SB 24-036

Senate Bill 24-036, known as the Vulnerable Road User Protection Enterprise, aims to protect pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users by creating a fund within the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). This fund will be generated through fees on passenger cars and light trucks based on their weight and configuration. The money collected will be used for infrastructure improvements and safety measures identified in CDOT’s assessment to reduce collisions that cause serious injury or death to vulnerable road users. With the bill now signed into law, CDOT is required to develop a 5-year plan, maintain an accountability dashboard, and submit annual reports on how these funds are being utilized.

Official Summary

Transportation Legislation Review Committee. The bill creates the vulnerable road user protection enterprise in the department of transportation (CDOT) for the purpose of providing funding for transportation system infrastructure improvements and other data-driven strategies identified in the federal highway administration-mandated vulnerable road user safety assessment, which CDOT is required to develop, that reduce the number of collisions with motor vehicles that result in death or serious injury to vulnerable road users (eligible projects). The enterprise is required to impose a vulnerable road user protection fee, which is imposed in tiered amounts that are calculated based on motor vehicle weight and configuration, on the registration of passenger cars and light trucks that are not commercial vehicles. Fee revenue is credited to a newly created vulnerable road user protection enterprise cash fund and continuously appropriated to the enterprise. The enterprise is authorized to provide grants, subject to specified parameters relating to grant amounts, matching money requirements, and the use of grant money, to fund eligible projects. The enterprise is required to: Publish and post on its website a 5-year plan that details how the enterprise will execute its business purpose and estimates the amount of funding that will be available to implement the plan; Create, maintain, and regularly update on its website a public accountability dashboard; and Prepare an annual report, present the report to the transportation commission and specified legislative committees, and post the report on its website.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)