ADA5CCD6A1DE37E387258A120070F3FE Hearing Summary CLICS/CLICS2023A/commsumm.nsf PUBLICBILL SUMMARY For PRESENTATION FROM BICYCLE COLORADO & AAA ON ROAD DEATHSINTERIM COMMITTEE TRANSPORTATION LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEEDate Aug 21, 2023 Location Old State Library Presentation from Bicycle Colorado & AAA on Road Deaths - Committee Discussion Only Attachment Tag File Name http://www2.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2023A/commsumm.nsf/0/1382747BB2AB...$File/AttachmentIAAA.pdf?OpenElement AttachmentIAAA.pdf 02:33:47 PM Skyler McKinley, Regional Director of AAA Colorado, provided a presentation about automobiles and traffic safety (Attachment I). He provided background about AAA and the goals of traffic safety, including preventing crashes and severe injuries and fatalities. 02:38:18 PM Mr. McKinley talked about speed and vehicle size in accidents. He mentioned that the faster a car is going means that the crash may result in death. 02:40:39 PM Mr. McKinley talked about the size and weight of cars. He said that larger cars are more dangerous for pedestrians. Mr. Mckinley talked about the popularity of larger and heavier cars. 02:43:57 PM Mr. McKinley talked about safety measures that will assist in saving lives or preventing injuries in accidents. He said that the most important measure is building infrastructure to protect or separate vulnerable road users from cars. 02:47:14 PM There was a discussion about the weight of electric cars and the cost of tires and wear and tear on infrastructure. He mentioned that AAA is focusing on tire replacements, since electric cars seem to have higher wear and tear on their tires because of the weight of batteries in the car. He also said that heavier vehicles can put more wear and tear on roads. 02:51:14 PM Ms. Hultin talked about partnerships with DRCOG and the vision zero action plan. She said that DRCOG focuses on projects in corridors where there are a higher number of accidents. Ms. Hultin said she would like to see dedicated funding for areas where people are being killed and injured. 02:54:14 PM There was a discussion about fatalities by age. Ms. Hultin indicated that both older and younger users are represented in the statistics. She mentioned that CDOT has a dashboard of statistics. Ms. Hultin will send data to Senator Cutter. 02:55:07 PM There was a discussion about fatality increases and where fatalities occur. Ms. Hultin said tha many of the fatalities are in the seven to eight counties along the front range. She said that there are also some fatalities in Grand Junction. 02:56:59 PM Ms. Hultin addressed questions about road design and how separation may de-sensitize drivers from seeing pedestrians and bicyclists. She mentioned that it is best to look at cost effective safety where people are encountering deadly situations, since the roads cannot be built from scratch. Ms. Hultin said that spot investments can work, but if a community is being built from scratch it is more effective to integrate safety design for vulnerable road users from the inception. 02:58:58 PM There was a discussion about the reliability of crash data. Mr. McKinley indicated that there may be data gaps. He mentioned that uniform reporting of statistics is not happening. Mr. McKinley mentioned that there are archaic systems that do not commincate and suggested that the state may need to start from scratch on this issue. 03:01:07 PM A member commented about cars and bicyclists, including letting drivers know that cyclists have the right of way. The discussion continued with roundabouts, as many drivers may not understand how to use this infrastructure. 03:04:28 PM There was a discussion about e-bikes and older riders. A member commented that older persons may be challenged by hearing, sight, and balance issues. 03:05:14 PM Ms. Hultin talked about the importance of signs as a safety investment in infrastructure. She talked about budgets for signs, especially how there is no budget for outright replacement for when signs are being replaced. Ms. Hultin talked about funding for training on road safety and building infrastructure. She talked about how e-bikes are often an introduction to bikes with less confident users, so redundancy in the infrastructure is important for this reason.