DENVER (KDVR) — It was a deadly weekend for pedestrians across the Denver metro area with five people killed in car crashes, four of those being pedestrians.

Metro area police reported deadly car crashes involving pedestrians at the following locations:

“This continually happens,” Denver safety advocate Allen Cowgill said. “It’s typically on the same roads, places like Federal, Colorado, and Colfax.”

Cowgill speaks out for safer streets from the heart.

“A friend from church, Tim Campbell, was hit and killed on West Colfax,” Cowgill said. “My neighbor Gary was hit by a driver that kind of ran through a red light over close to Wadsworth. There is no appropriate number of traffic deaths. The only appropriate number is zero.”

In order for there to be zero traffic-related deaths, Cowgill sees a need for systemic changes.

“It’s lowering the speed limits,” he said. “There’s a lot of safety measures that we can look at, things like automated enforcement, red light cameras, speed cameras.”

The Colorado Department of Transportation told FOX31 there are a number of possible engineering solutions to consider in problem areas.

“Improved striping, improved crosswalks, improved lighting at intersections that tend to see a lot of crashes and also lowering the speed limit,” CDOT Traffic Safety manager Sam Cole said.

Statewide, CDOT reports that pedestrian deaths have increased by 12.5% over the last year and are at an all-time high. 

CDOT shared the following data with FOX31 on the highest counties for pedestrian deaths this year:

  • Denver County: 19
  • Pueblo County: 11, up 175% from this time last year (4)
  • Adams County: 9
  • El Paso County: 9, up 125% from this time last year (4)
  • Arapahoe County: 8
  • Jefferson County: 8, up 166% from this time last year (3)

“We have seen a record number of pedestrians killed on our roadways and it’s actually part of a bigger problem,” Cole said. “We’ve seen a record number of fatalities overall. We’ve seen impaired driving go up, we’ve seen distracted driving go up. I think we have to do something about the traffic safety culture in our state.”

With 81 pedestrian deaths in Colorado this year before the deadly weekend, CDOT hopes to emphasize the need for responsible pedestrian and driver behavior.  

Because of the uptick, CDOT will place stand-up neon safety reminders at five busy intersections along critical corridors in Denver and Aurora to bring awareness to pedestrian safety.  

Denver locations:

  • Wynkoop Street and 18th Street near Union Station
  • Federal Boulevard and Howard Place
  • Broadway and 6th Avenue

Aurora locations:

  • E. Montview Boulevard and Ursula Street
  • E. 16th Place and Victor Street

Amid the high volume of traffic deaths in the metro area, police in Parker are stepping up with traffic enforcement and are asking residents to suggest where they would like to see more enforcement.