Proposal calls for fee to pick up lazy hikers

? Hikers who climb to Pikes Peak’s summit but don’t feel up to walking the 12 miles back down could soon have to pay for their ride.

The Colorado Springs city council is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal from Pikes Peak Highway officials that would charge up to $500 for each uninjured hiker who calls 911 for a ride down.

The city runs the toll road up the 14,115-foot peak, but the U.S. Forest Service owns the land.

Some 15,000 people a year attempt to climb Pikes Peak, the second-most visited mountain in the world behind Japan’s Mount Fuji.

Under the proposal, hikers who call for a ride before highway workers have gone home would pay $100. The fee could go up to $500 when hikers call 911 after hours.