Colorado speed cameras are spreading. Drivers have concerns

Colorado drivers are seeing more speed cameras on roads that once relied mostly on police patrols. 

The state is now issuing $75 civil penalties through automated cameras in active work zones on Colorado 119 between Boulder and Longmont and Interstate 25 between Mead and Berthoud. Boulder has also expanded automated enforcement at high-traffic intersections, raising a familiar question for drivers: Are the cameras there to make roads safer or to generate fines?

“They’re obviously positioned in spots where they’re going to generate the most revenue; I mean, it’s a money printing machine for sure,” said Matt Carson, a resident of Longmont. “This was right where you go from 40 mph to 35, and they put it half a block before that, so they know that’s right where they’re going to get you.”

The Colorado Department of Transportation says its Colorado Speed Enforcement Program is designed to manage speeds and reduce speed-related crashes on state-owned highways. The program uses cameras to calculate a driver’s average speed between two points by dividing the distance traveled by the travel time. Drivers recorded going 10 mph or more over the posted speed limit in active enforcement zones receive a civil penalty by mail.

“Work zones are high-risk areas with narrow and shifting lanes, closures and sudden stops, making speeding especially dangerous,” said CDOT Chief Engineer Keith Stefanik in a release explaining the Speed Enforcement Program. “This program is about protecting lives, not punishing drivers. Enforcing compliance with posted speed limits means safer roads statewide for all.”

State officials point to crash data as the reason for expanding automated enforcement. CDOT says speeding accounted for more than 36% of traffic deaths in Colorado over the last five years and that nearly 70% of Coloradans admit to speeding on highways. The agency also cites Federal Highway Administration research showing automated enforcement can reduce crashes, injuries and deaths.

Since the Colorado Speed Enforcement Program launched, CDOT says active corridors have seen sharp decreases in excessive speeding. Since the start of the warning period, which began in July 2025, speeding along CO 119 has decreased by an average of 8 MPH.

“Our primary goal is safety on our roadways, and addressing excessive speeds on our most vulnerable corridors is necessary,” Stefanik said. “The Colorado Speed Enforcement Program is intended to serve as a reminder to drivers of our shared vision of a future without serious traffic injuries or fatalities and the safety measures taken to make that vision a reality.”

Boulder officials have made a similar argument for the city’s automated enforcement program. The city says speeding is one of the top causes of crashes in Boulder, and camera locations are chosen based on crash history, speeding, reckless driving and community complaints over a five-year period. The cameras are part of Boulder’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate fatal and serious-injury crashes.

“Speeding is one of the top two causes of crashes in our community,” said Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to drive safely and obey the speed limit.”

But for drivers like Carson, the promise of safer roads does not erase concerns about fairness. Carson said he was ticketed for another driver’s speeding. He said he was driving around 5 mph over the speed limit, a speed that would not normally trigger a ticket, when a pickup truck sped past him and took a fast left, leaving Carson’s license plate in the image.

“You can see it in the little clip they show you when you go to pay it; you see the tail end of this white truck,” Carson said. “I looked down at my speed right when I saw the flash. I remember it being four or five miles over, definitely not 12.”

Carson ultimately paid the ticket, but he remains skeptical that automated enforcement alters driver behavior.

“I’ve read the research on this,” Carson said. “There’s no outcome in any research I’ve seen that has shown that these types of enforcement measures change behavior in any way.”

Julien Schaffner, a University of Colorado Boulder student, said he received two automated speeding tickets while riding his motorcycle on Broadway.

“Both of them were on Broadway,” Schaffner said. “It was daytime, so I didn’t even see the flash.”

Schaffner said he did not know there were speed cameras on Broadway and thought Boulder only had red-light cameras on Arapahoe Avenue.

“I honestly feel like they’re traps,” Schaffner said. “I would understand if the camera was at Pearl Street Mall, but it was two blocks after that.

A bill passed by Colorado lawmakers this year could make the debate louder. Senate Bill 26-152, sent to the governor May 27, would lower the threshold for some automated speeding citations from 10 mph over the limit to 6 mph over. It would also create a process for vehicle owners to prove they were not driving and require vendors to be paid flat fees rather than based on ticket volume or revenue.

At the same time, speed cameras are becoming increasingly visible. Six speed cameras are located on northbound and southbound Colorado 119 between mile markers 46.4 and 47.5, between Jay Road and Lookout Road. Eight cameras are placed along the northbound and southbound lanes of I-25 between Mead and Berthoud, between mile markers 244.3 and 249.4. Warnings will begin on June 30 in Pueblo’s I-25/U.S. 50B interchange reconstruction work zone.

While CDOT says signs are posted at least 300 feet before speed camera zones, drivers interviewed for this story said they do not always feel clearly warned before they are ticketed.

“I mean, 10 over might seem insane,” Schaffner said, “but on Broadway, I feel like 30 mph is pretty slow.”

Schaffner said lowering the ticket threshold would make the system feel even less fair because driving conditions can change quickly.

“It’s totally unfair because there are always different circumstances,” Schaffner said. “Like needing to overtake a reckless driver for your own safety or if something falls off a truck, so staying under 6 mph is not always reasonable.”

Even so, the tickets have changed how he drives. Schaffner said he is now more aware of camera locations and has resolved to slow down, especially within Boulder County.

Transportation officials say that kind of behavior change is the point of automated enforcement. But for skeptical drivers, the growing presence of automated enforcement raises a different question: whether safer streets require cameras watching around the clock.

“It’s one thing to station cops giving out tickets,” he said, “but these cameras are running 24/7.”