver’s move to the forefront of privatization
-- a trend toward government disengagement from transit that is catching on nationwide.

RTD expects to save millions in future operating costs by farming out some bus routes to private companies, state Sen. Terry Considine, R-Cherry Hills Village, told an audience of 800 at the opening session of the two-day conference.

Considine sponsored a bill last year to privatize a fifth of RTD's service. Now he wants to go even further by redirecting RTD tax revenues toward other transportation needs, notably a Denver encircling beltway.

He said it’s time to reevaluate public transit, which is “21 times the tax cost per passenger-trip taken by private automobile." And he charged Gov Roy Romer with failing to “tackle the tough decisions that need to be made“ in state transportation legislation.

A transit-and-highways bill Romer favored and Considine opposed died in the legislature last week.

Romer disputed the senator's claims in remarks to the conference. Later, in an interview he said Considine is "out in left field" and out of step with his own political leadership on transportation issues.

I agree you‘ve got to take advantage of all the savings you can. You've got to innovate with RTD; I signed (Considine’s) privatization bill last year. But more privatization won't take care of our highway problems."

Considine and DelliBovi seemed in-step on privatization; though. The UMTA boss said the key to emerging federal policy in the public arena is "dwindling resources."

During DelliBovi's two-year tenure at UMTA, the agency maintained the Reagan administration's bent toward frugal funding for transit construction and operations.

Created on

Thursday 11 July 2013

Posted on

Tuesday 10 May 2016

Tags

arrests, DelliBovi, Governor Roy Romer, Greg Buchanan, privatization, RTD, UMTA - Urban Mass Transit Admin.

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