Warning message

The installed version of the browser you are using is outdated and no longer supported by Konveio. Please upgrade your browser to the latest release.

Colorado Springs Safety Action Plan

Review the DRAFT Plan!

After studying transportation safety data and trends and gathering input from community members and local stakeholders, this Draft Plan was developed as a transportation safety strategy to guide safety enhancements to the Colorado Springs transportation network.

See more about the project by visiting Safety Action Plan | City of Colorado Springs.

Directions – PLEASE READ!

For the best viewing experience, please select Full Screen Mode for best readability.
Navigate between pages by scrolling through the document.

We appreciate your time!

Comments

Cancel

Commenting is closed for this document.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 10:22PM on page 23

Idea

This table item refers to roads, but I'd also love to see more grade-separated pedestrian crossings, especially for major trails. For example, an extension of the Austin Bluffs spine trail will connect down to Union Blvd, and a bridge crossing to Union Meadows would be great.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 10:19PM on page 30

Idea

The manner of applying the neighborhood traffic calming program is important; sometimes, while it's helpful to give attention to a neighborhood, the most typical treatments aren't all that beneficial.

For example, with University Park traffic calming, the city's meeting results indicated that a majority of survey respondents declined speed bumps, although one might not realize that going by the more vocal meeting attendees.

Our collector roads (Rockhurst, Collegiate) have 30mph design speeds (which surprised me; I would've guessed 35) and are posted at 25mph, which is, of course, ignored. Effort is better spent slowing egregious speeders (and there are very bad ones, especially on Collegiate) down to 30 and improving pedestrian crossings than trying to get all drivers to 25 or below.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 10:01PM on page 34

Idea

On arterials, specifically? Please don't.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:59PM on page 25

Idea

Yes, please. This applies to all-way stops, too.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:57PM on page 24

Idea

Correctly not here is adding stop signs for interrupting traffic. The city has some dubious all-way stops, like Centennial & Allegheny (north) and Woodmen & Orchard Valley. With the low cross traffic (and not exceptionally high main main road traffic), there's a lot of technically bad driver behavior through these, and people at the cross streets can't be very confident in the main road's drivers.

It would be nice if the city explored other treatments in iffy cases like these, like roundabouts or bump-outs.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:49PM on page 24

Idea

Very supportive of more roundabouts, including mini ones. Design is important, though; some of our relatively older ones, like on Rockhurst Blvd south of University Park Blvd, have little to no deflection, so straight-through traffic may not slow down for the intersection.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:47PM on page 24

Idea

After growing up in a COS speed bump neighborhood, I'd have to say I'm not really thrilled with the idea of more. They seem too localized, and there's a lot of noise associated with them (vehicles hitting them, engines revving right after them). If we have to have a speed bump, I'd rather make it do some work as a raised crosswalk. Otherwise, I'd prefer bump-outs and median [refuge] islands.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:45PM on page 23

Idea

I'd love more of these, especially on collector roads. Allegheny, Oak Hills, Montebello, Mount View, etc. The wide Old/Near North End intersections could benefit, as well.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:42PM on page 23

Idea

Yes, please. There are some weird access management choices around the city, some relatively recent (like the 7-11 curb cut on Academy south of Dublin). I wish the city had better arterial access control and encouraged more off-arterial connectivity.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:41PM on page 23

Idea

I feel like raised crosswalks can be a really beneficial treatment when applied well, providing a more comfortable/visible crossing and demanding drivers' attention at exactly the right spot. (This may be in contrast to regular speed bumps, which don't necessarily correspond to anything.) I'd love to prioritize these over plain speed bumps.

The War Eagle Dr crossing is nice, for example (although people park awfully close to it); it would've been nice to swap out a speed bump on Allegheny Dr for a raised crosswalk at Foothills Elementary.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:37PM on page 14

Idea

It's important to distinguish between posted speed limits and actual travel speeds. Research and history show that drivers base their speeds more on the design of the road than the posted speed limit; just swapping out the limit signs to for lower numbers will usually have little effect, especially on roads that were designed for higher speeds. At worst, that misleads people on typical driver behavior, leading to greater speed differences, more aggressive driving, and more crashes.

anonymous 3 Apr 2 2026 at 9:30PM on page 26

Idea

Setting speed limits appropriately is extremely important. The city seems to apply "lower posted speed limit by 5" as a quick response to complaints or bad driver behavior on roads where it doesn't fit the design (e.g., the wide, straight, access-controlled section of Centennial Blvd, or Vickers Dr after widening the lanes); then, the change is disregarded, and people register it as another road where you can go an extra 5mph faster. Research has shown that people predominantly base their driving speed on the road's design, and we should keep that in mind: just changing the signs is usually not helpful.

