By Peter Marcus, DENVER DAILY NEWS
A House committee yesterday backed legislation that would cap late registration fees for trailers at $10.
Senate Bill 198 came to be after the Democratic-controlled Legislature last year increased vehicle registration fees in order to raise an estimated $250 million annually for crumbling roads and bridges.
But an unintended consequence of the Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery (FASTER) legislation is that owners of camper and multipurpose trailers were seeing late registration penalties of anywhere from $25 per month up to $100. Because motorists are not as vigilant about registering their trailers as they are their motorized vehicles, drivers started seeing expensive penalties for waiting to register their trailers.
Rep. Wes McKinley, a Democrat from Walsh who voted against the FASTER legislation and is sponsoring SB 198, said he hopes the bill will ease some “ruffled feathers.” When the legislation took effect, angry trailer owners — especially from the agricultural community — complained passionately about late fees mounting to more than the worth of their trailers.
“The biggest contention of the FASTER bill is those hideous late fees that they put on,” said McKinley. “If you’ve got a trailer, a camper trailer — and there’s a lot of camper trailers out there that people have got in storage — all of a sudden they’re looking up; they’ve got to pay that increased fee, and they get a $100 penalty.”
“This is just to say that we’ve recognized that there’s a problem out there and we never intended this to happen, so let this be a little bit of relief for you,” he continued.
SB 198 would cut the late fee for non-motorized vehicles over 2,000 pounds and less than 16,000 pounds and camper trailers or multi-purpose trailers regardless of weight from $25 per month to $10.
The measure was backed last week by the Senate with little opposition. It passed through the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs committee last week by a unanimous vote.

Off to appropriations
The legislation was backed by the House State, Veteran & Military Affairs Committee yesterday by a vote of 8-3. It now heads to appropriations. 
SB 198 works in concert with House Bill 1211, which has already reduced late vehicle registration fees to $10 per month for non-motorized vehicles weighing less than 2,000 pounds. Sen. Bruce Whitehead, D-Hesperus, attempted to attach an amendment to HB 1211 to lower the fee regardless of weight, but the amendment failed to pass the House.
Whitehead acknowledges the late timing of SB 198, but said it is necessary to address concerns from his constituents.
“I had to apply for late bill status to introduce this legislation; however, it was necessary because I knew how important this measure was for my constituents,” Whitehead said in a statement. “While we want to ensure citizens are registering vehicles on time, we cannot unfairly burden our agricultural communities who often own multiple trailers but only utilize them once or twice a year.”

Opposition
Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver, joined Rep. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, and Rep. Lois Court, D-Denver, in voting against SB 198 yesterday after a hearing in the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee. Labuda believes lowering registration penalties will only take money away from crumbling roads and bridges when it is most necessary. 
There are 126 structurally deficient bridges across the state; 115 bridges are 75 years old; highway sections are 75 to 100 years old; and interstate sections are up to 50 years old. 
“Anytime I see a bill like this where people are pleading, ‘Please exempt me from the late fee because I don’t know whether I’m a little guy or whether I don’t use my trailer or whatever very much,’ this takes away from the funding to repair those pot holes that the driver’s probably going to drive over and then break an axle in his car that we couldn’t pay for because we exempted his vehicle,” said Labuda.
“Pay the $100 fee one time and you’ll remember next time,” she concluded.

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By Debi Brazzale, COLORADO NEWS AGENCY

Calling the bill innovative and affordable, lawmakers Tuesday signaled their approval of a short-term solution to a long-time problem–congestion along the I-70 corridor through Colorado’s ski areas.

Senate Bill 184, sponsored by Democratic Senators Dan Gibbs of Silverthorne and Chris Romer of Denver, would allow the Colorado Department of Transportation to create a “zipper” lane along I-70 — a reversible lane utilized to accommodate overflow traffic in either direction.

Gibbs said the zipper will allow the flow of mountain rush-hour traffic to increase by fifty-percent, also noting that studies he has seen indicate for every hour traffic is at a standstill correlates to $1 million in lost revenue for Colorado’s tourism industry.  Gibbs also stated that contrary to popular belief, the busiest months for the corridor are July and August, not the winter months.  On average, 500,000 vehicles travel through the Eisenhower tunnel monthly.

