DENVER — Denver saw 93 traffic deaths last year — the highest in city history — and residents are demanding action from Mayor Mike Johnston, who ran his campaign on a vision to reach zero traffic fatalities by 2030.
Local transportation advocacy groups, including Denver Streets Partnership, organized a day of action on Wednesday to call for safer streets in Denver and urge residents to submit safety reports to the city's 311 city service hotline.
Several different groups walked and rolled along major streets and corridors, including the intersection of Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, to highlight safety issues. Participants later gathered outside the Denver City and County Building for a "die-in" demonstration to call attention to the 93 people killed in traffic crashes in the city in 2025.'
As part of Denver7 | Your Voice, we met with some of those folks to find out what's on their minds when it comes to safer streets.
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Josie Escamilla lives near Federal and Alameda, one of Denver's busiest intersections. She relies on a walker to get around, but said uneven sidewalks and dangerous driving behavior make it unsafe for her to run simple errands.
"I just get so upset," Escamilla said. "You know, my brother will tell me, 'Well, don't go to the store unless I take you.'"
Her neighbor, Jill Hansen, shares the same concerns, as she uses a wheelchair. She said she wants to see longer pedestrian lights for people with disabilities.
"The stoplight should be lasting longer. People should be having more concerns for individuals, the blind people, people in wheelchairs, people using walkers," said Hansen. "Distracted driving. People speeding down the street. You gotta cross busy streets. And, yeah, it's scary, you know, being as old as I am, it's scary."
City data shows 36 traffic deaths last year were impairment-related, 25 were speed-related, 24 were due to pedestrian violations, 19 were vigilance-related (like being sleepy), and 14 were judgment-related.
Johnston's Vision Zero campaign aims to reach zero traffic fatalities in Denver by 2030. Denver7 reached out to the mayor's office for an interview about what has been done to improve traffic safety. Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the mayor's office, sent the following statement:
We mourn the lives of the 93 individuals we lost last year and are committed to making Denver’s streets safer.
While there is no one solution to improving traffic safety, crashes do have predictable and preventable causes and we are responding accordingly. This year the city will roll out strategic speed reductions in busy corridors, add bike lanes and pedestrian crossings, update school zones, and begin work on multiple bond projects that will improve our streets. Progress does not come overnight, but the city is committed to making real and lasting change that protects the lives of drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and riders.
At Federal and Alameda specifically, the city's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said it has already added more speed limit signs and has programmed stoplights to slow cars down — meaning drivers who go the speed limit will hit more green lights. The intersection is also set to receive speed enforcement cameras this year.
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