Here are ideas to cut down on the temptation to drive while impaired in Fort Collins

There are more ways Fort Collins can help reduce the likelihood of people choosing to drive impaired, according to the people of Coloradoan Conversations.

The city of Fort Collins announced recently that it would offer a way for Old Town patrons to leave their cars parked overnight in parking spaces if they are too impaired to drive, without fear of having to pay a ticket or get towed.

Residents can leave their cars parked on the street (it doesn't apply to parking garages) and contact parking services by 10 a.m. the next day (call 970-221-6617, ext. 0, or fill out a form at www.fcgov.com/safechoice). Cars must be picked up by 10 a.m., as well.

More:Fort Collins launches parking program to discourage drunk driving in Old Town

We asked in our conversation starter last time: What other novel approaches should public safety leaders adopt to further curb impaired driving? What supports or deterrents do you think would be most effective in reducing the frequency that those bad choices are made?

Jay P. said before we can consider potential solutions, we must know the prevalence of the problem. "It's hard to propose a good solution if the scale of the problem is unclear."

In previous Coloradoan reporting, we've noted DUIs in Larimer County over the past few years have ranged from 1,200 to 1,800 per year, which averages out to three to five DUIs per day. Viewed another way, up to half of all fatal traffic crashes involve impaired drivers.

So why not just include parking garages in the city program and give folks a little more time to get back to their cars, Eric V. suggests: "I understand the not wanting people to essentially camp in parking decks, but why not make it like 1 p.m. or 2 p.m.?

Dylan J. says the biggest hurdle to a program like the city's "is the simple fact that, well, they'd have to come back to get their car. This is a smaller issue for those who either live close to Old Town or who live close to existing bus routes ... but are they the most at risk of potentially driving impaired? It would be helpful if we had an idea of how far away from downtown the average impaired driver actually lives. If you don't live near a bus route, that's not a viable option. Ride share services like Uber and Lyft can get mighty expensive if you live clear across town, prices can fluctuate wildly, availability is uncertain, and all that may very well sour people on the idea on paying that charge twice: once to get home, one to go get their car."

Eric V. suggested extending the time the MAX line runs, and Kate T. said bus service stops early enough that people aren't even able to catch a bus on their way to a night in Old Town, let alone home afterward.

"If you ran some buses during the hours that people are going downtown, they could take the bus in to town and back home, thereby eliminating the need for parking at all," Kate said. "The latest buses stop running before people are even thinking of going downtown. The public transportation in this town is way out of sync with the town's lifestyle."

We know there's been a workforce issue with difficulty finding Transfort drivers. Eric V. and others in the conversation noted their observations that there aren't enough Uber and Lyft drivers, either.

Colorado State University student Willow P. noted that the university used to offer traditional rides home via RamRide, but "due to COVID and policy changes, the program now relies on Lyft. As some other commenters have discussed, we lack Uber and Lyft drivers in the area. So even if the program is covered by student fees, students may not have reliable access to transportation."

You can learn more about CSU's RamRide x Lyft program at https://ramride.colostate.edu/ramride-x-lyft/. The $13 voucher the program offers can be used toward Lyft or use of a Spin e-bicycle or e-scooter. But that fee may not cover the cost of a Lyft ride plus tipping. And you can still be cited for riding an e-bike while impaired and can place yourself and others in harm's way by doing so.

The responsibility to avoid impaired driving rests on the individual, not a taxpayer-funded entity, a couple of people in the conversation said.

"I just don't understand why municipalities keep trying to come up with taxpayer funded ways to further resolve people of personal responsibilities," Michael Scott_S. said. "It is not the taxpayers' responsibility to fund multiple sources of transportation for people who want to go out and drink too much. What needs to happen is the same thing that needs to happen with the issue of speeding: increase the penalties so they actually hurt!"

Andy O. echoed: "Don’t expect others to be responsible for your off-hours public transportation. Have a better plan."

But Eric V. countered that the solution presented by the city so far is of little expense: "Letting people park overnight is a simple no-cost solution. Nothing has been proposed that would cost us a dime."

And efforts outside of individual responsibility could save a life, or many lives, Stacey F. said. "All of us end up paying anyway. We are at risk of being killed by a drunk driver."

Bob. C said the cost of doing nothing may be greater than the cost of doing something. "The cost of court, jail, etc., for a few DUIs probably costs far more than a late-night bus route or a safe ride program. The issue is that it's obviously impossible to patrol everyone who exits a bar and gets into a car. It's also a bad idea, and nobody would want that."

"I do think access to cheap, personal breathalyzers would at least educate and inform individuals," Bob said.

DUIs can cost individuals more than $10,000. Matthew Haltzman, a criminal defense attorney in Fort Collins, said it adds up due to "missed work/opportunity, probation supervision fees, which can run into the thousands, court costs and fines, mandatory classes, mandatory therapy, mandatory alcohol testing and attorney fees."

And DUI convictions do claim resources from the judicial system, as well.

Another market option that is lacking in Fort Collins, Dylan J. said, could be an expensive one but would be another avenue for some people nonetheless: "Companies like Dryver (which operates in Denver, but is expensive and not available up here) and some nonprofits elsewhere in the country offer designated driver services that drive you home in your own car. I used one such service when living in Boston some years ago and it was great. Perhaps the city could incentivize (via tax breaks, maybe?) such services to start operating here."

It would seem it will require multiple options to lead to the highest success: fewer impaired drivers.

For now, these are some ways to get a sober ride home in Fort Collins, even if they aren't free or later at night, according to previous reporting by the Coloradoan:

Uber: Download the app through the Google Play store or App store, or visit www.uber.com/us/en/ride/.

Lyft: Download the app through the Google Play store or App store, or visit www.lyft.com/rider.

Transfort: Routes are available throughout the city Mondays through Saturdays, and times vary by route. Some routes have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fares have been temporarily waived. For details, visit ridetransfort.com or call 970-221-6620.

Taxi: Free, on-demand service is available on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Transfort routes that have been suspended, either along a suspended route or to or from another linked bus stop or transit center. Call 970-225-4831 to schedule a trip the day you plan to travel from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

zTrip: Download the app at ztrip.app.link/ztripdowload; call 970-224-2222; book online at www.ztrip.com/book-a-ride; or hail one on the street.

Reporter Sady Swanson contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: To reduce impaired driving in Fort Collins, here are some ideas