Zero citations for Pedestrian Access Act violations
A hotly debated city ordinance approved earlier this year appears to be having little impact.
Other than a handful of citations issued to protestors fighting the Pedestrian Access Act on its first day in effect, not a single person has been cited for sitting or lying in a sidewalk or public right of way, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Just six people were issued written warnings.
The Act’s approval by the Colorado Springs city council followed months of objections from the ACLU and other advocates for the homeless.
But four months after it took effect, downtown workers and visitors question the impact.
Anyone driving through downtown can easily observe plenty of vagrancy and panhandling.
“I know business owners all up and down here deal with it on a daily basis,” said Chelsea Lowe, store manager at Zeezo’s.
Lowe is among several downtown workers who told us the situation is no different now than it was a year ago.
“I don’t honestly know if there has been that big of a difference. I mean my staff is still in the same position. I still have to deal with the same vagrancy issues day to day. I haven’t noticed a big change,” said Lowe.
Bryce Myers, a frequent visitor downtown, said, “Yeah, it’s about the same as I recall a year or two ago.”
Even panhandlers tell KRDO Newschannel 13 that officers have yet to question them about the ordinance.
Part of the reason for the lack of citations may be enforceability.
The manager of one downtown restaurant was told by police that it’s still ok to sit on the side of large planter boxes found on nearly every street corner.
Someone actually has to be sitting or lying in the sidewalk to violate the ordinance.
CSPD attributes the lack of citations to a lack of violators, saying in an email Thursday, “Our officers have seen a high level of compliance with the ordinance as they have spoken with first time violators, so no further enforcement measures have had to be taken.”
Those who are cited can face up to a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail if police catch them more than once.
