Striking Regional Transportation District employees are voting today on a contract proposal that, if accepted, would end the work stoppage by members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001 that began last Monday.
If nothing else, crippling RTD even for a few days underscored the increasing importance of mass transit in a city that worships the automobile. A four-week RTD strike in 1982 had relatively little impact. But this strike came at a time when a third of the downtown Denver workforce now normally takes the bus or light rail.
The disruption was much less than similar strikes cause in transit-dependent cities like New York. But commuters forced back into their cars still jammed Denver streets – and sent downtown parking lot rates soaring. The loss of light-rail service and special bus routes also complicated opening day for the Colorado Rockies and made it harder for Avs and Nuggets fans to get to Pepsi Center.
The Denver Regional Council of Governments helped ease the squeeze with its carpool program that uses a computer to match people who live and work in the same general area. The program can be reached on the Web at www.ridearrangers.org or by calling 303-458-POOL (7665).
As inconvenient as this strike made things, the impact would have been much worse if the now-building $4.7 billion FasTracks rapid transit project had been completed. FasTracks will add about 119 miles of light rail and commuter rail to the region, as well as expanded bus services.
Overall, expanding rapid transit is a very good thing for our economy and environment. But as the region becomes more dependent on transit, RTD should consider running some of the new rail lines with private contractors so the whole system might not be shut down in a future strike.
For now, we’ll settle for congratulating federal mediator Christel Jorgensen, who helped negotiators forge the new agreement that workers will weigh today.
If union members approve the deal, RTD buses and light rail will resume normal service Monday. That would be welcome news for commuters as well as the region’s long-term efforts to reduce its dependence on one-car, one-rider commuting.
It’s a truism that nobody wins a strike, especially a long one. Whatever the details of this new pact, it’s far better than a long-term loss of RTD ridership.
