There will be a mismatch between the legislature’s agenda and its calendar during the 2021 session. Interim committees are scheduled to submit final reports shortly, yet legislative work has been postponed until mid-February in hopes COVID-19 infections will be in retreat. Policy recommendations requiring legislative action will lay exposed for nearly six weeks during which lobbyists will enjoy an unhindered opportunity to torpedo them. Legislative sponsors are likely to keep proposal specifics under wraps – particularly for hot button issues like a public option.

The RTD Accountability Committee reports back later in January. Largely unbeknownst to the general public, three sub-committees have been conducting Zoom meetings throughout the fall. Focusing on finance, governance, and administration, they will submit a joint report of their findings without ever attempting to solicit public and rider input. This is more than a weakness, it’s a blunder. No government service generates more strident opinions than transportation. The current silence should not be interpreted as a lack of interest. Thousands are poised to pounce at the first glimpse of blinkered stupidity.

While I have failed to monitor every meeting, I’ve seen enough to doubt the eventual work product will address: (1) current financial dilemmas resulting from the pandemic, (2) a long view of the role transit investment has and will continue to play in nurturing economic strength along the Front Range, or (3) the ethical obligation to offer quality transit service across the region. An indicator of how these sub-committees have tackled their assignments is the fact that most presentations have been prepared by consultants, other transit systems (also in trouble) and anointed transportation gurus. To its credit RTD has consistently attended these deliberations, but the mystique of the “expert from afar” has generally replaced local knowledge and local experience.

The governance sub-committee has failed to evidence any interest in grasping the history of RTD’s evolution from an appointed to an elected Board – or the failures of the former and the significant successes of the latter. Neither has it adopted a holistic view of a region where each board member represents voters and taxpayers who contribute roughly equal revenues to the operation of the system. It is erroneously viewed as parochial when board members demand reliable access to public transit. RTD cannot serve primarily as a commuter only system, serving the commercial interests of downtown Denver. This bias was the fatal mistake made by the appointed board.

Nonetheless, the governance accountability sub-committee repeatedly revisits its preference for a smaller, non-elected assembly of technocrats. Unanswered questions include: Who would appoint these experts, whom would they report to and, more to the point, to whom would they be accountable? There have been worthwhile discussions supporting a more robust inter-jurisdictional transportation planning process that encompasses municipalities, counties and RTD. The formation of district or regional advisory planning committees deserves consideration. These would prove particularly valuable as the chances for a Front Range Rail Service as well as an I-70 Advanced Guideway System will improve in a Biden administration. Coordination of these projects could resolve the Boulder to Denver rail connection originally promised in FasTracks.

The finance sub-committee has sought a better understanding of how RTD has spent its revenues in the past, examined the budget catastrophe precipitated by the pandemic and confirmed the appropriate use of federal funds available through the CARES Act. This has all proven relatively straightforward and discovered what was already known  – RTD is a well-run organization. It now faces serious challenges funding the build-out and completion of transit lines promised voters nearly 20 years ago. There will be a temptation to simply postpone these investments together with slashing operating budgets. Recognizing remaining regular riders are nearly all essential workers, Greg Marsden at Leeds University warns, “If we get this wrong, then it’s very hard to bring public transport services back once they’ve disappeared.”

The administration sub-committee will suggest the most practical changes aimed at improving public understanding. They’ve been considering a streamlining of RTD’s hodge-podge array of fare passes. Most were introduced in response to pressure from various constituencies, including seniors, homeless advocates, low income families, students, employers and more. Consequently, they were never coordinated into a comprehensive structure and often leave purchasers confused. Neither, I might add, are the fare options displayed on ticket machines serving the Air Train intuitive. Legislative tinkering with service privatization mandates also seems in order and model bills have been drafted that would implement needed changes.

Legislative motives are always obscure, but the impetus for creation of an RTD Accountability Committee was at least, in part, a fear the agency might soon be knocking on the doors at the Capitol requesting inclusion in a comprehensive transportation funding package. Indeed, they may well arrive carrying a beggar’s bowl but, dollar-for-dollar, rumps in seats are always cheaper than additional asphalt.