Go to: Candidate Q&A home page · Denver Post Voter Guide
Joe Meyer
Residence: Denver
Profession: Aerospace Engineer
Education: BS/MS Mechanical Engineering, CO School of Mines
Experience: Transit rider and RTD Citizens Advisory Committee member with technical problem-solving skills developed in a fast-paced world of prototype aircraft design and analysis
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Prioritize *reliability* combined with *convenience* to create highly usable transit along major corridors, in high-density or transit-dependent communities, and to/from regional destinations. Usable, convenient transit requires removing as much friction from the transit experience as possible: better real-time updates, easy-to-board vehicles, comfortable stops/stations, dedicated transit infrastructure that reduces delays and speeds up trips.
In addition, speed up decision making by investing more in pilot projects that quickly test out new ideas and technology before getting too deep into years-long studies. Most improvements start with one bus stop, one schedule tweak, one new vehicle, without waiting for system-wide solutions.
RTD is facing significant budget shortfalls, with varying calls for cuts to fixed-route service, fare increases and a ballot measure asking voters for a sales tax increase. What ideas do you support, and why?
I don’t believe RTD’s budget shortfall can be fixed with efficiency gains or cost cuts alone. The regional role RTD plays is too important to not invest in improving transit service – so above all I support a voter-referred ballot measure, and state legislative action, to create new revenue. I prefer a more creative solution (and more relevant to the problems transit solves) rather than another sales tax. Fares and service changes are likely necessary to consider for short-term financial improvements, but I would prioritize shortening routes and reducing stops as much as possible over reducing frequency or cutting routes entirely.
What concerns do you hear from RTD riders, and what would you do to address them?
I hear many concerns about how long transit takes. This causes many people to not see transit as a viable option, and imposes a severe time burden on those who depend on transit, limiting their opportunity. I’ll work with local governments to reduce the impact of traffic on transit (dedicated lanes, signal priority, in-lane boarding), and pursue stop spacing, route geometry, and scheduling optimizations within RTD. Safety and comfort for transit riders is another common concern, also requiring collaboration with local governments and re-focusing security efforts on upholding RTD’s code of conduct rather than narrowly focusing on fare payment enforcement.
