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Golden to lower residential speed limits, enact photo radar
City Council to discuss both measures July 11, 25
BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Golden officials hope to make residential areas a little safer this summer by passing two separate measures focused on traffic safety. One measure, called “20 is Plenty,” would lower the default speed limit on residential streets from 25 mph to 20 mph. The other would allow the Golden Police Department to use a photo radar van for speed enforcement around the city.
Both proposals are scheduled for a first reading at the July 11 City Council meeting, with sec-
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ond readings and public hearings slated for the July 25 meeting, city staff confirmed.
Golden’s councilors have been discussing “20 is Plenty” since last summer, as Denver, Boulder and other cities have implemented similar policies.
During a May 2022 City Council meeting, Councilor Don Cameron described how bodily damage sustained from a 30-mph collision is like falling from a three-story building. For a 20-mph collision, it’s closer to a 12-foot fall.
Councilors, staff, and Mobility and Transportation Advisory Board members all support lowering the default speed limits, and enacted pilot programs along Lookout Mountain Road, Peery Parkway, and South Ford Street.
Once council approves the measure, City Engineer Joseph Puhr said there will be minimal cost to implement it between crew time and repurposing city signs.
Some streets or sections of streets will see lowered speed limits, with new signs being posted in August, staff said, adding that enforcement will begin immediately.
“It is hard to argue safety,” Police Chief Joe Harvey said, emphasizing how the faster a car is going, the more damage it’ll cause if it hits someone or something. “ … There’s no reason for cars to be going more than 20 mph (in residential areas).”
Introducing photo radar
In addition to “20 is Plenty,” City Council plans to approve language allowing GPD to do speed enforcement with photo radar.
Harvey said his department has already leased a specially equipped van, which can be moved around the city to help enforce speeds in residential areas, school zones, and construction zones. The van will cost $86,000 a year, he confirmed, and should be ready by mid-August.
Once the van is positioned in a spot, its photo radar system will identify any vehicle going 11 mph or more over the speed limit. It’ll record the vehicle’s license plate,
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The maximum photo radar citation will be $40, but can be doubled to $80 if the violation was in a school zone, Harvey said.
Like a parking citation, there are no points associated against a driver’s license, and the citation isn’t reported to the state. Harvey added that recipients can opt to pay the citation or challenge it in the municipal court system.
Harvey said GPD will rotate the photo radar system around the city to enforce in areas that receive a lot of speeding complaints. He also emphasized school zone safety, saying it’ll also be frequenting Golden’s school zones.
While it’s a coincidence that Golden’s moving forward with both “20 is Plenty” and photo radar at the same time, Harvey said both will help make Golden’s streets a little safer for all users.
“This method is about prevention,” he continued. “ … It’s a directive of trying to reduce accidents in the first place.” papers as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. The Sun is CCM’s partner for statewide news.
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