Romer emphasized that this is bill is only a temporary fix.

“This is a common sense way to put a down payment on a long term solution,” said Romer.

Republican Minority leader Josh Penry of Grand Junction said he supports the measure because it gives CDOT the flexibility to apply the zipper as needed at a relatively low cost.

“This allows us to take a big step forward and do it through innovation rather than asking for more money,” said Penry.

Although there wasn’t any opposition to the measure, a couple of lawmakers reminded their colleagues that while the zipper seems like a good idea, it could ultimately bring back the traffic jams it is intended to cure.

“In reality what’s going to happen is more people will travel to the mountains–of course it’ll be good for the tourism,” said Rep. David Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs. “But it’ll be jammed again within a couple of years.”

Dovetailing Shultheis’ observations, Rep Joyce Foster, D-Denver, said she agreed with Schultheis, and lamented that the traffic issues weren’t addressed years earlier when discussions first emerged in the 1970’s about building a rail line.  For some, like Foster, a rail line is inevitable as a long-term solution

This state has to make a commitment to the trains sooner than later and unfortunately it’s going to be much later,” said Foster.

SB184 is on the calendar for 3^rd Reading Wednesday for an up or down roll call vote.

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By Gene Davis, DENVER DAILY NEWS
A Senate committee Thursday backed a bill that could relieve congestion on the I-70 mountain corridor during its busiest hours.
If the plan was found to be safe and feasible, Senate Bill 184 would require the Colorado Department of Transportation to use movable 300-pound barriers to add an extra eastbound lane to the I-70 mountain corridor between Floyd Hill and the Eisenhower-Johnson tunnels. The moveable barriers are expected to help relieve the traffic gridlocks caused by people heading back from the mountains on weekends and holidays.
“The bottom line is that we love those mountains and we live in this state to get access to the mountains, we have gridlocks emerging on our highways and we need to do something different,” said Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, one of the bill’s sponsors.
The Colorado Department of Transportation already has the authority to implement the so-called “zipper lanes” and is in the midst of a study to determine whether doing so would be feasible.
“I don’t know that the bill really does anything different than what we could already do,” said CDOT Spokeswoman Stacey Stegman. “I think that it sends a message to CDOT that we want you to seriously consider implementing this quickly.”
Stegman warned against moving too quickly, though, as the steep grades and large amounts of snow make I-70 an “incredibly difficult highway” that brings plenty of challenges. Additionally, the extra eastbound lane would leave only one lane going westbound, an idea some community members have opposed, according to Stegman. The CDOT study is expected to be completed in approximately two weeks.
The moveable lanes are expected to annually cost $2-$2.5 million per year. The senate bill calls for a public-private partnership to help cut down on the cost to the state.
The measure passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee on a bipartisan 6-0 vote.

Other measures addressing I-70 traffic
The Senate Transportation Committee Thursday also passed a bill that would require vehicles in the left lane of the steepest parts of I-70 to go no less than 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit. Drivers going less than 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit on stretches of I-70 with 6-percent grade inclines could get a $19 ticket.
Speakers at Thursday’s committee hearing said while the two measures would not be complete solutions to the I-70 traffic problems, they are small steps that could help ease the traffic gridlocks. CDOT has already implemented some short-term solutions, such as expanding the number of chain-up stations and posting the travel times for motorists on I-70.
CDOT’s long-term vision for improving the I-70 mountain corridor includes building a rail system through the area. The long-term plan has yet to get federal approval and is expected to cost billions of dollars.
“It’s a complicated highway from a transportation perspective, so we have to be really incredibly thoughtful about what we do,” said Stegman.

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Sens. Chris Romer of Denver and Dan Gibbs of Silverthorne, both Democrats, want to use moveable barriers to temporarily add an eastbound lane on Interstate 70 on weekends when people head back to the Front Range from the mountains, the Associated Press reports.

The so-called “zipper lane” proposal is up for its first hearing at the Capitol on Thursday in the Senate Transportation Committee.

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Drivers could register their vehicles for two years at a time under a GOP-backed bill that passed its initial vote in the House on Tuesday, but they’ll still be socked with late fees if they don’t re-register on time, The Denver Post reports.

