Disband the RTD board
In the Denver Metro, public transportation could cut traffic congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions — if only more people would ride buses and trains. But when an elected board of directors started running the Regional Transportation District in 1984, its members were given harmful incentives. They can’t stop themselves from making terrible decisions, which have caused ridership to plunge and led RTD into a crisis, one that began well before the COVID- 19 pandemic slashed daily boardings by 58%.
In January, Gov. Jared Polis told The Denver Post that solving the Denver Metro’s commuting problems is of “too much importance … to let ( RTD) wither and spiral down,” adding: “The state needs to take an interest.”
Suppose Polis and members of the legislature are serious about helping RTD. They must recognize that the agency’s troubles demonstrate why elected boards are rare among transit agencies. They must dissolve the elected board. And they must return RTD to what its founders intended: A board appointed by elected officials.
“It started out as an appointed board, and I think that would be best today,” says Roger Walton,
RTD’s seventh employee and its first director of public affairs. “It was a far more effective system.”
RTD’s current board members are dedicated and hardworking. But they were set up to fail. In the 1980s, state legislators who opposed RTD pushed the ballot initiative that created the elected board, says Walton. Those legislators did not intend to help the agency, and a range of problems followed.
First, RTD’s board members are elected but accountable to virtually no one. Few voters ride transit, giving them little reason to make careful choices when they mark their ballots.
Each board member represents a geographic district, which gives disproportionate power to board members from suburban and rural communities where transit makes little sense. They are motivated to bring service to their districts, even if it will never attract many riders. With limited funding, RTD must then de- prioritize service in denser places where people are most likely to use transit.
The board worsened other problems that shrink ridership, too. RTD now charges some of the highest fares in the nation.
Its drivers quit in such high numbers that service became unreliable. And building a new rail network gave rise to a nearly unmanageable heap of debt. By 2018, even after the region’s population increased substantially, RTD provided 6 million fewer trips than in 2014.
Finally, RTD’s elected board lacks the expertise needed to get people where they want to go. For example, in 2017, the agency opened its R light rail line with a stop intended to serve the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. Originally, RTD wanted to place the station at the heart of the complex. But it was shunted off- campus after the University of Colorado argued that trains might disturb sensitive equipment.
The excuse is laughable. Many of the world’s best hospitals and research institutions share their names with rail stations located immediately below or next to them. But not in Aurora, where the Fitzsimons Station requires riders to transfer to a shuttle or face a nearly 20- minute walk to the hospital’s main entrance. It’s such a hassle that driving remains the best option for many. RTD’s board should have pushed back, but how could they have known? They are not required to have any relevant expertise or knowledge.
I’ve laid out why the elected board does not work. Now, the governor and legislature must create a new one to fix it. State and local elected officials should appoint its members — and hold them accountable. The new
board also must be competent, inclusive and avoid the pitfalls of the current system.
For example, I propose designating more than half its seats to represent RTD’s entire service area. With these at- large members in the majority, the board will finally put what’s best for the region ahead of individual members’ interests.
The legislature should set a minimum number of members to represent equity, minority and disabled communities. A handful should bring expertise around transportation, urban planning or finance. And most importantly, all board members must ride RTD. As Andy Furillo of Mobility Lab wrote, “If you’re a transit official and don’t want to ride the system you oversee, get out of the industry.”
Earlier this year, the governor and General Assembly formed an oversight committee to fix RTD. Walton says the legislature has created similar committees before, but they never helped. “I think there have been at least eight or 10, and I would challenge anybody to tell me what any of them did.”
Now is the time for Gov. Polis and state legislators to stop repeating past mistakes and finally take meaningful action. It’s time to install an appointed board.