Molly Apr 2 2026 at 7:27AM on page 5

Question

I have read the comments and the plan and even read the comments on the post and I get frustrated because the city receives plenty of feedback on what we would like to see and it’s NEVER listened to. We’re growing increasingly frustrated because of the timing of the lights. I watch someone run a red light at EVERY red light because they have been stopped at the last 3 lights. My son attends Coronado HS. We live 1.3 miles from the school and it’s a 6 min drive because I get stuck at all 3 lights. You are either lobbied to do this for stop and go or you have the most incompetent engineer working the lights. And yet climate change and climate control is constantly pushed down our throats. What will it take to listen to the people here? There are such great recommendations, and I bet we don’t see any action take, other than what you’ve printed here.

Chris Apr 1 2026 at 11:04PM on page 31

If there are design standards for safety (4), those should be included into the traffic impact studies required of private development (3).

Chris Apr 1 2026 at 10:50PM on page 26

Question

I am curious why these are in place on North Nevada (Old North End) and not on the New South End portion of that road as well, where there is arguably more foot/scooter traffic with all the new apartments that have been added there in the past 3-5 years. Vehicle speeds increase, especially between Rio Grande and Las Vegas because there are no stoplights to slow them down.

in reply to Harrison's comment

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 10:20PM on page 34

Idea

Denver does this with buses and it's very effective at keeping them moving even when there's traffic. Annoys some drivers, but they get over it.

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 10:19PM on page 34

Idea

Unless they're static, so people know where to expect them, I haven't seen great evidence that speed cameras have a sustainable effect on behavior. Up earlier I commented that I'm in favor of permanent speed cameras in school zones, and that's true, but if it's just a camera van occasionally arbitrarily showing up on different streets I'm not convinced. But what do I know.

in reply to Joan Stang's comment

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 10:17PM on page 33

Answer

I agree with you. I'm not sure changing the law would change behavior in this case, but I agree with you.

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 10:16PM on page 33

Idea

Our public transit is laughable. May we do radically better soon.

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 10:15PM on page 33

Idea

In general I'd say I'm not a fan of speed cameras, as limited deployment tends not to change behavior and so ultimately I see them as arbitrary punishment of economically disadvantaged folks for whom the fine is more of a burden. That said, I am absolutely in favor of every school zone with anything like a busy road near it (I live near Columbia Elementary and Boulder St on its south side is a good example) should have a speed camera. Then it's predictable such that it changes behavior and actually helps to keep kids safer.

in reply to Daniel's comment

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 9:57PM on page 28

Answer

There's been quite a lot of data presented throughout this whole draft.

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 5:15PM on page 22

Idea

There are a lot of instances where physical space isn't really sufficient, depending on the road. Swapping bike lanes and parking lanes can be an effective way of dealing with that. I'd also love to see more physical barriers between bike lanes and car lanes where there is no parking present.

in reply to Jim's comment

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 5:14PM on page 22

Answer

That strikes me as kind of a sunk cost fallacy. Just because we've already built it one way doesn't mean we should keep it that way just because it would've been less expensive to do it differently in the first place.

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 5:12PM on page 22

Idea

These definitely have a learning curve. When they were installed in Denver, I constantly saw them ignored. That seems to have improved with time, though. So maybe a public education campaign with them if they're installed.

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 5:11PM on page 24

Idea

There's no need, for instance, for Boulder from Wahsatch to Union, Wahsatch anywhere, or even most of Nevada to have more than one lane in each direction. The kinds of speeding I see down these in largely residential neighborhoods (one of them my own) is outrageous.

