The document proposes that Denver should assume responsibility for sidewalk construction and maintenance by establishing a dedicated funding source. It recommends setting mode share goals for walking, biking and transit and allocating transportation funding proportionally. It also suggests incorporating sidewalks into road maintenance programs and tracking spending, inventory and usage of pedestrian facilities. The current policy places responsibility on property owners, but this does not address areas built without sidewalks and enforcement is minimal, leaving sidewalks inconsistent especially in low-income neighborhoods where pedestrian safety is most at risk.

1. Rethinking Denver
Sidewalk Policy
Assume responsibility
for sidewalk
construction and
maintenance, and
establish a dedicated
funding source for
this purpose.
Set mode share goals
for walking, biking
and transit, and strive
to allocate
transportation
funding across modes
in proportion to
these goals.
Incorporate
sidewalks into
routine roadway
maintenance
programs, including
assessment and
repair of existing
facilities.
Track spending on
sidewalks, maintain a
comprehensive
inventory of
pedestrian facilities,
and monitor usage of
these facilities.
To become a more walkable, healthier, happier, and more prosperous city, Denver should:
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
The City and County of Denver
places responsibility for sidewalk
construction and repair on private
property owners.
While this system works relatively
well for new or redevelopment
projects, it does not address large
portions of the City that were built
without adequate sidewalks.
Enforcement of the policy is
minimal, resulting in inconsistent
and deficient sidewalks
throughout the City, particularly
in low-income neighborhoods.
Poor pedestrian environments
disproportionately impact the
most vulnerable members of our
community. One-third of
Americans don’t — or can’t —
drive an automobile and need
transportation options. Low-
income neighborhoods are the
least likely to have sidewalks,
accessible pedestrian ramps,
street/sidewalk lighting, marked
crosswalks and traffic calming
measures. Low-income areas have
more than double the pedestrian
fatality rates of wealthier
communities.
Between 2008 and 2011, an
average of 350 pedestrian/motor
vehicle crashes were reported each
year in Denver, resulting in an
average of 232 pedestrian injuries
and nearly 7 pedestrian fatalities
each year.
The photos below illustrate typical
pedestrian conditions in low-
income Denver neighborhoods.
Residents of these neighborhoods
who need to walk to transit stops,
a grocery store, school or medical
clinics face unsafe conditions and
risk becoming a crash or fatality
statistic.

2. Other policies of note:
What are other cities doing?
WESTMINSTER, CO
FUNDING METHOD
Infrastructure fee
charged on resident's
utility bill to pay for
sidewalks and street
lighting.
HOW ESTABLISHED
2013 city ordinance
modified from 2007
ordinance to keep up
with increasing costs.
HOW MUCH
$6 fee included on
monthly utility bill.
CRITERIA FOR
REPAIR
Safety considerations
based on deterioration
caused by cracking,
heaving, excess water
filtration or standing or
frozen water.
NOTES
90% of 750 miles of
sidewalks in
Westminster are in
acceptable condition.
ENGLEWOOD, CO
FUNDING METHOD
Property owner opt-in
fee paid into a “concrete
utility fund.”
HOW ESTABLISHED
1997 city ordinance.
HOW MUCH
$0.123 per square foot of
concrete in the public
right-of-way charged to
each property owner’s
water bill.
CRITERIA FOR
REPAIR
Needed repairs are
rated 1-6, with 6 being a
critical need for repair
work.
NOTES
95% of homeowners
participate.
ANN ARBOR, MI
FUNDING METHOD
Five year mill levy.
HOW ESTABLISHED
Approved by voters in
2011.
HOW MUCH
⅛ mill.
CRITERIA FOR
REPAIR
The City is divided into
5 sections. Each year
repairs are made in
roughly 20% of the City.
City employees
proactively seek
sidewalk problems,
mark them, and hire
contractors to do the
repairs.
NOTES
Scheduled completion
of repairs expected in
2016. Funds from a
street millage also pay
for sidewalk cost
overages.
ITHACA, NY
FUNDING METHOD
Annual maintenance fee
charged to residents
based on lot type. Lot
type is determined by
the amount of foot
traffic.
HOW ESTABLISHED
2013 city ordinance
subject to permissive
referendum.
HOW MUCH
$70 annually for low
foot-traffic lots. Other
lots pay a $140
maintenance fee plus
$0.015 per square foot of
buildings on the lot, and
$30 per 55 feet of lot
frontage.
CRITERIA FOR
REPAIR
Five Sidewalk
Improvement Districts
were established. City
Council will approve
funding as part of
budget for each district.
LAKEWOOD, CO
The City includes sidewalks in its annual
maintenance budget, reviews all public right-of-way
facilities and makes needed repairs.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA
The City’s comprehensive plan commits to “strive to
allocate transportation funding across various modes
approximately proportional to the modal split
objectives for 2035.” The 2035 objective is to achieve
12% of resident trips by transit, 20% by bike, and
18% by walking and other non-single-occupant-
vehicle modes.
A possible sidewalk
funding method for
Denver
In 2002, Denver Public
Works developed a proposal
for funding sidewalk
construction and
maintenance through a
property fee of $1 per linear foot of street frontage
sidewalk. This is based on a 50 year lifecycle for the
improvements.
Updated 2015 estimated costs are $1.25 per linear
foot per year, with a replacement rate of 2% or 1.72
million square feet of sidewalk per year.
Collect $1.25
per linear foot
per year from
homeowners to
fund sidewalk
maintenance.