Council hears speed-study results, CDOT signal plan and rising traffic enforcement

Police Chief Michael Cochran presented a September 22-day speed-trailer study in the Finley area that registered roughly 20,000 vehicle passes and found a majority of drivers traveling within the posted limit while a small portion exceeded high speeds. "Our fastest car was at 72 miles per hour," Cochran said. He reported 20 citations during that 22-day period (13 for speeding) and noted the trailer's center placement limits direction-specific data.

Chief Cochran and Public Works Director Danny Paul discussed the potential use of camera-based automated enforcement in school zones. Councilmembers and staff cautioned that automated camera systems can be controversial, that they require careful policy consideration and that fully equipped systems (with radar and camera/VM signage) are materially more expensive than a basic speed/count trailer.

Paul also briefed council on a recent outreach from the Colorado Department of Transportation about removing the traffic signal at Fourth and Yampa. CDOT's conceptual design would replace the signal with bulb-outs and a rectangular rapid flashing beacon to improve pedestrian crossing visibility. Paul asked how involved the council wished to be; members requested CDOT include city-collected traffic counts and consider projected future changes such as a potential rail station and increased circulator/bus services before any final action.

Police Chief Cochran later summarized enforcement trends across the department: "traffic enforcement has done nothing but increase since last year. We're up 56% over the year for speeding citations," he said, noting traffic stops and targeted enforcement have helped reduce crashes year-over-year. Council generally framed enforcement as a public-safety activity rather than a revenue effort and asked staff to continue sharing crash and enforcement data as planning for downtown changes proceeds.