Fort Collins Police Services Extends Traffic Safety Initiative

Released on Wednesday, September 18, 2024

On August 20, 2024, Fort Collins Police Services (FCPS) announced an extension of their Traffic Safety Initiative (TSI) which will deploy Automated Vehicle Identification System (AVIS) technology to enforce speed limits within the city. This AVIS technology is permitted based on new legislation (Senate Bill 23-200) that allows for a roadway to be identified as a corridor based on incidents of crashes, speeding, reckless driving, or community complaints in concentrated areas.

The legislation provides new methods for enforcement that were not previously supported by state statute. However, automated enforcement is not new to Fort Collins. The City has had automated speed enforcement technology since 1997 and automated traffic control enforcement (red-light cameras) since 2005. FCPS currently deploys four Jeep vehicles equipped with camera radar systems in residential neighborhoods, school zones, and along municipal parks to detect speed violations. There are also six intersections throughout Fort Collins that are equipped with cameras that detect red-light violations. These intersections are College Avenue and Drake Road, Harmony Road and Timberline Road, Shields Street and Prospect Road, Shields Street and Mulberry Street, Drake Road and Lemay Avenue, and Harmony Road and Shields Street.

Automated citations currently being issued are not part of the expansion into AVIS corridor enforcement. That expansion will occur later this year, after 2 scheduled notice periods. The first is a 30-day announcement period, which began on August 20, 2024, with an initial Press Release ; the second is a 30-day period where a violation will trigger a warning mailed to the driver, rather than a citation and fine. FCPS will provide public notice at least one week prior to each 30-day period, and before the automated technology is switched to issue citations.

The language contained in the Senate Bill and in Colorado Revised Statutes has been adopted into Fort Collins Municipal code under Fort Collins Traffic Code 615 and 1106. If a vehicle is found to be either speeding 10+ mph above the posted limit or failing to stop at a red light in one of the new AVIS corridors or newly added construction zones, the registered owner will receive a Notice of Violation with a civil fine. Speeding violations are $40 and red-light violations are $75. If a construction zone speed violation is issued the fine will be double just as they are for violations in school zones, raising the fine to $80. These fines carry no points and are not recorded on a driver license record (this does not apply to speeds in excess of 25 mph over the posted limit). The Notice of Violation has instructions on how to review the pictures and video of the violation, pay the civil fine or contest through the Municipal Court.

As part of expanding TSI, two transportable units will be added to existing automated technology. These transportable units can be moved throughout the city to address areas of traffic concern within the AVIS corridors:

· Suniga Road - College Avenue to Lemay Avenue

· Riverside Drive - College Avenue to Pitkin Street

· Prospect Road - Taft Hill Road to Interstate25

· Drake Road - Overland Trail to Miles House Avenue

· Horsetooth Road - College Avenue to Ziegler Road

· Harmony Road - Chokecherry Trail to Interstate 25

· Trilby Road - Wainwright Drive to College Avenue

· Taft Hill Road - Mulberry Street to Trilby Street

· Shields Street - Elizabeth Street to Bon Homme Richard Drive

· College Avenue - Carpenter Road to Laurel Street

· Lemay Avenue - Prospect Road to Trilby Street

· Timberline Road - Prospect Road to Trilby Street

· Ziegler Road - William Neal Parkway to Kechter Road

· Conifer Street - College Avenue to Lemay Avenue

· Mulberry Street - Taft Hill Road to 12th Street

· Stuart Street - College Avenue to Lemay Avenue

· Elizabeth Street - Overland Trail to Shields Street

· Overland Trail - Mulberry Street to Drake Road

FCPS will collect and publicly post the number of citations from each corridor, as well as the fines collected from the AVIS citations. The fines collected can only be utilized for improvements in traffic safety, which may include, but should not be limited to, roadway improvements, traffic control improvements, traffic safety education programs, training and materials, and improving or expanding traffic enforcement.

Signage will soon be posted at the identified intersections; however, the warning period and transition to enforcement will be announced prior to implementation.

FCPS encourages our community to be well-informed and to research the associated legislation and codes (SB 23-200, SB24-195, C.R.S 42-4-110.5, F.C.T.C 615 and F.C.T.C 1106) for further information regarding automated vehicle identification system enforcement. The FCPS Camera Radar Coordinator is also available to answer questions, at 970-416-2236.