Drivers on Colorado highways have been caught illegally crossing in or out of express lanes 361,451 times over the past eight months – more than 1,400 violations per day. The Colorado Department of Transportation has issued $42 million in fines, state records show.
The automated enforcement system that CDOT officials launched a year ago – a network of roadway surveillance sensors, cameras, and driver tracking technology — gradually is changing behavior, agency officials told the Denver Post.
Express lane transgressions are decreasing “and 81% of violators do not incur a second violation,” CDOT spokesman Tim Hoover said.
But state data shows a problem: people driving “way too fast” in express lanes and in the other lanes, Hoover said.
“The complaint we hear is from people driving the speed limit, or even slightly over, who are tailgated by speeders behind them — speeders who, before enforcement, were wantonly weaving in and out of the express lane to swerve around other cars,” he said.
Sometimes, drivers also complain that cars in express lanes move slower than the speed limit, delaying express lane drivers who have paid for the access and expect to travel faster. The same speed limits apply in all lanes. The minimum speed limits also apply in express lanes.
“If you are driving behind someone going under the speed limit, your option is just to be patient and wait for the nearest exit from the express lane. You cannot weave over the double white lines to swerve around the slow-moving vehicle,” Hoover said.
A year ago, CDOT deployed the automated enforcement system to increase highway safety by deterring drivers from crossing over the double white lines that separate express lanes from other lanes. Drivers can only enter or exit express lanes at points designated with signs and dashed lines. State lawmakers in 2022 boosted CDOT’s authority to crack down on transgressors.
Colorado officials recorded 716 roadway deaths in 2023, down 6% compared with the record-setting 764 fatalities in 2022.
Highway drivers caught crossing solid white lines face civil penalties – fines of $75, which double to $150 if not paid within 20 days.
While CDOT has levied $42 million in fines since October 2023, the agency has collected only about $27 million of those fines. Fines collected from drivers are to be used as funding for highway safety projects.
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Originally Published: June 29, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.
