Connecticut 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06590 Compare Versions

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7	8		General Assembly Committee Bill No. 6590
8	9		January Session, 2019
9	10		LCO No. 4654
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12	13		Referred to Committee on TRANSPORTATION
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14	15
15	16		Introduced by:
16	17		(TRA)
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20	21		AN ACT CONCERNING SP EED LIMITS IN MUNICIPALITIES.
21	22		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
22	23		Assembly convened:
23	24
24	25		Section 1. Section 14-218a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
25	26		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 2
26	27		(a) No person shall operate a motor vehicle upon any public 3
27	28		highway of the state, or road of any specially chartered municipal 4
28	29		association or any district organized under the provisions of chapter 5
29	30		105, a purpose of which is the construction and maintenance of roads 6
30	31		and sidewalks, or on any parking area as defined in section 14-212, or 7
31	32		upon a private road on which a speed limit has been established in 8
32	33		accordance with this [subsection] section, or upon any school property, 9
33	34		at a rate of speed greater than is reasonable, having regard to the 10
34	35		width, traffic and use of highway, road or parking area, the 11
35	36		intersection of streets and weather conditions. The Office of the State 12
36	37		Traffic Administration may determine speed limits which are 13
37	38		reasonable and safe on any state highway, bridge or parkway built or 14
38	39		maintained by the state, and differing limits may be established for 15
39		-	different types of vehicles, and may erect or cause to be erected signs 16 Committee Bill No. 6590
	40	+	different types of vehicles, and may erect or cause to be erected signs 16
	41	+	Committee Bill No. 6590
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46	46		indicating such speed limits. 17
47	47		(b) (1) The traffic authority of any town, city or borough may 18
48	48		establish speed limits on streets, highways and bridges or in any 19
49	49		parking area for ten cars or more or on any private road wholly within 20
50	50		the municipality under its jurisdiction; provided (A) such speed limit 21
51	51		on streets, highways, bridges and parking areas for ten cars or more 22
52	52		shall become effective, except as provided in subdivision (2) of this 23
53	53		subsection, only after application for approval thereof has been 24
54	54		submitted in writing to the Office of the State Traffic Administration 25
55	55		and a certificate of such approval has been forwarded by the office to 26
56	56		the traffic authority; [and provided such] (B) signs giving notice of 27
57	57		such speed limits shall have been erected as the Office of the State 28
58	58		Traffic Administration directs; [, provided] and (C) the erection of such 29
59	59		signs on any private road shall be at the expense of the owner of such 30
60	60		road. The presence of such signs adjacent to or on the highway or 31
61	61		parking area for ten cars or more shall be prima facie evidence that 32
62	62		they have been so placed under the direction of and with the approval 33
63	63		of the Office of the State Traffic Administration. Approval of such 34
64	64		speed limits may be revoked by the Office of the State Traffic 35
65	65		Administration at any time if said office deems such revocation to be 36
66	66		in the interest of public safety and welfare, and thereupon such speed 37
67	67		limits shall cease to be effective and any signs that have been erected 38
68	68		shall be removed. 39
69	69		(2) The traffic authority of any town, city or borough may reduce a 40
70	70		speed limit of thirty-five miles per hour or lower that has been 41
71	71		approved by the Office of the State Traffic Administration on streets, 42
72	72		highways and bridges or in any parking area for ten cars or more or on 43
73	73		any private road wholly within the municipality under its jurisdiction 44
74	74		by not more than fifteen miles per hour, provided such traffic 45
75	75		authority (A) holds a public hearing regarding the proposed lower 46
76	76		speed limit, and (B) notifies the Office of the State Traffic 47
77	77		Administration of the lower speed limit. 48
78		-	~~(c) Any speed in excess of [such limits] a speed limit that has been 49~~ Committee Bill No. 6590
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	83	+	(c) Any speed in excess of [such limits] a speed limit that has been 49
85	84		established in accordance with this section, other than speeding as 50
86	85		provided for in section 14-219, as amended by this act, shall be prima 51
87	86		facie evidence that such speed is not reasonable, but the fact that the 52
88	87		speed of a vehicle is lower than such [limits] speed limit shall not 53
89	88		relieve the operator from the duty to decrease speed when a special 54
90	89		hazard exists with respect to pedestrians or other traffic or by reason of 55
91	90		weather or highway conditions. 56
92	91		[(b)] (d) The Office of the State Traffic Administration shall establish 57
93	92		a speed limit of sixty-five miles per hour on any multiple lane, limited 58
94	93		access highways that are suitable for a speed limit of sixty-five miles 59
95	94		per hour, taking into consideration relevant factors including design, 60
