Committee Approves Bill to Improve Traffic Safety Around Schools

DENVER, CO – The Senate Transportation and Energy Committee today passed a bill sponsored by Senate Assistant Majority Leader Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, to improve traffic safety standards around schools.

“School zones are not properly or clearly defined, and this confusion has put students at risk,” Cutter said. “Losing a child due to a traffic accident on their way to or from school is tragic and unnecessary. This bill will put in place some commonsense regulations to keep students safe.”

HB26-1318 would set roadway signage requirements around schools to strengthen road safety for students and road users. The bill would require all roadways within at least 1,000 feet of a school boundary to have signage indicating the school boundary and that driving penalties are doubled in this area. Existing school zones between 200 and 1,000 feet from the school may keep their current school zone boundaries, but must follow the bill’s process for modifying these boundaries.

Under the bill, a jurisdiction may reduce the distance that they must put these signs up to 200 feet from the school after they hold a public hearing to ensure the community is aware of this change and given an opportunity to weigh in. The bill also allows jurisdictions to expand school zone boundaries as they see fit and to raise revenue through bonding to fund school zone signage. Additionally, local governments may close school streets to vehicles and require vehicles to yield to non-vehicle road users. The maximum speed limit would be set to 10 miles per hour.

The bill also allows a state or local government to use an automated vehicle identification system to detect traffic violations in a school zone or on a Safe Route to School, which is defined as a designated roadway that is frequented by pedestrians and cyclists when commuting to and from school.

This bill is inspired by a fatal accident in 2023 that took the life of Liam Stewart, a Littleton middle schooler, who was hit by a car while biking to school.

HB26-1318 now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration. Track its progress here.