Boulder Expands Streets with Automated Speed Enforcement to Support Travel Safety

Following the passage of a state law expanding local Automated Vehicle Identification (AVIS) corridors for automated speed enforcement, the City of Boulder has designated additional priority AVIS corridors to support achieving the community's Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and serious injury crashes. Active corridors can be enforced anytime using photo radar vans or fixed cameras. On select new city AVIS corridors, warnings will begin on a rolling basis in January 2025, with citations starting March 1, 2025.

Speeding is one of the top factors for fatal and serious crashes in the city. New city AVIS corridors were approved by Boulder City Council and selected based on data over the past five years related to incidents of crashes, speeding, reckless driving or community complaints of speeding on a street. A map of locations and enforcement activation dates is availableand includes parts of Broadway, Folsom Street, Lookout Road, Pearl Parkway, Spine Road, Table Mesa Drive and Valmont Road. Additional city-controlled AVIS corridors indicated on the map may be activated in future years for technical reasons.

"Crash data and conversations with our community consistently raise red flags around speeding," said Interim Director of Transportation Valerie Watson. "We know from experience that speeding influences the injury severity of crashes when they occur. Automated speed enforcement goes hand in hand with roadway design, engineering and education toward safer streets where no one is killed or seriously injured in a crash."

Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn agreed.

"Speeding is one of the top two causes of crashes in our community and it's everyone's responsibility to drive safely and obey the speed limit," he said.

The city is also applying to the Colorado Department of Transportation for approval to use automated speed enforcement on several state-owned streets within city limits, including parts of Broadway, Canyon Boulevard, CO 7/Arapahoe Avenue, Foothills Parkway, 28th Street, CO 119/Diagonal Highway, and Baseline Road.

Previously, the city had the authority to automatically enforce speeds on streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less and in predominantly residential areas or near schools or parks, or in a work zone. Warnings will not be issued on these streets with continued automated enforcement, including Iris Avenue, Violet Avenue, Table Mesa Drive/South Boulder Road, and the intersection of Broadway and Pine Street.

While enforcement will not begin until later in 2025, the new automated enforcement devices are marked with advance signage to notify travelers of device locations in accordance with state law. A ticket from an automated enforcement camera is a valid traffic ticket, just as if it were issued by a police officer. Learn more about photo enforcement in the City of Boulderand common myths about red-light cameras.