Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Car-Free Streets

Live from Denver: Two Streetfilms, Two Great Ideas, One Leading City

Slow ’em down!

Traffic calming isn't only for squares.

During his weeklong sojourn to the NACTO conference in Denver earlier this month, Streetfilms auteur Clarence Eckerson Jr. got to see the next generation in traffic circles — a design with a rotary so big that car drivers have to slow down. Check out the film below:

Here's the intersection now, thanks to the massive radial speed reducer:

After: This SUV has to slow down to 5 miles per hour — a perfect example of how design can reduce roadway dangers for pedestrians and cyclists. Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.
After: This SUV has to slow down to 5 miles per hour — a perfect example of how design can reduce roadway dangers for pedestrians and cyclists. Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.
After: This SUV has to slow down to 5 miles per hour — a perfect example of how design can reduce roadway dangers for pedestrians and cyclists. Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Here's what it looked like before:

Before: A wide-open speeding zone. Photo: Google
Before: A wide-open speeding zone. Photo: Google
Before: A wide-open speeding zone. Photo: Google

Some locals complained in the North Denver Star that the circles still give too much priority to car drivers, but the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure maintains that the slower speeds will improve safety.

Eckerson was also on hand to christen the first of four ¡Viva Streets! — Denver's version of a cyclovia — that turned out to be joyous despite some concerns about the weather. Why can't cities do this every weekend in their center cores?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Got DOGE’d Again

Amidst uncertainty about future federal funding, Amtrak is cutting $100 million and 450 jobs.

May 9, 2025

Friday Video: Where Was the First Public Bus Route in the World?

...and which surprising historical figure helped launch it?

May 9, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are Not Gonna Pay a Lot for This Truck

President Trump's tariffs, along with rising insurance costs, are driving down Americans' interest in owning a car.

May 8, 2025

How One Suburb is Using Transit to Transform Into a True City

A Washington State suburb may be poised to evolve into a true transit-oriented hub – and offer lessons for other bedroom communities, even during an anti-transit era.

May 8, 2025
See all posts