Owners of large SUVs and trucks in Colorado could pay more to fund pedestrian safety measures

 Drivers in Colorado’s most populated counties would pay more to register larger cars and trucks under a plan advanced by state legislators earlier this month, as policymakers look to blunt a recent surge in pedestrian and cyclist deaths.

The new fees would go toward projects that make roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, charging the owners of larger vehicles because their heft increases the risk of injury or death.

The bill, which is being prepared for potential consideration during the state legislative session early next year, would increase vehicle registration fees in Colorado’s 12 most populous counties for cars, sport utility vehicles and trucks that weigh at least 3,500 pounds. Nearly all of those counties are located along the Front Range, from Fort Collins in the north through metro Denver and Colorado Springs to Pueblo. Seth Klamann reports...Denver Post newsletter