Opinion ID: 2599123
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Interest at Stake is a Mixed State and Local Issue

Text: Our analysis shows that both the Cities and the state have important interests at stake. The state's interests include the uniform regulation of automated vehicle identification systems  a method of traffic enforcement so fundamentally different than traditional methods of enforcement that it significantly alters Colorado citizens' basic expectations. In addition, the extraterritorial impact is clear: the two cities that had already implemented automated systems ticketed a high number of non-residents. Moreover, given the practicalities of our commuter culture and our integrated highway system, Colorado drivers may regularly drive through multiple jurisdictions, increasing the impact on Colorado's citizens as a whole. On the other hand, the Cities have an interest in regulating traffic on their local streets and assuring that those streets are safe for their citizens. The Cities also have an interest in enforcing fines against those who break local traffic laws and in controlling their municipal courts. On the whole, we cannot conclude that the State's interests are so insignificant that the matter is one of purely local interest. Thus, we hold that the regulation of automated vehicle identification systems to enforce traffic laws is a matter of mixed state and local concern. Therefore, the challenged provisions of section 42-4-110.5 and section 42-3-112(14) do not unconstitutionally infringe on the Cities' home-rule powers under Amendment XX, Section 6 of the Colorado Constitution.