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 5:09PM on page 24

Question

As I said in another comment, I think this is already in the city code, isn't it? 10.12.101.F-H. No parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk or 30 feet of a stop sign or stop light.

Seth Palmer Harris Apr 1 2026 at 5:05PM on page 24

Idea

This is a big one. There are so many intersections where cars are parked right up to the street I'm on, making it impossible to see oncoming intersecting traffic without being halfway into the road. I think this is a matter of code enforcement as, as I understand it, city code prohibits parking within 30 feet of the approach to a stop sign or traffic light. Signage frequently contradicts that, however.

James Bensberg Apr 1 2026 at 1:20PM on page 16

Answer

Regarding Motorcycle Crashes:
The Draft Plan states "Data indicated that motorcycle crashes are more likely to occur away from intersections, likely due to maneuvers like lane filtering, land splitting and overtaking. This indicates severe motorcycle crashes are often the result of risky driver behavior."
Lane filtering is legal in Colorado. Lane splitting is not. There is no data provided in this Plan to indicate any fatalities or serious injuries have occurred due to the now widely accepted practice of lane filtering by motorcyclists in Colorado. To say that this practice is "likely" to result in fatalities or injury is simply not supported by any data. In fact, there are data and studies to support the law which allows filtering indicating motorcyclists are far less likely to be struck from the rear when traffic is stopped.

in reply to Jim's comment

Peter Frantz Mar 31 2026 at 10:46PM on page 5

I think Jim has a good point. If you have one road segment with 10,000 vpd and one with 10 vpd, and they both have 5 fatalities in one year, then one would reasonably conclude that the smaller road is much higher risk to the user and deserves attention. However, the city standards for HRN inclusion appear to neglect this consideration.

Peter Frantz Mar 31 2026 at 10:34PM on page 2

24 of the 36 stakeholders appear to be on some kind of government payroll. Many of the rest are business representatives. I sincerely hope that the concerns of citizens that are posted in these comments have a substantial impact on the final composition of this document. If not, then this truly has the appearance of being composed to serve the interests of government and business, and neglecting the interests of the people that the government is here to serve.

Chris Mar 31 2026 at 10:24PM on page 14

I think it’s important to keep in mind that most drivers are driving faster than the posted speed limits, except maybe in active school zones. So when a speed limit is 35 mph, drivers are likely doing anywhere from 45-50. Speed limits should reflect this reality, meaning if we want people to drive 35 mph, then the sign/limit should read 25 mph.

Peter Frantz Mar 31 2026 at 10:24PM on page 2

It has always baffled me that neighborhood groups are not considered to hold a stake in projects like this.

JChapman Mar 30 2026 at 8:59PM on page 26

Idea

Excellent. Thanks for including this in the draft. Decades of research shows that speed limit compliance is low, and yet many cities continue to use the “85th-percentile” method, the traditional practice of setting speed limits based on how the driver feels when driving on a road. All other considerations, like the safety of non-drivers, are too often secondary. We need to re-frame urban safety by using other metrics rather than the 85th-percentile method.

JChapman Mar 30 2026 at 8:51PM on page 6

Idea

Slow roads save lives. It’s simple physics. Why else do city planners use statutory speed limit authority to lower speed limits at school zones and some parks to 20mph? The speed choice of drivers is outweighed by the safety of others, and, as a community, we prioritize safety in those settings.

Why not use the same logic in other areas where vulnerable users of streets and sidewalks are as present as vehicles?

JChapman Mar 30 2026 at 8:48PM on page 6

Idea

We are a car-centric community. Any Safety Action Plan in which road designers, city planners and engineers promote urban streets that are People-Centric is an improvement. Putting safety as a priority over speed moves consideration of people’s lives from the fringes to being the central component for road design and speed limits.

in reply to Jim 1's comment

Shamus Peterson Mar 30 2026 at 5:28PM on page 1

Idea

Self-driving cars are already really great today and getting better, but they are NOT a replacement for mass public transit and dense urban design that makes everything accessible without needing to use a car, self-driving or not.

Jenny Weber Mar 30 2026 at 4:06PM on page 20

Idea

Unlike most other parts of this map, note that the section of N. Nevada between Fillmore and Uintah is almost entirely residential. Yet it is listed as a high-risk stretch of road. Because it is residential, this should be a much higher priority for the city that it currently is.

