After Denver saw its worst year for traffic deaths on record, advocates and relatives of people killed on the city’s streets gathered in front of the City and County Building to mourn.
As part of a day of advocacy and protest day, dozens of Denverites staged a die-in. A speaker read the names of each person who died in car crashes in 2025. With each name called, another person laid on the ground, until there were 93 bodies on the pavement.
Some of the participants had lost loved ones in traffic crashes here and elsewhere. Madeline Leibin, a civil rights attorney, came to remember her friend Barbara Friedes, a young doctor who was killed by a driver as she rode her bike in Philadelphia in 2024.
Leibin, who was visibly emotional during the die-in, said stories of traffic deaths resonate across state borders.
“It happens everywhere. Cities have the equipment, they have the knowledge, and they have the resources in the form of taxpayer funds to make streets safer,” she said. “But time and time again, they carve to corporate and to driver demands.”
Philip Taylor, who lives in the Regis neighborhood, came to mourn Salih Koç, a 21-year Turkish immigrant killed in a hit-and-run at West 38th Avenue and North Tejon Street in August. Taylor said he bikes through that intersection on a daily basis.
“I kind of get chills down my back every time I ride through this intersection now because of the traffic violence,” Taylor said.
Attendees at the event called on Mayor Mike Johnston and his administration to dedicate more resources to Vision Zero, the city-wide goal to end traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2030. The city’s efforts came under fire after a series of controversies and 2025’s record-high road deaths.
Johnston received a D- on a report card from advocates grading his performance on transportation safety, access and mobility during his inaugural mayoral term. The report, authored by Denver Streets Partnership, Denver Bicycle Lobby, Pedestrian Dignity and Greater Denver Transit, said that while Johnston hasn’t lived up to his big promises about road safety.
In response to the die-in, the mayor’s office said that he and his administration also mourn the 93 lives lost on Denver roads last year, stressing that the city is committed to traffic safety.
“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,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the mayor.
