Proposed Cheyenne Ordinance Aims To Crack Down On Speeders

The Cheyenne City Council is considering an ordinance allowing for the doubling of traffic fines in neighborhoods where speeding is a problem.

You can read the proposed ordinance here.

It's slated to be heard on a second reading at tonight's (June 10) city council meeting. The proposal would need to win approval on three readings before becoming law.

Under the proposal, people could sign a petition asking the city to study their neighborhoods for traffic concerns. If at least five people in a neighborhood sign such a petition, the city will conduct a study to determine if there are safety concerns related to speeding. The complaint forms for people who want to raise the issue will be available to the public through the city engineer's office.

If the study determines that unsafe driving poses a problem in the area, the neighborhood could be designated as a Critical Traffic Control Area. People ticketed for speeding in such an area would face double the usual fine for speeding in the city, similar to a ticket for speeding in a construction zone. Other measures, like the installation of temporary calming devices, might also be taken.

How A Study Would Determine Whether Speeding Is A Problem

The ordinance specifies how the study would measure the alleged problem:

''the study period shall include not less than two (2) weekdays and not less than one (1) weekend Saturday as data gathering points. In addition, a crash history for not less than the previous five (5) years shall be obtained and a crash data analysis shall be developed and summarized. If the results of the study substantiate the complaint, the program committee may designate the affected area as a critical traffic control area.''

Mayor Patrick Collins, in his ''Mayoral Minute' column on Friday, said the city council hears a lot of complaints about speeding in neighborhoods. He added ''I wish we did not have to take this action. For the safety of our neighborhoods, please slow down.''