What impressed me most was the free bus system that matched the overall atmosphere here. In the Denver Information Service Center at the junction of Sixteenth Street and California Avenue, Mr. Tom proudly said in an interview: The free bus service in Denver is the only one that has been successfully maintained in the United States today. It has a history of 365,438+0 years. At first, some cities near Denver imitated Denver's practice, but in the end they failed to persist. According to the reporter's observation, there are urban bus interchange stations at both ends of Sixteenth Street. People in the block between the two stations take free buses to and from the block, and other vehicles are prohibited from entering the block. It is understood that the free bus service takes less than 2 minutes every day from 6 am to midnight, 7 days a week, with an average of more than 40,000 passengers per day, which only reduces the traffic congestion in the city center by 50% and reduces the degree of air pollution.
According to Mr. Tom of Denver Information Service Center, the current operation mode officially started from 1982, and it has also experienced a period of development and evolution. It turns out that after the 1960s, with the further development of urbanization, the suburbs have increasingly become a new living area that people yearn for, and the city center has gradually been hollowed out. Due to the rapid development of large-scale park-style shopping centers in the suburbs, parking difficulties, traffic jams, pollution and other problems in downtown areas have become increasingly serious. The urban environment around Sixteenth Street, which has been prosperous for a long time in history, has begun to deteriorate and commercial activities have dropped significantly. Therefore, people began to discuss how to attract people to the traditional business district for business and cultural entertainment consumption on the premise of solving urban traffic congestion, so as to maintain the inner vitality of the old city. The Sixteenth Street Business Circle, including free public transportation, was built under this background.
The 16th Street business district 30 years ago was very different from today in both appearance and people's feeling. Thirty years ago, Sixteenth Street was open to ordinary vehicles, and the streetscape and traffic congestion were no different from other streets, so traffic jams were commonplace. It took at least 30 minutes to walk a mile, which was extremely unsuitable for pedestrians to gather and inconvenient for roadside dining and shopping. 197 1 year, with the assistance of the planning bureau of the municipal government, the downtown committee of Denver began to propose a plan to promote the CBD. They drew lessons from the relevant suggestions put forward by the American Architectural Association in 1963, and based on this, they built a commercial pedestrian street in the section nearly two kilometers of Sixteenth Street. This scheme was seriously discussed in 1976. It is this concept that makes this area develop into a unique landscape in the future. At present, the traffic system of 16 street and the commercial circle of pedestrian street started construction in March 1980, and officially opened after its completion in June 1982. Later, there were 1992 and 200 1 year scale expansion. After the completion of the related construction around 16 Street, under the guidance of the overall urban renewal and development plan of the municipal government, many businesses in the city center reopened and the vitality of the city center reappeared day by day. Since then, 16 Street Business District and its highly respected free bus system have become the most famous scenic spots in Greater Denver. Every year, thousands of pedestrians and tourists are connected with local commerce, culture and art through this transportation system.
In terms of management mode, the operation mechanism is jointly implemented by Denver Partner Organization (DDP), Denver Business Promotion Association (BID) and Denver Regional Transportation Bureau (RTD) with the encouragement of Denver Municipal Government. Specifically, the free bus is operated by the Denver Regional Transportation Bureau, and it is also responsible for the maintenance of roads along the route, so the regional transportation bureau needs to spend 6.5438+million dollars every year. Bill James, Director of Regional Transportation Bureau (RTD), said, "RTD is proud to keep the business district of16th Street alive by providing transportation capacity. RTD will continue to cooperate with relevant partners to raise funds and maintain this service system, and look forward to greater success in the next 30 years. "
Other routine maintenance, including 16 street cleaning, garbage disposal, snow sweeping in winter, flowers and trees, outdoor furniture care, etc., was initially undertaken by the commercial management department, and was handed over by 1992 to "Denver Business Promotion Association". Now the Urban Business Promotion Association spends $2 million a year to maintain it.
Neighborhood committees jointly organized by more than 800 businesses around 16 Street are also playing an important role. This is an organization jointly established by business leaders, private professionals, representatives of public opinion and other public and private sectors in the city center, aiming at promoting the renewal and development of the city center and jointly managing and maintaining the neighborhood. Everyone is willing to share the necessary expenses, because doing so can bring direct benefits to his company. At the annual very compact annual meeting, representatives of participating organizations, elected officials and other municipal officials get together to discuss how to keep the city center alive all the time. During the meeting, everyone summed up the achievements made in the previous year and announced the construction projects and plans that need to be continued in the next year.
Talking about the Sixteen Streets model in Denver, Michael B. Hancock, Mayor of Denver, pointed out: "Thirty years ago, the development of downtown Denver was in a new transformation stage. We witnessed that turning point, and it was from then on that we entered a dynamic business revitalization era that did not appear in Denver's early history, and we are still proud of it today. " In view of this, Mr. Tom told reporters with great certainty that this model has been very successful so far. Even in the face of the financial crisis, he managed to maintain free public transportation, and there is no sign of charging in the future. This model has been recognized by the Denver municipal government, businesses, citizens and tourists, and everyone has benefited from it. Therefore, it will only be continuously improved in the future and will not be easily cancelled.