Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Transportation

Colorado Trucking School Faces Shutdown as Feds Tighten CDL Standards
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Trucking School Faces Shutdown as Feds Tighten CDL Standards

By Sarah Horbacewicz | CBS Colorado A federal agency coalition called for at least 270 commercial truck-driving training schools across the country to shut down on Monday, amid reports of fraud. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that 110 CDL training schools were being ordered to shut down over a lack of English proficiency.  The agency also recommended shutting down more than 160 additional schools over unsafe training practices. At least one Colorado school was among those. As the founder of truck rescue company Mountain Recovery, Charlie Stubblefield says some of the drivers he encounters have trouble understanding basic instructions about their trucks, raising questions about how well some commercial drivers are being trained before getting behin...
Colorado Road Funding Deal Could Pull Initiative 175 From November Ballot
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Road Funding Deal Could Pull Initiative 175 From November Ballot

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado A deal could keep Colorado voters from deciding on a major road funding measure this November. Backers of Initiative 175, known as the Restore Our Roads measure, have agreed to pull it from the ballot under a tentative agreement with state lawmakers, CBS Colorado's Your Political Reporter, Shaun Boyd, has learned. The deal would call for the state legislature to set aside more money for roads in the short and long term.  The ballot measure came about because the Restore Our Roads group and lawmakers failed to compromise. Colorado Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Weiser helped push the negotiations toward a deal, according to a source familiar with the talks. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
Denver Commits $5.3 Million To Turn ‘Bridge To Nowhere’ Into Stadium Connection
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Commits $5.3 Million To Turn ‘Bridge To Nowhere’ Into Stadium Connection

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette The “bridge to nowhere” is closer to going somewhere. The Denver City Council on Monday accepted $4 million in a state grant and committing another $1.3 million toward a pedestrian bridge at Broadway Station. When completed, the bridge over the railroads and Regional Transportation District, or RTD, connecting the Broadway RTD station with the Summit FC Soccer Stadium and Santa Fe Yards development. City Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez expressed concerns about the project, which includes widening Santa Fe Drive, a vibrant and culturally rich commercial corridor that is home to more than 100 galleries, artist co-ops, studios and street murals. “More lanes do not create a safe, connected neighborhood,” Alvidrez said. ...
Six Colorado Traffic Laws Take Effect With New Rules for Drivers and School Zones
DENVER7, Approved, State

Six Colorado Traffic Laws Take Effect With New Rules for Drivers and School Zones

By Ethan Carlson | Denver7 Laws named for Magnus White and Liam Stewart are among six traffic safety measures now in effect, with four more set to take effect before year's end. DENVER — Six significant traffic safety laws took effect across Colorado on Wednesday, and the families who fought for them gathered at the State Capitol to mark the moment. Lawmakers, advocates and relatives of people killed in vehicle collisions joined AAA, MADD, The White Line and Bicycle Colorado at a news conference in the Capitol's West Foyer to discuss what the new laws mean for Colorado drivers. Among the laws now in effect is Magnus's Law, named for Magnus White, who was killed at age 17 on July 29, 2023, while riding his bicycle in Boulder. The law mandates that an offic...
Avon Opens Public Debate After Vandals Target Police Camera Network
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Avon Opens Public Debate After Vandals Target Police Camera Network

By Spencer Wilson | CBS Colorado A discussion over privacy, policing and public safety technology is taking center stage in Avon after three police cameras were vandalized earlier this month. That includes two speed enforcement cameras and one Flock license plate reader. The acts of vandalism happened during the early morning hours of July 18, when someone cut down or damaged camera poles and stole two of the devices. It resulted in more than $76,000 in damage and replacement costs, according to documents prepared for Tuesday night's Avon Town Council meeting. Police said they are actively investigating the felony vandalism and theft. The vandalism also ignited a much larger conversation online after the Avon Police Department's Facebook post about the damage...
Luxury Car Owners Use Montana LLCs to Sidestep Colorado Registration Costs
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Luxury Car Owners Use Montana LLCs to Sidestep Colorado Registration Costs

