Bigger vehicles are more dangerous to bicyclists and pedestrians. Should their owners in Colorado pay for new safety projects?
A legislative committee will consider a bill on Tuesday that could raise up to $20 million a year for projects to make the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists by creating a new registration fee that would scale with the weight of a vehicle.
The higher the weight of a car, truck or SUV, the more its owner would pay, because, supporters say, heavier and larger vehicles are more deadly to pedestrians and cyclists. Research backs up that claim, and pedestrian deaths in Colorado reached an all-time high of 115 last year.
“We’re looking at this and trying to do something about it,” said state Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, a prime sponsor of the proposed bill.
Money raised by the fee would go to a new enterprise within the Colorado Department of Transportation that would fund infrastructure such as separated bike lanes, road narrowing and automated speed cameras.
The idea of charging higher fees for heavier cars has already taken root in places like Washington, D.C., and France, sometimes also with the intent of encouraging the use of more climate-friendly small cars.