Boulder’s New Intersection Speed Cameras are Catching a Lot of Speders—And That’s a Good Thing

Traffic intersection cameras caught more than 16,000 drivers going over 10 mph above the legal limit through intersections in Boulder in 2025.

City Council approved the cameras’ use in December 2023. It was on my very first meeting as a Councilor.

I don’t like fines. I’m skeptical of “smart” transportation tech. And I worry about surveillance.

But dangerous driving is a top killer. And inhospitable streets are a scourge on communities like Boulder. For starters, it’s probably the main reason kids don’t have the kind of free range and independence they used to.

This tech is doing real work to improve public safety and make our streets more accessible for everyone.

And so the green bars in the chart here, presented by Judge Jeffrey Cahn to council February 12, 2026, are a kind of good news. What they show is that we’re now managing this important problem more seriously, with data.

Going forward, we have to keep strengthening and tuning how we use automated traffic enforcement. That means we need to make sure we’re protecting people from unintended harms that can come from automated systems and personal data collection, while being firm and efficient in taking dangerous driving off the table. 

We’ll also have new opportunities to use the data coming from these systems to adjust automated enforcement for the greatest benefit, plus identify new and better interventions.

Many thanks to the staff and community members who have worked, and continue to work, to develop this important tool for the public’s safety and wellbeing.