96	95		population of area and traffic flow. 61
97	96		[(c)] (e) Any person who operates a motor vehicle at a greater rate of 62
98	97		speed than is reasonable, other than speeding [,] as provided for in 63
99	98		section 14-219, as amended by this act, shall commit the infraction of 64
100	99		traveling unreasonably fast. 65
101	100		Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 14-36 of the general statutes is 66
102	101		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 67
103	102		October 1, 2019): 68
104	103		(a) Except as otherwise provided by this section and section 14-40a, 69
105	104		no person shall operate a motor vehicle on any public highway of this 70
106	105		state or private road on which a speed limit has been established in 71
107	106		accordance with [subsection (a) of] section 14-218a, as amended by this 72
108	107		act, until such person has obtained a motor vehicle operator's license. 73
109	108		Sec. 3. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 14-219 of the general 74
110	109		statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 75
111	110		(Effective October 1, 2019): 76
112	111		(a) No person shall operate any motor vehicle (1) upon any 77
113	112		highway, road or any parking area for ten cars or more, at such a rate 78
114		-	of speed as to endanger the life of any occupant of such motor vehicle, 79
115		-	but not the life of any other person than such an occupant; (2) at a rate 80 Committee Bill No. 6590
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	118	+	of speed as to endanger the life of any occupant of such motor vehicle, 79
	119	+	but not the life of any other person than such an occupant; (2) at a rate 80
122	120		of speed greater than fifty-five miles per hour upon any highway other 81
123	121		than a highway specified in subsection [(b)] (d) of section 14-218a, as 82
124	122		amended by this act, for which a speed limit has been established in 83
125	123		accordance with the provisions of said subsection; (3) at a rate of speed 84
126	124		greater than sixty-five miles per hour upon any highway specified in 85
127	125		subsection [(b)] (d) of section 14-218a, as amended by this act, for 86
128	126		which a speed limit has been established in accordance with the 87
129	127		provisions of said subsection; or (4) if such person is under eighteen 88
130	128		years of age, upon any highway or road for which a speed limit of less 89
131	129		than sixty-five miles per hour has been established in accordance with 90
132	130		subsection (a) or (b) of section 14-218a, as amended by this act, at a rate 91
133	131		of speed more than twenty miles per hour above such speed limit. 92
134	132		(b) Any person who operates a motor vehicle (1) on a multiple lane, 93
135	133		limited access highway other than a highway specified in subsection 94
136	134		[(b)] (d) of section 14-218a, as amended by this act, for which a speed 95
137	135		limit has been established in accordance with the provisions of said 96
138	136		subsection at a rate of speed greater than fifty-five miles per hour but 97
139	137		not greater than seventy miles per hour, (2) on a multiple lane, limited 98
140	138		access highway specified in subsection [(b)] (d) of section 14-218a, as 99
141	139		amended by this act, for which a speed limit has been established in 100
142	140		accordance with the provisions of said subsection at a rate of speed 101
143	141		greater than sixty-five miles per hour but not greater than seventy 102
144	142		miles per hour, (3) on any other highway at a rate of speed greater than 103
145	143		fifty-five miles per hour but not greater than sixty miles per hour, or 104
146	144		(4) if such person is under eighteen years of age, upon any highway or 105
147	145		road for which a speed limit of less than sixty-five miles per hour has 106
148	146		been established in accordance with subsection (a) or (b) of section 14-107
149	147		218a, as amended by this act, at a rate of speed more than twenty miles 108
150	148		per hour above such speed limit, shall commit an infraction, provided 109
151	149		any such person operating a truck, as defined in section 14-260n, shall 110
152	150		have committed a violation and shall be fined not less than one 111
153		-	hundred dollars nor more than one hundred fifty dollars. 112 Committee Bill No. 6590
	151	+	hundred dollars nor more than one hundred fifty dollars. 112
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160	157		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
161	158		sections:
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163	160		Section 1 October 1, 2019 14-218a
164	161		Sec. 2 October 1, 2019 14-36(a)
165	162		Sec. 3 October 1, 2019 14-219(a) and (b)
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167		-	TRA Joint Favorable
	164	+	Statement of Purpose:
	165	+	To allow local traffic authorities to establish lower speed limits on
	166	+	streets under their jurisdiction by holding a public hearing regarding
	167	+	such speed limits and providing notification of such speed limits to the
	168	+	Office of the State Traffic Administration.
	169	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
	170	+	except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
	171	+	not underlined.]
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	173	+	Co-Sponsors: REP. CONCEPCION, 4th Dist.
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	175	+	H.B. 6590
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