Connecticut 2023 2023 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00904 Introduced / Bill

Filed 01/24/2023

                       
 
LCO No. 3197  	1 of 15 
 
General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 904  
January Session, 2023 
LCO No. 3197 
 
 
Referred to Committee on TRANSPORTATION  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(TRA)  
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE 
OF THE STATE TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION WITHIN THE 
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REGARDING HIGHWAY 
SAFETY. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 14-314 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2023): 2 
(a) Any person, firm or corporation failing to comply with any order 3 
made pursuant to any provision of this chapter shall be fined not more 4 
than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or 5 
both, and shall be subject to the provisions of section 14-111. Any 6 
person, firm or corporation failing to comply with any traffic control 7 
signal, sign, marking or other device placed and maintained upon the 8 
highway, or with any regulation adopted pursuant to any provision of 9 
this chapter, by the Office of the State Traffic Administration or the 10 
traffic authority of any city, town or borough shall be deemed to have 11 
committed an infraction, if no other penalty is provided by law. 12 
Traveling at a greater rate of speed than is reasonable as provided in 13 
section 14-218a, as amended by this act, shall not be deemed to be a 14  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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failure to comply with the provisions of this section but shall be deemed 15 
to be the commission of an infraction within the provisions of said 16 
section 14-218a. 17 
(b) In the event a city, town or borough fails to comply with any order 18 
made pursuant to any provision of this chapter or with any regulation 19 
adopted pursuant to any provision of this chapter by the Office of the 20 
State Traffic Administration, the Commissioner of Transportation may 21 
withhold from such city, town or borough a town-aid grant distributed 22 
under the provisions of part IIa of chapter 240. 23 
Sec. 2. Section 14-299 of the general statutes is repealed and the 24 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2023): 25 
(a) For the purpose of standardization and uniformity, no installation 26 
of or revision to any traffic control signal light shall be made by any 27 
town, city or borough until the same has been approved by the Office of 28 
the State Traffic Administration. Such approval shall be based on 29 
necessity for, location of and type of such signal light and shall be 30 
applied for on a form supplied by the Office of the State Traffic 31 
Administration and shall be submitted to said office by the traffic 32 
authority having jurisdiction. Approval of any such signal light may be 33 
revoked by the Office of the State Traffic Administration at any time if 34 
said office deems such revocation to be in the interest of public safety, 35 
and thereupon such signal lights shall be removed by the traffic 36 
authority having jurisdiction. 37 
(b) When traffic at an intersection is alternately directed to proceed 38 
and to stop by the use of signals exhibiting colored lights or lighted 39 
arrows, successively one at a time or in combination, only the colors 40 
green, red and yellow shall be used, except for special [pedestrian 41 
control] pedestrian-control signals carrying word legends [, said lights] 42 
or symbols. Such lights or arrows shall apply to drivers of vehicles and 43 
pedestrians and shall indicate the following: 44 
(1) Circular green alone: Vehicular traffic facing a green signal may 45 
proceed straight through or turn right or left unless a sign or marking at 46  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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such place prohibits either such turn or straight through movement, 47 
except that such traffic shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and 48 
vehicles [lawfully] within a crosswalk or the intersection at the time 49 
such signal was exhibited; pedestrians facing the green signal, except 50 
when directed by separate pedestrian-control signals, may proceed 51 
across the highway within any marked or unmarked crosswalk. 52 
(2) Yellow: Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow signal is thereby 53 
warned that the related green movement is being terminated or that a 54 
red indication will be exhibited immediately thereafter, when vehicular 55 
traffic shall stop before entering the intersection unless so close to the 56 
intersection that a stop cannot be made in safety; pedestrians facing a 57 
steady yellow signal, except when directed by separate pedestrian-58 
control signals, are thereby advised that there is insufficient time to 59 
cross the roadway before a red indication is shown and no pedestrian 60 
shall then start to cross the roadway. 61 
(3) Red alone: Vehicular traffic facing a steady red signal alone shall 62 
stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection 63 
or, if none, then before entering the intersection and remain standing 64 
until the next indication is shown; provided, on or after July 1, 1979, 65 
vehicular traffic traveling in the travel lane nearest the right hand curb 66 
or other defined edge of the roadway, unless a sign approved by the 67 
Office of the State Traffic Administration has been erected in the 68 
appropriate place prohibiting this movement, may cautiously enter the 69 
intersection to make a right turn onto a two-way street or onto another 70 
one-way street on which all the traffic is moving to such vehicle's right 71 
after such vehicle has stopped as required in this subdivision and 72 
yielded the right-of-way to pedestrians [lawfully] within an adjacent 73 
crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully using the intersection. 74 
Pedestrians facing a steady red signal alone, except when directed by 75 
