KSJD Local Newscast - February 21, 2025

The city of Cortez has released its draft Safety Action Plan. Its goal is to eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes in the city. The plan was created after input from local citizens. Speeding was a top concern given by respondents. Some other main concerns included inconsistent bicycle lanes and sidewalks, distracted driving, intoxicated driving, speeding in front of schools, and drivers not yielding to pedestrians. 536 crashes occurred on Cortez’s roadways from 2018 to 2022. Five people were killed in those crashes and 21 were seriously injured. The draft document says Main Street, Empire Street, Roger Smith Avenue, and Highway 145 are Cortez’s highest-risk streets. Safety counter-measures that received strong support from respondents included better street lighting, sidewalks, and pedestrian crossings. The plan says traffic-calming measures received less support than other counter-measures, with the only one that garnered more than 50 percent support being speed bumps. Many people appear to dislike the medians on Main Street, according to the document. It says numerous respondents identified the medians as unsafe and recommended removing them. Another safety measure that drew strong reactions was roundabouts, with respondents either hating or loving them. The plan is available for public review on the CortezSafeStreets.com website. Comments can be made through March 31. Comments can be shared using the form on the website, by emailing cortezsafestreets@bhinc.com, or by calling 505-264-0111 before March 31.