Denver designates rideshare pickup areas for LoDo, downtown Ballpark

Are you planning on taking a Lyft or Uber home from a Rockies game? Pay extra attention to where you meet your driver.

Starting Friday, Denver will add special pickup locations to the city’s Lower Downtown and Ballpark District areas during late evening hours, the Denver Police Department said in a news release.

Working with the two rideshare companies, Denver Police will have specific areas where drivers are required to pick up passengers on Friday and Saturday evenings, the news release said.

Between the boundaries of 18th and 21st streets and Blake and Larimer streets, Uber and Lyft drivers are not allowed to pick up or drop off passengers on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., police said. Instead, they will be directed to designated pickup locations where Denver police officers will be stationed to ensure smooth traffic flow and increase safety for those waiting for rides.

“Our goal is to have some consistency with the location of collection zones, but locations may vary,” Denver Police Communications Director Doug Schepman said in an emailed statement to the Denver Post. “The rideshare apps let the rider know where to meet the driver.”

Overnight pickup zone signs will be posted at each designated pickup location, and typical on-street parking at meters will be closed to create more space for drivers to park and pick up passengers, police said in the news release.

The collection sites are part of the Denver Police Department and Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal to reduce gun violence by 20%, the news release said.

The objectives of the plan include:

• Reducing the amount of traffic congestion during bar peak hours to improve pedestrian safety.
• More effectively dispersing crowds during off-bar hours to reduce conflict that could escalate to violence.
• Providing improved and streamlined access for ride pickup and drop-off in the LoDo and Ballpark District areas during peak bar hours.
• Reducing impaired driving and DUI-related crashes during peak driving hours.