House Bill 1268 sparked a tussle over controversial late fees that have irked many drivers since they took hold a year ago. House lawmakers gave the legislation initial approval Tuesday.

Sponsor Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, said the bill will make life easier for county clerks and recorders and cut down on traffic, wait times and other headaches at local clerks’ offices.

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By Peter Marcus, DENVER DAILY NEWS
Regional Transportation District officials this evening will vote on whether to send to voters a ballot initiative that would raise RTD sales tax an additional four-tenths of a percent to complete the voter-approved FasTracks project by 2017.
The crippled light rail expansion project — which is facing a shortfall of at least $2.4 billion — was promised to voters in 2004 at a price tag of $4.7 billion. But RTD says soaring costs of materials coupled with the global recession won’t allow planners to complete the project by 2017 as promised, unless there is another tax increase.
“We have been very diligent about thinking through all the latest information surrounding FasTracks, including feedback from our regional stakeholders,” Lee Kemp, chair of the RTD Board, said in a statement. “The last part of the process is hearing directly from the public — our customers and taxpayers.”
A public hearing will be held at the board meeting tonight, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at RTD headquarters, 1600 Blake St.
Some anti-tax crusaders, however, would rather see the project completed with whatever resources are currently available rather than raise taxes again. Jon Caldara, president of the libertarian Independence Institute, believes officials have been lying to the public since they went to voters with the proposal.
“It’s hard to build support from taxpayers when you continually lie to them,” said Caldara. “There was no way from the beginning that this could have been done on time and on budget.”
Caldara sat on the RTD Board from 1994-1998, during which time he opposed the FasTracks proposal. He does not believe voters will go for another tax increase.
“RTD is massively stupid, but they’re not so massively stupid as to put this on the ballot for this year,” quipped Caldara. “It would be blown apart into little, itsy-bitsy pieces.”
A vote of the people has been postponed since the additional tax has been discussed. Polling indicates that voters are not in favor of a tax increase. Last year the issue was the odd election year; this year there is concern about the economic downturn.
If a sales tax vote is approved by voters this year, RTD would be able to complete the project by 2017, according to RTD officials. If voters approve the tax hike in 2012, the program would be complete by 2019. If voters do not approve a tax increase, the project would not be completed until 2042, according to FasTracks planners.
Lines at risk are the Interstate 225 Corridor in Aurora; the North Metro Corridor from Union Station to Thornton, Commerce City and Northglenn; and the Northwest Rail Corridor from Union Station to Longmont, passing through north Denver, Adams County, Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville and Boulder.
The Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) is hopeful that voters would approve the tax increase if presented to them on the ballot. The group argues that light rail expansion would save taxpayers money on gas and other travel expenses.
Danny Katz, director of CoPIRG, points out that the average Coloradan spends 17 percent of their income on transportation expenses.
“The most important thing right now is figuring out how can we build the system in its entirety, because it’s an important system — it connects the entire Denver Metro region and it has numerous, numerous benefits, from environmental to economic to jobs,” said Katz.
A spokesman for Mayor John Hickenlooper, who has been a huge proponent of FasTracks, said Monday that the mayor would support sending to voters a tax increase proposal to pay for the system.
“He is committed to completing FasTracks in its full breadth and scope,” said Eric Brown, Hickenlooper’s spokesman. “We recognize that may mean asking voters for more support. We are confident the RTD Board of Directors will determine the best way to move forward.”
Katz shrugs off accusations that RTD promised something to voters that was never possible. He points out that the T-REX project, including the Southeast light rail line, was completed in 2006 $3.7 million under budget and 22 months ahead of schedule.
“It surprises me that anyone can claim that RTD has any sort of track record of not delivering,” said Katz.
“We absolutely think it’s because of the economy,” he said of the shortfall. “When you have something that’s dependent on sales tax revenue and then you go into one of the worst recessions in the last 50 years, then it’s not surprising that we’re coming up short.”

