CDOT Education Campaign Seeks to Change Driving Habits of Mountain Visitors

January 15, 2014 - Central Eastern Colorado/CDOT Region 1 - DENVER – For those who dream of a day when Interstate 70 traffic coming out of the mountains isn’t bumper-to-bumper, the Colorado Department of Transportation is launching a campaign in conjunction with the Martin Luther King holiday weekend to encourage mountain visitors to minimize delay by playing longer in the mountains.

The driving force behind the campaign, dubbed “Change Your Peak Time,” is that most high country enthusiasts opt to return to the Denver area at the same time on weekends and holidays.  The tagline, “Press Play, Avoid Delay” encourages travelers to spend an extra hour having fun in the mountains instead of spending an extra hour in peak traffic.

“Once people better understand that they have the choice of how to spend their time, we think they will avoid the downhill gridlock and choose to play in the mountains for longer,” said Amy Ford, CDOT Director of Communications.

CDOT has partnered with the I-70 Coalition, a consortium representing the mountain communities and resorts, to give travel tips and travel forecasts, and to offer discounts, deals and incentives for travelers interested in avoiding traffic by staying in the mountains for an extra hour or two.

Peak Time Deals at www.goi70.com are updated regularly, and list locations of restaurants, entertainment options and retailers along the I-70 corridor offering weekend discounts.  In addition to deals offered near resorts, Idaho Springs and Georgetown also offer incentives for travelers who want to leave early to beat the peak traffic, or who have already hit the road but would like to take a break from traffic on their way home.

The campaign also encourages safe driving on winter roads.  Tips like giving snowplow drivers extra room, and checking your windshield washer fluid levels and tire levels before you hit the highway, can be found at http://www.coloradodot.info/travel/winter-driving, along with real-time road conditions and travel advisories.

For more information on the “Change Your Peak Time” campaign, visit www.goi70.com.  Real time travel information is available at www.cotrip.org and by downloading the CDOT Mobile app on your smartphone.