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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Hey, RTD riders and transit advocates!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Time is short, so please read this carefully.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Yesterday RTD management released their latest proposal for addressing the agency's budget deficit. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>The good news: the hard push for an immediate 20% service cut appears to be off the table for now. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>The bad news: service cuts are still very much in play, and the disability community has serious concerns about what's in this proposal. ADAPT Colorado, a fellow disability rights organization that has been watching this closely, has already identified three major red flags. We agree with every one of them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Red flag number one: route reductions could reduce paratransit eligibility. If RTD cuts fixed routes, the ADA-mandated paratransit service area shrinks with them -- and existing riders could lose their eligibility entirely. ADAPT has been pushing RTD to grandfather existing paratransit riders if cuts do occur, so that people who are eligible today don't lose access they've come to depend on. Chair O'Keefe has indicated support for this, but there is resistance from other quarters. We need the board to hear that grandfathering existing riders is the bare minimum.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Red flag number two: fixed-route fare increases are on the table, and paratransit riders could feel the impact. By law, paratransit fares cannot exceed twice the standard fixed-route fare. That's a ceiling, not a floor -- RTD isn't required to raise paratransit fares if fixed-route fares go up. But given the financial pressure management is under, the risk is real. For riders who just absorbed a significant fare increase on Access-on-Demand on January 1st, any further increase would be a serious hardship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Red flag number three: at least one board member continues to push for eliminating Access-on-Demand entirely. This is deeply alarming. ADAPT has demonstrated using RTD's own data that AOD is the most cost-effective paratransit option RTD offers -- and that Access-a-Ride is currently failing on multiple performance measures. AOD is the only reliable option for many riders. Eliminating it would not save money. It would shift those riders to a more expensive service that is already struggling, and it would expose RTD to serious legal liability under the ADA.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Management's new approach has shifted from a specific 20% cut proposal to a menu of options for the board to prioritize. That sounds less alarming, but it isn't -- because buried in that menu are options that could devastate our community. The key votes are now scheduled for June 9 and June 10 in committee, with a full board vote on June 23. Those dates are coming up fast, and tonight's meeting is the first opportunity to speak directly to the board since this proposal was released. We need to get our perspective on the record while there's still time to influence the outcome.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>We do have allies on the Board. Directors Benker, Ruscha, Larsen, and Guzman have all pushed back on management's approach. They need to see us in that room tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Tonight's meeting: Wednesday, May 27, 5:30 PM, 1660 Blake Street, Denver. In person is more powerful -- please come if you can. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Zoom registration: </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x8BY5TdBSH-kLMrJO3zOUg#/registration">https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x8BY5TdBSH-kLMrJO3zOUg#/registration</a></span><span style='mso-ligatures:none'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Written comments, please send ASAP if you haven’t already: <a href="mailto:RTD.Directors@rtd-denver.com">RTD.Directors@rtd-denver.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>See you tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Tim Keenan <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>State Transportation Chair <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>National Federation of the Blind of Colorado<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>