DENVER — A Denver City Council committee voted Wednesday to advance a change that could allow speed cameras on dozens of the city’s busiest roads.
The Health and Safety Committee approved the measure by a show of hands and sent it to a full City Council vote.
The ordinance updates Chapter 54 of Denver’s municipal code to match a new state law, Senate Bill 26-152, which took effect Aug. 12. City officials said Denver must change its code before it can expand automated enforcement.
The proposal would designate 48 enforcement corridors, more than 38 on city streets and 10 on state roads maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Camera speeding tickets could range from $40 to $120, depending on speed and location, according to a city presentation. Red light and bus or bike lane violations would carry a $75 fine. City officials said the tickets are civil, are not reported to the DMV and do not go on a criminal record. Tickets from an officer start at about $60, carry license points and can reach nearly $1,000 for driving 25 mph or more over the limit.
Where the money goes is unsettled. Angela Casias, chief of staff for the Department of Safety, told the committee last week that revenue will depend on the number of cameras and on equipment and staffing costs, and that the city is still working with the Department of Finance.
The Denver Streets Partnership, which supports the cameras, wants the revenue reinvested in street safety. Jill Locantore said the cameras are about safety, not money.
“The point of speed cameras is not revenue generation; it’s making our streets safer,” Locantore said.
Jay Beeber, chief policy officer for the National Motorists Association, disagreed. He said speed cameras mostly ticket drivers who are going just over the limit and aren’t creating danger, because speed limits are often set below the natural speed of the road.
“Speed cameras are generally used as a revenue generation device, not to improve safety, regardless of what the claims are initially as to the programs,” Beeber said.
Beeber said the fines fall hardest on lower-income drivers. He said that because the ticket goes to the registered owner and carries no license points, it is only a monetary penalty.
“People who are wealthy can afford that,” Beeber said. “People who are not very wealthy are going to get hit by these fines, maybe even multiple times in the same day, passing by the same place on their way to work or while they’re doing different things.”
Council members raised changes to the fines both last week and this week. Councilmember Shontel M. Lewis suggested dropping fines for repeat violations of 6 to 9 mph over the limit outside school and work zones. Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez asked that the choice between a warning and a fine be written into the ordinance.
During an interview with Denver7, Locantore said the cameras differ from the controversial license plate readers because they photograph a plate only when a driver speeds. City officials said plate readers are excluded from the ordinance and that photos are deleted when no violation is detected. They said state law makes the data confidential and requires keeping it for three years after a case is resolved.
Drivers would have about 45 days to pay or dispute a notice through an administrative hearing. City officials said an operations plan will come to council in the fourth quarter. They said 49 people have died on Denver roads this year, down from 58 at this point last year.
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