OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 240-0200
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa
sHB-5429
AN ACT CONCERNING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, VISION ZERO
COUNCIL, SPEED LIMITS IN MUNICIPALITIES, FINES AND
CHARGES FOR CERTAIN VIOLATIONS, THE GREENWAYS
COMMEMORATIVE ACCOUNT AND MAINTENANCE WORK
ZONE AND SCHOOL ZONE SAFETY ENFORCEMENT.
Primary Analyst: PM 3/17/21
Contributing Analyst(s): DD, ME, EMG, AN, MR, PR
Reviewer: MM
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 22 $ FY 23 $
State Revenues Various -
Potential Revenue
Gain
Minimal Minimal
Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential
Revenue Gain
Minimal Minimal
State Revenues Various - Revenue
Gain
433,144 577,525
Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection
Greenways
Commemorative
Account -
Revenue
Gain/Cost
Less than
20,000
Less than
20,000
Resources of the General Fund GF - Revenue
Loss
Less than
20,000
Less than
20,000
Treasurer, Debt Serv. GF - See Below See Below See Below
Department of Transportation TF - Potential
Cost
None See Below
Department of Emergency
Services and Public Protection
GF - Potential
Cost
None See Below
Note: Various=Various; GF=General Fund; TF=Transportation Fund
Municipal Impact:
Municipalities Effect FY 22 $ FY 23 $
Various Municipalities Revenue
Gain
274,433 365,910
Various Municipalities Potential
Cost
Minimal Minimal 2021HB-05429-R000083-FN.DOCX Page 2 of 5
Municipal Police Departments Potential
Cost
None See Below
Various Municipalities Potential
Revenue
Gain/Cost
None See Below
Explanation
Section 1 expands circumstances where pedestrians have the right-
of-way and results in potential revenues to the state from additional
fines. As under current law, the bill makes violations subject to up to a
$500 fine. In FY 20, 213 crosswalk violations resulted in fine revenue of
$45,152.
Section 2 establishes a Vision Zero Council to develop a state-wide
policy and approach to eliminating all transportation-related fatalities
and severe injuries and has no fiscal impact as PA 17-236 prohibits
transportation allowances for task force members.
Section 4 creates a new infraction for making physical contact with
moving traffic, including pedestrians and cyclists, with a motor vehicle
door. This section, to the extent that offenders are fined, results in a
potential minimal revenue gain to the General Fund.
Section 5 increases, from $20 to $25, the municipal surcharge for
certain motor vehicle violations. In FY 20 there were 73,182 of these
violations. Assuming this level of violations continues in the future,
this section is estimated to generate an additional $274,433 in FY 22
(three quarters of a year impact due to the October 1 effective date)
and $365,910 in FY 23 (full-year effect) for municipalities.
Sections 6 and 7 provide municipalities authority to establish speed
limits on local roads without Office of the State Traffic Administration
(OSTA) approval and to establish pedestrian safety zones within their
jurisdiction under certain conditions, including a requirement to
conduct an engineering study. There is a potential cost to conduct an
engineering study for municipalities that choose to set speed limits
without OSTA approval or establish pedestrian safety zones. 2021HB-05429-R000083-FN.DOCX Page 3 of 5
Section 13 increases the fines for distracted driving from (1) $150 to
$200 for a first violation, (2) $300 to $375 for a second violation, and (3)
$500 to $625 for a third or subsequent violation. In FY 20 there were
11,438 of these violations. Assuming this level of violations continues
in the future, this section is estimated to generate an additional
$433,144 in FY 22 (three quarters of a year impact due to the October 1
effective date) and $577,525 in FY 23 (full-year effect) in revenues to the
state.
Section 14 codifies regulations regarding greenway commemorative
license plate fees and establishes the "greenways commemorative
account" as a separate, nonlapsing account within the General Fund. It
directs a portion of plate fees to this account and requires the
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to use
this account to provide supplementary funding to the (1) greenways
and, (2) bikeways, pedestrian walkways, recreational trail and
greenway capital grant programs.