Jim 1 Mar 30 2026 at 10:43AM on page 1

Idea

Since this is a plan, it should plan for various future aspects.
One very near-term future technology that the city should plan for is widespread use of self-driving cars, including self-driving taxis or ride shares. The city should carefully consider what's best for the people of the Springs. We should NOT blindly copy policies from places like Denver, NY, LA, etc. We should also NOT blindly respond in luddite fashion (banning or restricting things we don't understand), nor should we bow to interest groups (taxi drivers, etc.) that want to restrict self-driving cars to the detriment of residents.

If done well, the introduction and use of self-driving cars should substantially improve public safety.

Brittany Jones Mar 29 2026 at 4:52PM on page 7

Question

The current federal transportation policy has shifted to a more auto-oriented, highway-capacity-first approach. Does this federal reduction in support for multi-modal transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects jeopordize COS's plan (and budget) to incorporate the needs of vulnerable road users?

Brittany Jones Mar 29 2026 at 4:14PM on page 23

Question

I cross Uintah at 23rd or 24th (Thorndale Park) on foot or bike nearly every day. 1 in 20 car drivers pay any attention to those flashing beacons. Nearly all are driving 10-20mph over the posted speed limit. Neither speed limit signs nor flashing beacon signs overcome road design that encourages high speeds. How are we determining whether a sign will change driver behavior in a given location?

in reply to Joan Stang's comment

Brittany Jones Mar 29 2026 at 3:48PM on page 15

The fact that it isn't a straight intersection, but that trail users need to "jog" down 21st, then cut across oncoming traffic. Awful design. Followed closely by the Pikes Peak Greenway offshoot that runs you literally through the middle of Trader Joe's parking lot.

Shamus Peterson Mar 28 2026 at 2:14AM on page 26

Idea

Roads should have traffic calming that reflects their speed limit, so the driver doesn't feel safe speeding and the speed limit will enforce itself. Driving is a subconscious activity, and drivers who aren't staring at their speedometer will always speed if it feels safe.

in reply to Jim's comment

Shamus Peterson Mar 28 2026 at 1:27AM on page 26

Idea

If all the HPS streetlights in the city are replaced with LED lights, they would be more effective at improving visibility, and LED lighting will last much longer than HPS bulbs, saving the city money in the long run in maintenance costs.

in reply to Jim's comment

Shamus Peterson Mar 28 2026 at 12:54AM on page 22

Keep in mind that we can repurpose existing parts of a roadway into bike lanes, where the money to build it in the first place was already spent.

Shamus Peterson Mar 27 2026 at 10:25PM on page 23

Idea

Raised crosswalks will be way easier for wheelchair users to cross, and they will force drivers to slow down before they reach the crosswalk and will be less likely to stop in the middle of the crosswalk.

in reply to Joan Stang's comment

Shamus Peterson Mar 27 2026 at 8:25PM on page 33

Idea

Improved public transit will definitely result in less cars on the road as the people who don't want to drive or cannot drive safely will have a safe alternative.

If possible, I'd love for the traffic signals to give the transit routes higher priority over cars to help keep the buses on schedule and a single bus could easily be carrying more passengers than all the cars waiting at an intersection combined.

in reply to Richard's comment

Daniel Mar 27 2026 at 4:35PM on page 31

Public comment is open twice a month as Item 13 on the City Council agenda.

in reply to Nicole's comment

Daniel Mar 27 2026 at 4:31PM on page 28

Agreed. The amount of personal property (4,000lbs of steel) a citizen brings on their journey, shouldn't entitle them to more space or safety on our public rights-of-way.

Daniel Mar 27 2026 at 4:22PM on page 20

HRN right by Palmer HS with tons of kids walking. Need to fix this now before more people are hurt.

in reply to Rebecca 's comment

Daniel Mar 27 2026 at 4:10PM on page 1

Idea

Agreed. This is also largely driven by ZONING code that requires separation of uses in combination with massive developments that necessitate owning a vehicle. Fix the code. Please, give us options to take care of life within walking distance!

View all