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By Peter Marcus, DENVER DAILY NEWS
Contractors are concerned over a budget-balancing measure making its way through the Legislature that would divert as much as $20 million annually away from state-funded bridge and highway projects.
House Bill 1387, which has already made its way through the House and is currently being debated by the Senate, would divert approximately $20 million away from the Highway User Tax Fund — which pays for bridge and highway repairs — to the Department of Revenue for driver’s license administration.
The measure, which has bipartisan support, aims at assisting in closing the state’s estimated $1.3 billion shortfall. The bill is part of the proposed $18.2 billion budget, which was taken up by the Senate Thursday after making its way through the House.
Contractors wonder why the Democratic-controlled Legislature pushed a bill through the Legislature last year that increased vehicle registration fees in order to raise $250 million annually for transportation funding, only to then propose diverting $20 million annually away from bridge and highway projects. The state has 126 structurally deficient bridges and hundreds of miles of crumbling highways to fix.
“How do the governor and those who voted for FASTER honestly tell their constituents that the number of structurally deficient bridges and poor highways required a vehicle registration fees increase last year, but then turn around this year and divert tens of millions away from those same structurally deficient bridges and high-priority highway projects?” asked Tony Milo, executive director of the Colorado Contractors Association. “Do legislators really believe the public and media will endorse diverting $20 million per year — $200 million over the next decade — away from road and bridge projects after they just approved FASTER?”
Sen. Al White, R-Hayden, a member of the powerful Joint Budget Committee, is sponsoring HB 1387 in the Senate. He said he is open to discussing amendments that would sunset the diversion, rather than make it permanent.
But the issue for White is about budget-balancing and paying for services with fees that are intended for those services. He pointed out that about $17.3 million is placed in the Highway User Tax Fund each year from revenue generated through processing driver’s licenses.
“Somewhere along the line … there became some consideration of entitlement that the purpose of those funds were for highway construction — I think it’s just historical disconnect somewhere because it seems to me that if I need a driver’s license this year and you don’t, that I should pay the fee to support that process instead of taking money out of the general fund, which are your taxes,” said White. “Why should your taxes go to support my processing of a driver’s license if you don’t need one and I do?”
White and his supporters, including Joint Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, are aiming at uniformity in paying for licensing.
“We’re trying to move toward having fees cover the cost of any program — whether it’s agricultural inspection, whether it’s restaurant inspection, whether it’s licensure of Realtors — the fee that the person who is being licensed pays should cover the entire cost of operating that program,” he said.
But Milo says the diversion couldn’t come at a worse time for his industry. He points out that business is down anywhere from 30-40 percent for the construction industry.
State-funded Colorado Department of Transportation projects usually boost the industry by anywhere between $400 million to $600 million, according to Milo. But a diversion of $20 million would take a large chunk out of the boost, he said.
The first FASTER projects are in the works, but construction is only just beginning on a handful of them. Only two projects are under contract, according to a CDOT FASTER Web site.
“The industry, legislators and the governor had to work very hard to get FASTER through — because there’s a dire need,” said Milo. “So, to take a step forward and then what feels like a little bit of a step back with this diversion is frustrating, because we do have so many needs here in Colorado for transportation.”

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Truckers should be encouraged by the latest action in the Colorado House to pursue the transfer of responsibility for the state’s Port of Entry, Land Line Magazine reports. The Colorado Department of Revenue now operates the Ports of Entry weigh stations throughout the state. The House Transportation and Energy Committee held a public hearing Thursday, March 4, and then voted to advance a bill that would hand over that responsibility to the State Patrol within the Colorado Department of Public Safety.

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Hundreds of thousands of skiers and snowboarders could see congested down-mountain commutes eased next winter with legislation meant to nudge transportation officials toward a new-to-Colorado technology, The Denver Post reports. Movable concrete barriers would divide a section of westbound Interstate 70 on weekend afternoons, temporarily rededicating the inside lane to eastbound traffic along one of the roadway’s most snarled segments.

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State Sen. Dan Gibbs wants to improve Interstate 70 mountain traffic flow by keeping large commercial trucks out of the fast lane on steeper grades, he tells The Summit Daily News. “My goal is to improve mobility and efficiency along the highway,” Gibbs said. He’s sponsoring a bill to be introduced this week that would require vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds to stay out of the left lane on grades of 6 percent or more.

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