Polis signs bill allowing more speed cameras

BY NATHANIEL MINOR COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Automated speed-enforcement cameras could become far more common across Colorado under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis this month.

e legislation was supported by transportation safety advocates and Democratic lawmakers who argued more speed and red light enforcement cameras would lead to lower speeds and safer roads. Tra c deaths across the state hit a 40-year high in 2022 of 745 fatalities.

e bill allows local governments to use such cameras in more places, including busy — and deadly — arterial roads like Federal Boulevard in the Denver area. It also lifts 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 suggests 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 Direc- tor 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. 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.

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, RColorado Springs, said during a oor debate in May.

“ 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.

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