Published: April 8, 2016
People riding bikes on a path

Heads Up Boulder, Mind the Crosswalk. Have a great summer and please remember that there are three new city traffic ordinances to help keep you safe at crosswalks. Stop & Wait. Stop when another car has yielded at crosswalk.University of Colorado Boulder and city of Boulder police will step up enforcement of the city’s traffic laws in and around several of Boulder’s top locations for motor vehicle collisions involving a bicyclist or pedestrian beginning Monday, April 11. As part of the Heads Up Boulder crosswalk safety campaign, officers from the two departments will be at select intersections around the CU campus to give out warnings and issue tickets.

Data shows that nearly half of all collisions within the city occur at intersections, and that crosswalks are the most common locations for collisions between motor vehicles and bicyclists or pedestrians.

The three crosswalk-safety ordinances require:

  • Pedestrians and bicyclists to activate the flashing lights at crosswalks before entering the road or face a $50 fine
  • Bicyclists to slow to 8 mph or less as they approach, enter and traverse a crosswalk at all intersections or face a $50 fine
  • Drivers approaching a crosswalk to stop and wait for a crossing pedestrian, or face a $125 fine and receive four points on their driving records

The campaign lasts through Friday, April 15, and each day police will be joined by volunteer Heads Up ambassadors who will distribute educational material, coupons and small gifts to reinforce the Heads Up Boulder safety message.

Heads Up campaign.