16th Street Mall Market (Denver, Center: buying, casinos, closing)

[RonAriba]

What happened to the Marketplace kiosks at the 16th Street Mall? They are all vacant.

Speaking of the 16th Street Mall why is it so difficult for RDT to space the shuttle timing . Why is it that 3 shuttles go down the Mall bumper to bumper with the next shuttle 10 minutes away? Why can't the drivers use a little common sense about spacing. Where are the managers. Also, how hard is it for RDT to remove the Drop Off Area and other signs from the Market Street Station? How about the booth that has not been used for years. The Market Street Station has been closed for months, time to clean it up.

On the positive side among others: The Garden Block by Denver Botanic Garden and Skyline Park.

[robertgoodman]

Originally Posted by RonAriba

What happened to the Marketplace kiosks at the 16th Street Mall? They are all vacant.

Speaking of the 16th Street Mall why is it so difficult for RDT to space the shuttle timing . Why is it that 3 shuttles go down the Mall bumper to bumper with the next shuttle 10 minutes away? Why can't the drivers use a little common sense about spacing. Where are the managers. Also, how hard is it for RDT to remove the Drop Off Area and other signs from the Market Street Station? How about the booth that has not been used for years. The Market Street Station has been closed for months, time to clean it up.

On the positive side among others: The Garden Block by Denver Botanic Garden and Skyline Park.

The kiosks were all selling low margin tourist ticky tacky stuff that no one could really make money off of. It wasn't a well executed plan.

Bus bunching is a major problem for all transit agencies. There's several factors involved on 16th and all of the cheap mitigation options -and some expensive ones- have been explored or tried by RTD and the DDP.

Market St Station is in a weird state of limbo right now. RTD doesn't own Market St station and hasn't for several months. Denver bought Market St from RTD and a developer has an option to purchase the property which they haven't exercised yet. In the interim Denver has a few temporary plans for Market St that they haven't executed yet, and I anticipate some things such as sign removal will occur when Denver does that (but not the full cleanup that is needed and will be done when a developer takes over).

[cowboyxjon]

I don't have the answers to your questions, though I've been curious about the signage at Market St Station as well. Doesn't seem like it would be a huge level of effort to take down some of the signage that is now out of date because of the opening of Union Station.

Another thing that I can't stand about RTD -- WHY oh WHY are they now using an awful computer robot voice to announce stops on the Mall Ride? What was wrong with the previous voice that was actually a human being reading the stops? It just seems like a step backward. Yes, this is nitpicky, but I've noticed the change and I don't like it.

[RonAriba]

Originally Posted by robertgoodman

Bus bunching is a major problem for all transit agencies. There's several factors involved on 16th and all of the cheap mitigation options -and some expensive ones- have been explored or tried by RTD and the DDP.

How about buying each shuttle bus driver a simple digital watch ($12.95) and telling them to depart any stop 3 minutes after the last bus departed. A no brainer. Why do they follow a bus all the way down the mall. It might take some common sense. What am I missing, it seems like a cheap option?

I could be wrong but I venture to say that all RDT buses have Global Positioning capability. Why not use it?

Does RTD even know or used the bump system?

On an other note what happened to the new shuttle busses. I see very few of them. Could it be the lack of seating? They are/where a big mistake.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by RonAriba

What happened to the Marketplace kiosks at the 16th Street Mall? They are all vacant.

Speaking of the 16th Street Mall why is it so difficult for RDT to space the shuttle timing . Why is it that 3 shuttles go down the Mall bumper to bumper with the next shuttle 10 minutes away? Why can't the drivers use a little common sense about spacing.

Usually it's because of idiots who keep diving through the doors even after they are closing and there is another bus pulling up right behind. It's the, if I have to wait, everybody is gong to wait attitude.

[cowboyxjon]

Originally Posted by RonAriba

On an other note what happened to the new shuttle busses. I see very few of them. Could it be the lack of seating? They are/where a big mistake.

Yeah, I hate those, too. As a rider who rides the MallRide every day to and from Civic Center Station to my office in LoDo, I avoid them. Terrible layout.

[sammy87]

16th Mall sucks, there is nothing there that isn't at any other mall and it's a bunch of chain restaurants. Not worth traveling to if you don't live downtown and you live in a burb.

Not too mention all the bums.

[Techn0lady]

Originally Posted by sammy87

16th Mall sucks, there is nothing there that isn't at any other mall and it's a bunch of chain restaurants. Not worth traveling to if you don't live downtown and you live in a burb.

Not too mention all the bums.

All I can say is, coming from a city who's downtown area consists primarily (exclusively??) of casinos, meth-heads and alcoholics, I absolutely LOVED my visit to the 16th st mall. I loved the wonderful cafe's there, the nightlife (jaz and comedy clubs) in some parts and as for the "bums" - I saw several homeless looking types who were playing the most wonderful piano pieces on the free pianos that were scattered about - simply amazing!

I found it walkable, safe and lots of things to see and do. I've lived in a LOT of cities and Denver has one of the nicest downtown areas I've seen.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by Techn0lady

All I can say is, coming from a city who's downtown area consists primarily (exclusively??) of casinos, meth-heads and alcoholics, I absolutely LOVED my visit to the 16th st mall. I loved the wonderful cafe's there, the nightlife (jaz and comedy clubs) in some parts and as for the "bums" - I saw several homeless looking types who were playing the most wonderful piano pieces on the free pianos that were scattered about - simply amazing!

I found it walkable, safe and lots of things to see and do. I've lived in a LOT of cities and Denver has one of the nicest downtown areas I've seen.

^^^^^^^ Yes, the 16th St. Mall is world class.


Breath in Music: The Beat of Downtown Denver - YouTube

[Snikt]

16th street is relatively unimportant unless there is a parade or festival going on. Mostly a bum hangout.

Much better/nicer walk-able shop areas around the metro without getting hasseled