BLACK FOREST, Colo. — El Paso County road crews are responsible for tracking and maintaining more than 2300 lane miles across the county. From animal collisions, to road repairs, and traffic safety concerns, these are all areas officials say public feedback can help make these roads safer.
”Black Forest certainly has some conditions that are different from other parts of our county. Here in Black Forest you find road signs that maybe need updating or replacing. There are animal collisions that happen with great frequency,” said Black Forest resident Alan Peterson.
He’s lived in Black Forest for the last 30 years. Peterson says he’s seen plenty of safety concerns on surrounding roads, things like trees growing over traffic signs and roads in need of repair.
He’s made the decision to take an active role in reporting problems on county roads through the Citizens Connect App.
”This method appears to streamline the number of handoffs, so it gets to the directly responsible person,” said Peterson. “You would use this app to get it repaired or looked at quicker I think than trying to call on the phone.”
Right now 1400 people have downloaded the Citizen Connect App. The county says roughly 240 people are active users. About 400 service requests come in a month, but on average just 10% of those are from the app, most come in from the website.
County leaders hope more county residents will download the app because information gathered here is helping to shape plans for the future.
”So we’re starting to track specifically what roads, what bridges, what sections that are in our jurisdiction that are getting a lot of hits. One reference would be if there’s a lot of dead animals on the road, a deer crossing sign. Another reference would be, we’ve done too many potholes, we need to repave the whole road,” said Sean Marcoulides, who oversees the Citizen Connect App for El Paso County.
Peterson says he hopes more of his neighbors will join him in actively using the Citizen Connect App, so his community can have a voice in the long-term plan for safer roads in El Paso County.
”I think you’ll find this is a good place to start your entry into this role as a community member,” said Peterson.
You just need an email to get started using the Citizen Connect App.
Visit this link for resources and to help you get started:
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