The Cortez City Council approved a resolution Tuesday night that commits to the goal of ending traffic fatalities and serious injuries on the city’s streets.
By adopting the Cortez Safety Action Plan and Vision Zero Resolution, the city becomes eligible for federal funding for safety projects.
An Albuquerque engineering firm, Bohannan Huston, worked with the city starting last year to gather citizen input about safety concerns and problems. On Tuesday, a transportation planner with the firm, Clare Haley, gave the council an overview of the findings and recommendations.
Council member April Randle voiced concern about whether adopting the resolution meant “unfunded mandates.”
Interim Cortez Police Chief Andy Brock responded, “I believe what we’re obligating ourselves for is to do better. I don’t believe there’s any mandates in there.”
Randle asked whether there is an actual safety action plan, and City Manager Drew Sanders said yes.
Council member Robert Dobry said the council has spent considerable time discussing safety concerns about the intersection of Highways 160 and 491, which is called the West Y, as well as the southwestern area of Cortez in general. Dobry said, “This is an important thing to say to CDOT [the Colorado Department of Transportation], that death and danger are not acceptable on the streets of Cortez.”
The resolution passed 5 to 1, with Randle voting against it. Mayor Rachel Medina was absent.
More information can be seen at https://www.cortezsafestreets.com/
Gail Binkly is a career journalist who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Cortez Journal, and was the editor of the Four Corners Free Press, based in Cortez.