9NEWS reporters Steve Staeger and Anna Hewson have a gem out of Kersey: while the town’s photo radar program is slapping some drivers with $340 tickets, local shop Cultivated Coffee is turning frustration into foot traffic with a promotion. On the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, Nov. 25, show your speed-camera ticket and your latte is two bucks. The owner, Shelby Chestnut, isn’t part of town government. She just got creative when customers started calling to complain and sales dipped.
The backstory is why this landed. 9NEWS previously found Kersey’s ordinance caps photo-radar fines at $40, yet some drivers are getting $340 citations on Weld County Road 49 near U.S. 34. The police chief pointed to a state carve-out for drivers going 25 mph over, but Kersey’s own ordinance doesn’t spell that out. Other cities handle high-speed cases differently and, crucially, they write those rules into their codes. Kersey didn’t. Meanwhile, the council is moving to appoint the town prosecutor as hearing officer for ticket disputes.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Cultivated Coffee’s deal: flash your ticket, get a $2 latte on Nov. 25. Capitalism says, when life hands you fines, sell espresso.
- The fines: some drivers see $340 despite a local ordinance with a $40 cap. That smells like revenue, not safety.
- The justification: “25 over” carve-out in state law. Problem is, Kersey’s ordinance does not mirror it. Write it or don’t cite it.
- Context: Fort Collins and Greeley have clearer policies. Kersey’s ambiguity plus quick speed-limit drop is a gotcha cocktail.
- Fallout: the coffee shop reports sales down 11.4 percent as traffic patterns shift. Policy choices hit Main Street, not just inboxes.
My Bottom Line
I may hate speed cameras, but I love a smart small business owner who turns government static into customer traffic. Two-dollar lattes for the ticketed masses is the kind of petty-genius marketing that warms my free-market heart.
Policy side, this is simple. If Kersey wants stiffer penalties for drivers blasting 25 over, put it in the ordinance and post it where a normal human can read it. Clear rules. Obvious signage. Engineering before enforcement. And stop placing cameras where the limit drops like a rock over a quarter-mile. That is a trap, not a traffic plan.
Safety should come from better design and honest policing, not mystery math and mailbox citations. Until then, tip your barista. Capitalism, once again, is serving a better cup than city hall.
Source: 9NEWS