By: Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Coloradans looking to avoid high vehicle registration fees have increasingly turned to what’s known as the “Montana loophole” — a strategy that surfaced recently at a luxury car event near the Cherry Creek Mall. Here’s how it works. A Colorado resident buys a high-end vehicle — anything from a large recreational vehicle to a supercar like a 2022 McLaren 765LT Spider, which was recently listed in Boulder for more than $1 million. The buyer then forms a limited liability company in Montana, a service some firms advertise for about $1,000, and registers the vehicle under that LLC. The vehicle is still owned, maintained and driven in Colorado, meaning it uses state roads and services here. But because it’s registered to an o...
Colorado Voters To Decide Whether Road Taxes Stay On The Road
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Voters To Decide Whether Road Taxes Stay On The Road

By Mike Krause | Complete Colorado DENVER — Colorado voters will have the chance this November to constitutionally guarantee that revenue intended for building and maintaining the state’s highways actually goes to fixing the roads, after proponents of Initiative 175 submitted enough valid signatures to earn a spot on the 2026 statewide ballot. The Colorado Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday announced that of the 189,355 total petition signatures submitted, 143,112  were deemed valid, easily clearing the 124,238 threshold required of all citizens’ initiatives. Because 175 amends the state Constitution, signatures from at least two percent of registered voters in each of Colorado’s 35 state senate districts were also required. They cleared that hurdle as well...
Colorado Lawmakers Close 2026 Session With Greater Government Control And Higher Fiscal Risk
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Close 2026 Session With Greater Government Control And Higher Fiscal Risk

By Jake Fogleman | Complete Colorado The Colorado legislature officially adjourned May 13, after weighing more than 600 bills over the course of 120 days. Lawmakers entered the 2026 legislative session facing a set of familiar problems: another billion-dollar budget deficit, rising voter frustration over affordability, and growing concerns about Colorado’s economic competitiveness and business climate. Yet despite those warning signs, the Democrat-dominated legislature largely doubled down on the same governing philosophy that has increasingly defined the Capitol in recent years—more fees, more special interest tax benefits at the expense of other taxpayers, and more attempts to carve revenue streams out from under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). To be sure, not...
Colorado Drivers Feel Economic Squeeze As Gas Nears $4.50 Per Gallon
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Drivers Feel Economic Squeeze As Gas Nears $4.50 Per Gallon

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun It’s even more painful for truckers and ride-sharing drivers. Many are contractors who are paying out of pocket to fuel up. Before Feb. 28, Kareem Sawadogo paid about $40 to fill up his tank. Now, it’s over $65, said Sawadogo, a driver for both Lyft and Uber. And if he’s driving full time, which is 40 to 60 hours a week, he must fill up daily. Combine the higher cost of gas with the rising prices of auto insurance and car maintenance, and it seems cheaper to just park his car.  “If you do the math, 30 times seven, that extra is a lot of money,” said Sawadogo, who’s taken on another job — organizing for the Colorado Independent Drivers United, which estimates there are 41,000 ridesharing drivers in the state. “I cannot a...
Colorado Drivers Face $75 Tickets Under Expanded Automated Speed Enforcement
MotorBiscuit, Approved, State

Colorado Drivers Face $75 Tickets Under Expanded Automated Speed Enforcement

By Saajan Jogia | MotorBiscuit While you must not speed on public roads, even if you do, Colorado’s new automated vehicle ID system (AVIS) will track your average speed and send you a ticket if it exceeds 10 mph. This renders a speed-camera-tracking app on your smartphone useless, as the new system works in a very different way. According to a report by Motor1, AVIS is being used only on certain roads and highways in Colorado, but since it uses your average speed and not the speed recorded at one particular spot, it could be more accurate, meaning motorists with a heavy foot will have to be wary of this system. How Does AVIS Work? AVIS uses not one but multiple cameras to calculate a car’s average speed at different intervals. That means on a long stretch o...