Freedom brings responsibility

This Independence Day, give our streams a break. Not only are personal fireworks a fire danger, but also, their waste poses a threat to our waterways when not disposed of properly. Summer days in Colorado often bring flashing rain and thunderstorms that quickly wash away waste on streets and parking lots, sending them straight to the nearest stream. What isn’t collected and thrown away after the celebration may be gone before you know it. Take the time this holiday and clean up after yourself.

Local stormwater agencies are teaming up to bring you this message. We take this so seriously that we posted this ad rather than send you more garbage in the mail. One thing is clear: our creeks, rivers and lakes depend on you.

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a limit that required police o cers to station speed cameras while they were in use. Denver o cials have said they support the bill.

“We need help,” city tra c engineer Emily Gloeckner said in May. “We don’t have the resources to be out there with a huge level of enforcement.” e cameras are unpopular with some motorists. But research sug - gests they are indeed useful tools in improving road safety.

“Speeding vehicles are one of the most common concerns we hear in the cycling community, and it is a major factor contributing to crashes and fatalities on Colorado’s roads,” Bicycle Colorado Executive Director Peter Piccolo wrote in an email. “We are pleased that the Governor prioritized road safety and signed this bill.” e sponsors said they crafted the bill to “thread the needle” of safety needs and civil liberties. For example: First-time, minor o enders of speed limits would only be issued a warning. e bill caps speeding nes at $40, though that can double for violations near schools. Signal violations would be limited to $75. e bill also prevents a given government from “immobilizing” a vehicle if its owner doesn’t pay nes, and citations would not lead to points against a driver’s license.

Some Republicans worried the increased use of cameras would create a “surveillance state” and said local governments might use them to generate revenue.

“ ere’s a perverse incentive to do these,” state Rep. Ken DeGraaf, R-Colorado Springs, said during a oor debate in May. e Senate sponsor, however, told CPR News in March that the low ne amounts were chosen to ght the perception that the cameras were merely money makers. “ is isn’t about revenue, this is about safety,” said state Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster.

Story from Colorado Public Radio, which has a content-sharing agreement with Colorado Community Media.