It is estimated that less than $20,000 annually would continue to be
generated from the issuance of these plates and the bill redirects
DEEP's portion to the new greenways account where a commensurate
amount would be expended, resulting in a net cost to the General
Fund because this revenue would now be subject to spending by
DEEP.
To date, $13 million of General Obligation (GO) bonds have been
authorized for the greenways program described above. As of March
1, 2021, the unallocated bond balance available to the program is $3
million. The bill does not change GO bond authorizations relevant to
the program. The Governor’s proposed bond bill (GB 887) includes $3
million of new GO bond authorization for the program in each of FY
22 and FY 23.
Future General Fund debt service costs may be altered under the
terms of the bill to the degree that it causes authorized GO bond funds
to be expended differently than they otherwise would have been. If
the new revenues from the bill supplant the use of existing bond 2021HB-05429-R000083-FN.DOCX Page 4 of 5
funds, there would be a slight reduction in future debt service costs. If
these new funds lead to new or more rapid use of existing bond funds,
debt service costs could be accelerated.
Sections 15 and 16 allow the Department of Transportation (DOT)
to install, operate, and maintain automated traffic enforcement safety
devices, also known as speed cameras, in certain maintenance work
zones beginning (1) on or after January 1, 2023 and (2) after DOT has
adopted regulations. Section 22 of the bill makes it a violation to
exceed posted speed limits by 11 miles per hour or more, as detected
by a speed camera, and establishes fines of $75 for a first offense and
$90 for a subsequent offense. For violations in maintenance work
zones, all revenue goes to the General Fund.
To the extent these devices are utilized, DOT will incur costs to
install, operate, and maintain the camera systems, including potential
data storage costs and signage, resulting in a cost to the Transportation
Fund. To the extent speeding violations occur, the State Police (a
division of the Department of Emergency Services and Public
Protection) will have to review the footage and issue citations resulting
in potential overtime costs for State Troopers and a potential revenue
gain to the General Fund due to citations issued.
Section 17 requires DOT to develop and implement a public
awareness campaign to educate the public on various transportation
safety issues. This section does not result in a fiscal impact because the
bill directs $10 from each school or hospital zone infraction to DOT for
the cost of this campaign. These violations are described further in
Section 21.
Section 18 modifies which expenditures can be funded from the
Work Zone Safety Account resulting in no fiscal impact because this
section is codifying current practice.
Section 20 allows for the designation of hospital zones on any local
road or state highway that is sufficiently close to hospital property. To
the extent that the state or a municipality designates a hospital zone, 2021HB-05429-R000083-FN.DOCX Page 5 of 5
an OSTA-approved sign must be posted at the beginning and end of
the zone, resulting in a cost to either the state or municipality for
signage.
Section 21 requires the Office of Policy and Management to
establish a pilot program allowing up to ten municipalities to install,
operate, and maintain speed cameras in school or hospital zones for a
period of up to five years beginning (1) on or after January 1, 2023 and
(2) after DOT has adopted regulations.
To the extent municipalities participate in this program, they would
incur costs for installing, operating, and maintaining speed cameras.
The bill requires either State Police or the municipal police
departments to review the footage and issue citations ($75 for a first
offense and $90 for a second, as noted above) resulting in potential
overtime costs. Unlike the maintenance work zone program, violation
revenue from school or hospital zone infractions would be remitted to
the municipalities in which the violations occur (less $10 from each
fine, which would go to DOT as described in Section 17) for the
purpose of improving traffic safety, which could potentially include
the cost of the speed cameras.
The other sections of the bill are technical, make conforming
changes, or otherwise do not have a fiscal impact to the state or
municipalities.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation, the number of violations,
the terms of any bonds issued, and the number of speed cameras
installed, except as otherwise described.