Proposed bill would add extra fee for large SUV and truck drivers to fund safety infrastructure

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would add an extra yearly fee on top of vehicle registration for owners of large SUVs and trucks.

The fees range from $3 to $43 each year depending on a car's weight, but some Coloradans driving lighter cars wouldn't pay a cent. The money generated from the fees would then go toward infrastructure safety projects for cyclists and pedestrians.

"Vulnerable users, or bicyclists and pedestrians, people outside of cars basically, have been victims of roadway fatalities at an increasing amount," said Cully Radvillas, a Colorado Springs cyclist and Communications Director for Bike Colorado Springs.

Radvillas says cycling is a massive part of his life. He rides his bike to work and to drop off his son at school, and he has incredibly positive things to say about the urban trail system in Colorado Springs.

Radvillas says the trail system connects cyclists to different parts of the city, but he does say there is room for improvement.

"The more that can be done to provide safe infrastructure and safer systems on the roadways to protect those vulnerable road users is definitely welcome," said Radvillas.

He is a supporter of SB24-036, which would create a group within the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) committed to improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

However, Coloradans like Nelson Archuleta are hesitant.

"How much are you going to propose and what's it going to cost me as a taxpayer?" asked Archuleta.

Nelson Archuleta says he is a recreational cyclist and understands how dangerous cycling can be. He believes improvements need to be made to guarantee safety for cyclists and pedestrians, but he is cautious to support further taxes.

If this bill passed, a "Vulnerable Road User Protection Fee" would be imposed through an assessment of weight and configuration. According to the bill text, only those registered in the 12 most populous counties of the state would be subject to the fee.

For drivers of passenger cars, the proposed fees are as follows:

$0.00 — less than 3,500 lbs
$3.00 — 3,500 to 4,499 lbs
$4.40 — 4,500 to 5,499 lbs
$6.40 — 5,500 to 6,499 lbs
$9.30 — 6,500 to 7,499 lbs
$13.60 — 7,500 to 8,499 lbs
$19.90 — 8,500 to 9,499 lbs
$29.10 — 9,500 lbs or more

For drivers of light trucks, the fees are as follows:

$0 — less than 3,500 lbs
$4.50 — 3,500 to 4,499 lbs
$6.60 — 4,500 lbs to 5,499 lbs
$9.60 — 5,500 lbs to 6,499 lbs
$14.00 — 6,500 to 7,499 lbs
$20.40 — 7,500 lbs to 8,499 lbs
$29.90 — 8,500 to 9,499 lbs
$43.60 — 9,500 lbs or more

According to the bill, those fees would be enacted from January 1, 2025, to July 1, 2025. From July 1st, 2025 on, the Vulnerable Road User Protection Fee would be adjusted for inflation and rounded to the nearest cent.