ADA5CCD6A1DE37E387258A120070F3FE Hearing Summary

PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For PRESENTATION FROM BICYCLE COLORADO & AAA ON ROAD DEATHS

INTERIM COMMITTEE TRANSPORTATION LEGISLATION REVIEW COMMITTEE
Date Aug 21, 2023
Location Old State Library

Presentation from Bicycle Colorado & AAA on Road Deaths - Committee Discussion Only

Attachment Tag

File Name

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.

Presentation from Bicycle Colorado & AAA on Road Deaths - Committee Discussion Only

Colorado General Assembly