separate pedestrian-control signals, shall not enter the roadway.  76 
(4) Green arrow: Vehicular traffic facing a green arrow signal, shown 77 
alone or in combination with another indication, may cautiously enter 78 
the intersection only to make the movement indicated by such arrow, or 79  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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such other movement as is permitted by other indications shown at the 80 
same time, but such vehicular traffic shall yield the right-of-way to 81 
pedestrians [lawfully] within a crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully 82 
within the intersection. 83 
(5) Whenever special pedestrian-control signals exhibiting the words 84 
"Walk" or "Don't Walk" or the image of a walking person symbolizing 85 
"Walk" or an upraised hand symbolizing "Don't Walk" are in place, such 86 
signals shall indicate as follows: "Walk" or walking person symbol: 87 
Pedestrians facing such signals may proceed across the roadway in the 88 
direction of the signal and shall be given the right-of-way by the drivers 89 
of all vehicles; "Don't Walk" or upraised hand symbol: No pedestrian 90 
shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but any 91 
pedestrian who has partially completed [his] crossing on the walk signal 92 
shall proceed to a sidewalk or safety island while the flashing "Don't 93 
Walk" or flashing upraised hand symbol signal is showing. 94 
(c) When an illuminated flashing red or yellow signal is used in a 95 
traffic sign or signal, it shall require obedience by vehicular traffic as 96 
follows: 97 
(1) Flashing red: When a red lens is illuminated by rapid intermittent 98 
flashes, drivers of vehicles shall stop before entering the nearest 99 
crosswalk at an intersection, or at a limit line when marked or, if none, 100 
then before entering the intersection, and the right to proceed shall be 101 
subject to the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop sign. 102 
(2) When a yellow lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, 103 
drivers of vehicles facing such signal may proceed through the 104 
intersection or past such signal only with caution. 105 
(d) Lenses of the following colors only shall be used and shall be 106 
arranged vertically in the signal face or, when necessary, horizontally, 107 
and shall conform to the following positions: When arranged vertically, 108 
red shall be located at the top, yellow shall be located directly below red 109 
and the remaining indications below the yellow in the following order: 110 
Flashing yellow, circular green, vertical arrow, left-turn arrow and 111  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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right-turn arrow, as needed; when arranged horizontally, red shall be 112 
located at the left, yellow shall be located directly to the right of red and 113 
the remaining indications to the right of yellow in the following order: 114 
Flashing yellow, left-turn arrow, circular green, vertical arrow and 115 
right-turn arrow, as needed. 116 
(e) When lane-direction-control signals are placed over the individual 117 
lanes of a street or highway, vehicular traffic may travel in any lane over 118 
which a green arrow signal is shown, but shall not enter or travel in any 119 
lane over which a red X signal is shown. 120 
(f) If a traffic control signal, approved by the Office of the State Traffic 121 
Administration, is erected and maintained at a place other than an 122 
intersection, the provisions of this section shall be applicable except as 123 
to those provisions which by their nature can have no application. Any 124 
stop required shall be made at a sign or marking on the pavement 125 
indicating where the stop shall be made, but in the absence of any sign 126 
or marking, the stop shall be made at the signal. 127 
Sec. 3. Section 14-300 of the general statutes is repealed and the 128 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2023): 129 
(a) The traffic authority [shall have power to] may designate, by 130 
appropriate official traffic control devices, as defined in section 14-297, 131 
or markers, or by lines upon the surface of the highway, such crosswalks 132 
and intersections as, in its opinion, constitute a danger to pedestrians 133 
crossing the highway, including, but not limited to, specially marked 134 
crosswalks in the vicinity of schools, which crosswalks shall have 135 
distinctive markings, in accordance with the regulations of the Office of 136 
the State Traffic Administration, to denote use of such crosswalks by 137 
school children; and may maintain suitable signs located at intervals 138 
along highways, particularly where there are no sidewalks, directing 139 
pedestrians to walk facing vehicular traffic. 140 
(b) At any intersection where special pedestrian-control signals 141 
bearing the words "Walk" or "Don't Walk" or the image of a walking 142 
person symbolizing "Walk" or an upraised hand symbolizing "Don't 143  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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Walk" are placed, pedestrians may cross the highway only as indicated 144 
by the signal. At any intersection where traffic is controlled by other 145 
traffic control signals or by police officers, pedestrians shall not cross the 146 
highway against a red or "Stop" signal and shall not cross at any place 147 
not a marked or unmarked crosswalk. A pedestrian started or starting 148 
across the highway [on a "Walk" signal] or on any such crosswalk [on a 149 
green or "Go" signal] shall have the right-of-way over all vehicles, 150 
including those making turns, until such pedestrian has reached the 151 
opposite curb or safety zone. 152 
(c) Except as provided in subsection (c) of section 14-300c, at any 153 
crosswalk marked as provided in subsection (a) of this section or any 154 
unmarked crosswalk, provided such crosswalks are not controlled by 155 
police officers or traffic control signals, each operator of a vehicle shall 156 
