Open Letter to the Town of Lyons

Good afternoon all,

I just wanted to take some time and voice a few reminders as the “spring fever” that we all get starts to set in. There are more people out and more outdoor activities taking place in and around town.
 
The heavy traffic season is just around the corner; however, we continue to receive more and more traffic complaints in all areas of Town. Speeding is still an issue along the main ingress and egress corridors, and in the neighborhoods. We had a near miss with a student and vehicle at one of our schools last week, and I’m receiving reports of motorists running stop signs in school zones. We are taking the necessary steps to rectify the situation at the school as student safety is paramount.
 
Since I took over as your Police Chief in late August of 2016, traffic volume and enforcement has been at the top of my list. I have been working with Town staff, Fire Chief Hoffman, local residences, and other resources to come up with possible solutions to these problems. We have a Community Meeting open to everyone, scheduled for April 6th at 6:00 pm at the Lyons Town Hall Board Room, to discuss options and brainstorm any ideas that we have (see details below). Our extra duty traffic assignments are still going on during the weekends and on Mondays. Specific expectations are for traffic enforcement and school zone patrols. Starting today, you will be seeing our speed radar trailer out in different areas of town to help remind folks to slow down.
 
The Town of Lyons is part of District 3, as it pertains to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. This district is 65 square miles and the Town of Lyons encompasses just 1 square mile. On a normal day, we have only one deputy in the district to cover everything, and as you can see, that is quite a bit of territory. We take all complaints very seriously and try to be where we are needed the most.
 
In the meantime, I’m asking that we all do our share and lead by example. Please try to be extra diligent in town and around our schools - public safety is the most important issue. Speed limits through town are 25 mph, and 20 mph in the school zones. There are many crosswalks that seem to appear out of nowhere. There are pedestrians, folks on golf carts, bicyclists, and people out just enjoying the weather. We need to keep an eye out for everyone. I know we are all busy, myself included, but the time to be distracted is not while we are driving.
 
Please stay safe and look out for one another.
 

Thank you,
 
Sergeant Bill Crist

Community Meeting for Traffic-Calming and Strategic Planning

Join representatives from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, the Lyons Fire Protection District, and Town staff, to brainstorm strategies for short- and long-term seasonal traffic management in Lyons. 

When: Thursday, April 6, 2017
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: Lyons Town Hall Board Room  

Please do not reply to this email, as we are unable to respond to inquiries sent to this address. Please direct questions to Arielle Hodgson.