The Regional Transportation District made another change earlier this month in an attempt to curb unwanted activities and create a safer environment at its Union Station bus terminal.
The public restrooms at the terminal were closed to the public on Dec. 3. RTD’s General Manager and CEO Debra Johnson announced the closures several days later while providing an update on the public safety issues at Union Station to the agency’s board.
Johnson said the decisions was made after receiving the results of an environmental test that found traces of fentanyl on surfaces inside a bathroom.
The amount of narcotics was not considered dangerous, Johnson said, however, the agency chose to close the restrooms to perform comprehensive cleaning and won’t reopen until further security measures are implemented.
“The restrooms will remain closed as earnest efforts are being made to return the facilities to a state of good repaired, as well as to install permanent restroom doors,” Johnson said in the meeting.
Johnson said other security measures such as adding a permeant bathroom attendant are needed before the restrooms reopen. Other ideas like adding a pay fare zone are also being discussed.
Illegal and unwanted activities at the terminal have drastically increased since the beginning of the pandemic, said Pauletta Tonilas, a spokeswoman for the transportation district
As conditions worsened, more people have resorted to calling law enforcement for assistance. Between September and November, Denver officers responded to 250 calls at Union Station, which is nearly 97% higher than the previous year, according to statistics from the Denver Police Department.
Additionally, the unwanted activities led to an undisclosed number of complaints being filed by RTD riders and city residents to the mayor’s office, and the union representing some RTD employees speaking out about the conditions.
In response to the complaints, RTD added extra security through a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration and the Guardian Angels, a non profit focused on crime prevention, and the Denver Police Department has increased patrol around the Union Station Area.
Since these changes were made, Johnson said these changes have already made an impact.
“I do walk through Union Station daily, so I have seen the immediate impacts of these strategies,” she said during the Dec. 7 meeting.
Another change happened on Thursday when the transportation district demolished its granite benches at both entrances of the terminal. Officials said in an email statement that the project was months in the making and should “enhance pedestrian circulation and improve the greenspace of the greater Denver Union Station complex.”
Although some consider these moves as a way to try and improve public safety at the bus terminal, some see it as a way to get rid of people, Benjamin Dunning with Denver Homeless Out Loud, told 9News, the Denver Gazette’s news partner.
“These are important pieces of public infrastructure that should be available for everybody,” Dunning said.
But Tonilas disputes those claims and said the changes are being made for ensure everyone feels safe at the bus terminal.
“Our goal is to ensure that (Union Station) is a clean and safe environment for our transit customers and anyone who uses it,” she said. “It is incumbent upon all of us who are partners at the Union Station complex to do all we can to address these issues, so that people can go there and feel safe and use the facilities as intended.”
This content was originally published here.