[grant the right-of-way, and slow or stop such vehicle if necessary to so] 157 
stop to grant the right-of-way [,] to any pedestrian crossing the roadway 158 
within such crosswalk. For the purposes of this subsection, a pedestrian 159 
is "crossing the roadway within such crosswalk" when the pedestrian 160 
(1) is within any portion of the crosswalk, (2) steps to the curb at the 161 
entrance to the crosswalk and indicates his or her intent to cross the 162 
roadway by raising his or her hand and arm toward oncoming traffic, 163 
or (3) indicates his or her intent to cross the roadway by moving any 164 
part of his or her body or an extension thereof, including, but not limited 165 
to, a wheelchair, cane, walking stick, crutch, bicycle, electric bicycle, 166 
stroller, carriage, cart or leashed or harnessed dog, into the crosswalk at 167 
the entrance to the crosswalk. No operator of a vehicle approaching 168 
from the rear shall overtake and pass any vehicle, the operator of which 169 
has stopped at any crosswalk marked as provided in subsection (a) of 170 
this section or any unmarked crosswalk to permit a pedestrian to cross 171 
the roadway. The operator of any vehicle crossing a sidewalk shall 172 
[yield] stop to grant the right-of-way to each pedestrian and all other 173 
traffic upon such sidewalk.  174 
(d) The operator of a motor vehicle who approaches or comes into the 175 
immediate vicinity of a pedestrian who is blind, as defined in subsection 176 
(a) of section 1-1f, carrying a white cane or a white cane tipped with red, 177  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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or a pedestrian being guided by a guide dog, shall reduce speed or stop, 178 
if necessary, to yield the right-of-way to such pedestrian. No person, 179 
except one who is blind, shall carry or use on any street or highway, or 180 
in any other public place, a cane or walking stick which is white in color 181 
or white, tipped with red. 182 
(e) Any crosswalk designated by a traffic authority on or after 183 
October 1, 2010, pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be 184 
required by such authority to have markings, signage, or any control 185 
signals deemed necessary by such authority to provide sufficient time 186 
for the safe crossing of pedestrians.  187 
(f) The operator of any motor vehicle who violates this section shall 188 
be fined not more than five hundred dollars. 189 
(g) In any civil action arising under subsection (c) or (d) of this section 190 
or sections 14-300b to 14-300d, inclusive, the doctrine of negligence per 191 
se shall not apply. 192 
Sec. 4. Section 14-311 of the general statutes is repealed and the 193 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2023): 194 
(a) No person, firm, corporation, state agency [,] or municipal agency, 195 
or any combination thereof, shall build, expand, establish or operate any 196 
open air theater, shopping center or other development generating large 197 
volumes of traffic that substantially affect state highway traffic within 198 
this state, as determined by the Office of the State Traffic 199 
Administration, until such person, firm, corporation [,] or agency has 200 
procured from said office a certificate that the operation thereof will not 201 
imperil the safety of the public, except that any development, including 202 
any development to be built in phases, without regard to when such 203 
phases are approved by the municipal planning and zoning agency or 204 
other responsible municipal agency, that contains a total of one hundred 205 
or fewer residential units shall not be required to obtain such certificate 206 
if such development is a residential-only development and is not part of 207 
a mixed-use development that contains office, retail or other such 208 
nonresidential uses, provided if any future development increases the 209  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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total number of residential units to more than one hundred, and such 210 
total substantially affects state highway traffic within the state as 211 
determined by the Office of the State Traffic Administration, a certificate 212 
shall be procured from said office. 213 
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection or permitted by 214 
the Office of the State Traffic Administration, no local building official 215 
shall issue a building or foundation permit to any person, firm, 216 
corporation, state agency or municipal agency to build, expand, 217 
establish or operate such a development until the person, firm, 218 
corporation or agency provides to such official a copy of the certificate 219 
issued under this section by the office. No local building official shall 220 
issue a certificate of occupancy to any such person, firm, corporation or 221 
agency for such development until the conditions of the certificate 222 
issued by the office under this section have been satisfied. If the office 223 
determines that any person, firm, corporation [,] or [state or municipal] 224 
agency has (1) started building, expanding, establishing or operating 225 
such a development without first obtaining a certificate from said office, 226 
or (2) has failed to comply with the conditions of such a certificate, it 227 
shall order the person, firm, corporation or agency to (A) cease 228 
constructing, expanding, establishing or operating the development, or 229 
(B) comply with the conditions of the certificate within a reasonable 230 
period of time. If such person, firm, corporation or agency fails to (i) 231 
cease such work, or (ii) comply with an order of the office within such 232 
time as specified by the office, the office may make an application to the 233 
superior court for the judicial district of Hartford or the judicial district 234 
where the development is located enjoining the construction, expansion, 235 
establishment or operation of such development. Notwithstanding the 236 
provisions of this subsection, for single family home building lots within 237 
