{"id":496,"date":"2026-05-11T14:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T14:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496"},"modified":"2026-05-11T14:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T14:05:07","slug":"oped-stop-calling-the-legislatures-rtd-scheme-transit-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496","title":{"rendered":"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

I still have my first bus pass. It\u2019s on my wall, a symbol of the independence and freedom RTD gave me as a kid. I can close my eyes and trace the blue-and-white schedule pamphlets for the 38, 76, 44 and the D\/C Line on the backs of my eyelids. I remember when RTD was the lifeblood of the region \u2013 you could live your life without a car. Now, most folks don\u2019t believe that\u2019s possible. But it was real. And it was here.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a lifelong RTD rider. I\u2019ve served on the RTD Advisory Board for Disabilities. I ran to represent Aurora on the RTD Board of Commissioners. I\u2019ve organized as a disability and transit advocate. When the proto-version of Senate Bill 26-150 (Modernizing RTD), went through the legislature in 2024 and failed, I presented the case against it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So yeah, at the risk of sounding self-important: My voice, and the voices of people like me, should have been included in any serious conversation about RTD reform.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We weren\u2019t included in the conversation about SB-26-150, which passed this week. Why?\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Transit organizers and advocates opposed this bill. The City of Aurora and the City of Denver opposed this bill. Local officials familiar with RTD-style elections opposed it. They all raised concerns about SB26-150: reduced representation, increased risk of service cuts, and harm to the communities that rely on RTD.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They were ignored. Why? Because this bill isn\u2019t about us, local elections, or even transit. It\u2019s about advancing a political farce designed to empower the same people who are approving it \u2014 not the people who rely on transit. Any transit rider can tell you: RTD is circling the drain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u2019re facing a massive budget gap and 20-30% service loss. That means fewer buses, longer waits, routes disappearing entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most people couldn\u2019t tell you who sits on the RTD board, and that\u2019s not an accident. Transit has been treated like an afterthought for years. People are pushed away from using public transit, and the people who rely on it have almost no platform to push back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lawmakers could change that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They could invest in transit. Promote it. Make it accessible. Prioritize it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead, they\u2019ve pushed a bill that changes who gets to decide who gets to decide\u2026 but not what gets done. The sponsors of this bill will tell you, \u201cI don\u2019t know how to fix RTD, but at least I did something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething\u201d is a silly little dance that lawmakers do to check a box on a campaign mailer and move on when they don\u2019t want to do anything real or substantial. This dance performance is quietly locking people like me and you out of the conversation. It gives politicians more patronage jobs to dole out to their friends. This bill makes it harder for regular people to have any say in public transit. Bigger districts. More expensive campaigns. More power handed to appointments. If you depend on transit, you can\u2019t reasonably run for RTD now. The remaining elected seats will go to whoever can afford to run large-scale campaigns. The appointed seats will go to whoever is willing to stay in favor with the very same Senators that are giving themselves the power to appoint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They call it \u201cmodernization\u201d. I call it rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. It is distraction at best; consolidation of power in a Senatorial patronage game at worst.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead of stopping the collapse of RTD, lawmakers are fiddling with titles and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 lines for their loyalists. While the people with the power for actualreform are distracting you with appointment fluff, they are letting the system fall apart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lawmakers could:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Invest in reliable, frequent service people can depend on\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Create real accountability for how transit funding is spent\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf End or restructure failing public-private partnerships\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Expand routes to match where people actually live, work, and play\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Remove unnecessary fare barriers to increase ridership\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Actually promote transit; use public platforms to encourage people to ride\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Invest in staff, maintenance, and rider experience so the system feels usable and reliable\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Make RTD elections more accessible and visible, not hidden behind appointments\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Empower the board with the authority and expectationto deliver results\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Land use reform to prevent developer sprawl into districts too large for transit\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u25cf Prevent the 20% service cuts\u00a0<\/p>\n

None of that is in this bill. This bill doesn\u2019t \u201cmodernize\u201d transit. It doesn\u2019t improve service. It doesn\u2019t build trust. It just gives people already in power even more power \u2013 while disempowering anyone who challenges them, including transit users.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aly DeWills-Marcano is an Aurora resident and a former representative on RTD\u2019s Advisory Board for Disabilities.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Micro\u2019 nuclear power generator, wildfire resources focus of annual Buckley Space Force review<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Bennet, Weiser clash on experience, leadership in 1st televised debate<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Cyberattack hits Canvas system used by Cherry Creek, thousands of US schools<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I still have my first bus pass. It\u2019s on my wall, a symbol of the independence and freedom RTD gave me as a kid. I can close my eyes and trace the blue-and-white schedule pamphlets for the 38, 76, 44 and the D\/C Line on the backs of my eyelids. I remember when RTD was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[652,21,653,24,654,655],"class_list":["post-496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-aly-dewills-marcano","tag-city-of-aurora","tag-lawmakers","tag-rtd","tag-senate-bill-26-150","tag-transit-organizers"],"yoast_head":"\nOPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019 - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019 - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I still have my first bus pass. It\u2019s on my wall, a symbol of the independence and freedom RTD gave me as a kid. I can close my eyes and trace the blue-and-white schedule pamphlets for the 38, 76, 44 and the D\/C Line on the backs of my eyelids. I remember when RTD was […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-11T14:05:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"856\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b\"},\"headline\":\"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-11T14:05:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496\"},\"wordCount\":835,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Aly DeWills-Marcano\",\"city of aurora\",\"lawmakers\",\"RTD\",\"Senate Bill 26-150\",\"Transit organizers\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496\",\"name\":\"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019 - Denver Moving Chronicle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-11T14:05:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":856,\"caption\":\"Tom Tobiassen waits for the 15 bus to come to a stop Jan. 10 in Aurora. The 10-mile strip of Colfax Avenue from the Auraria Campus in Denver to the Anschutz Medical Center in Aurora has the highest bus ridership of all of Regional Transportation District routes, according to RTD. (Marla R. Keown\\\/Aurora Sentinel)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=496#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Denver Moving Chronicle\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019 - Denver Moving Chronicle","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019 - Denver Moving Chronicle","og_description":"I still have my first bus pass. It\u2019s on my wall, a symbol of the independence and freedom RTD gave me as a kid. I can close my eyes and trace the blue-and-white schedule pamphlets for the 38, 76, 44 and the D\/C Line on the backs of my eyelids. I remember when RTD was […]","og_url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496","og_site_name":"Denver Moving Chronicle","article_published_time":"2026-05-11T14:05:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":856,"url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b"},"headline":"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019","datePublished":"2026-05-11T14:05:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496"},"wordCount":835,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg","keywords":["Aly DeWills-Marcano","city of aurora","lawmakers","RTD","Senate Bill 26-150","Transit organizers"],"articleSection":["Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496","url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496","name":"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019 - Denver Moving Chronicle","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-05-11T14:05:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8b45d26f50e065245767e0c0585f212a.jpeg","width":1280,"height":856,"caption":"Tom Tobiassen waits for the 15 bus to come to a stop Jan. 10 in Aurora. The 10-mile strip of Colfax Avenue from the Auraria Campus in Denver to the Anschutz Medical Center in Aurora has the highest bus ridership of all of Regional Transportation District routes, according to RTD. (Marla R. Keown\/Aurora Sentinel)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=496#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"OPED: \u00a0Stop calling the Legislature\u2019s RTD scheme \u2018transit reform\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/","name":"Denver Moving Chronicle","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com"],"url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}