Parking Services Launches “Safe Choice” Program

The City of Fort Collins Parking Services department has rolled out its new “Safe Choice” program to help discourage drinking and driving in Downtown Fort Collins.

The program allows Downtown visitors who find themselves unable to safely drive home due to alcohol consumption, marijuana use, or another safety reason, to leave their vehicles parked in on-street parking overnight without being ticketed.

To use the program, drivers are required to contact Parking Services by phone or use the form at www.fcgov.com/safechoice and provide their vehicle’s license plate. The vehicle must then be picked up by 10 a.m. the next day to avoid being ticketed.

Users of the City’s three parking structures can add more time to their parking session by using the ParkMobile app.

“We want to make sure people don’t drive their vehicles when they shouldn’t, simply to avoid going over parking time restrictions and getting a ticket,” said Eric Keselburg, the City’s Parking Services manager. “The City encourages Downtown patrons to plan ahead and arrange for a designated driver or a ride. We hope this program will encourage drivers to make a safe choice to leave their car behind and find an alternate way home if they’ve had too much to drink.”

Several dozen Safe Choice signs have already been placed near on-street parking in Downtown Fort Collins, and each sign features a QR code that links to the program’s web page.

City staff will continue to monitor and fine-tune the Safe Choice program over the coming months. The program is not an excuse to frequently park downtown overnight, and enforcement officials will be monitoring for abuse of the program.

To learn more about Safe Choice, visit www.fcgov.com/safechoice.