Feb 27, 2008 9:41 pm US/Mountain
Road Workers May Get More Protection From Drivers
By Steven K. Paulson, AP Writer
DENVER (AP) ―
The teary widow of a state construction worker begged lawmakers Wednesday to pass legislation that would allow the state to use photo radar on highway construction projects.
Lawmakers in 2002 limited photo radar's use after concerns communities were using photo radar primarily as a revenue source rather than enforcement.
At a news conference, Leena Mather said her husband, Charles, was serving the state when he was struck and killed in 2006 when a semitrailer crashed into a pickup truck and careened into a repaving project on Interstate 25 near Pueblo.
At the time, Leena was expecting the couple's first child.
"These highway workers are only a few feet away from a car traveling through the construction zone and if you're speeding through there, everybody's at risk," she said.
Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, said it doesn't make sense for Colorado to have a law barring the use of photo radar in construction zones.
Currently, photo vans must post signs warning motorists they're being photographed. The devices are only allowed in school zones, streets lined mostly by houses with speed limits 35 mph or slower, and on streets along municipal parks.
McFadyen said construction zones should also be allowed.
"It's not about revenue, it's about public safety. It's about saving lives," she said.
She said in 2004, the most recent statistics available, showed there were 1,906 crashes in work zones statewide, causing 14 deaths and 768 injuries.
The Colorado State Patrol said if the new legislation passes, the state would contract out the services and could have two or three vans roaming the state by the time highway construction season begins later this year.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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