a subdivision of land, for which a certificate is required and which do 238 
not have a direct exit or entrance on, or directly abut or adjoin any state 239 
highway, no local building official shall issue a certificate of occupancy 240 
to any person, firm, corporation, state agency or municipal agency to 241 
occupy homes on such lots until the person, firm, corporation or agency 242 
provides to such official a copy of the certificate issued under this 243  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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section by the office and such official confirms that the certificate 244 
conditions have been satisfied. 245 
(c) The Office of the State Traffic Administration, to the extent 246 
practicable, shall begin its review of an application prior to final 247 
approval of the proposed activity by the municipal planning and zoning 248 
agency or other responsible municipal agency. 249 
(d) In determining the advisability of such certification, the Office of 250 
the State Traffic Administration shall include, in its consideration, 251 
highway safety, bicycle and pedestrian access and safety, the width and 252 
character of the highways affected, the density of traffic thereon, the 253 
character of such traffic and the opinion and findings of the traffic 254 
authority of the municipality wherein the development is located. The 255 
office may require improvements to be made by the applicant to the 256 
extent that such improvements address impacts to state highway safety 257 
or bicycle and pedestrian access and safety created by the addition of 258 
the applicant's proposed development or activity. If the office 259 
determines that such improvements, including traffic signals, pavement 260 
markings, channelization, pavement widening or other changes or 261 
traffic control devices, are required to handle traffic safely and 262 
efficiently, one hundred per cent of the cost thereof shall be borne by the 263 
person, firm, corporation or agency building, establishing or operating 264 
such open air theater, shopping center or other development generating 265 
large volumes of traffic, except that such cost shall not be borne by any 266 
municipal agency. The Commissioner of Transportation may issue a 267 
permit to [said] such person, firm, corporation or agency to construct or 268 
install the changes required by the office. 269 
(e) Any person, firm, corporation or agency building, establishing or 270 
operating such open air theater, shopping center or other development 271 
generating large volumes of traffic aggrieved by any decision of the 272 
Office of the State Traffic Administration [hereunder] under this section 273 
may appeal therefrom in accordance with the provisions of section 4-274 
183, except venue for such appeal shall be in the judicial district in which 275 
it is proposed to operate such establishment. The provisions of this 276  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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section, except insofar as such provisions relate to expansion, shall not 277 
apply to any open air theater, shopping center or other development 278 
generating large volumes of traffic in operation on July 1, 1967. 279 
(f) Before submitting an application for any development generating 280 
large volumes of traffic pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to the 281 
Office of the State Traffic Administration, the [individual or entity] 282 
person, firm, corporation or agency submitting such application shall 283 
attend a mandatory meeting with the Office of the State Traffic 284 
Administration and other staff from the Department of Transportation. 285 
At such meeting, such [individual or entity] person, firm, corporation or 286 
agency shall present the applicant's proposed development [to such 287 
department staff] and receive feedback, including, but not limited to, 288 
information as to what [needs] materials need to be submitted for an 289 
application to be considered complete. 290 
Sec. 5. Section 14-311c of the general statutes is repealed and the 291 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2023): 292 
(a) No [group of persons, firms, corporations, state agencies or 293 
municipal agencies] person, firm, corporation, state agency or 294 
municipal agency, or any combination thereof, shall build, expand, 295 
establish or operate any open air theater, shopping center or other 296 
development generating large volumes of traffic on any group of 297 
individual parcels of land which are separately owned but are utilized 298 
together for a single development purpose, whether or not such parcels 299 
are separated by any state, local or private roadway that substantially 300 
affect state highway traffic within this state, as determined by the Office 301 
of the State Traffic Administration, until such [group] person, firm, 302 
corporation or agency has procured from the Office of the State Traffic 303 
Administration a certificate that the operation thereof will not imperil 304 
the safety of the public, except that any development, including any 305 
development to be built in phases without regard to when such phases 306 
are approved by the municipal planning and zoning agency or other 307 
responsible municipal agency, that contains a total of one hundred or 308 
fewer residential units shall not be required to obtain such a certificate 309  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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if such development is a residential-only development and not part of a 310 
mixed-use development containing office, retail or other such 311 
nonresidential uses, provided if any future development increases the 312 
total number of residential units to more than one hundred, and this 313 
total substantially affects state highway traffic within the state as 314 
determined by the Office of the State Traffic Administration, a certificate 315 
shall be procured from said office. 316 
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection or permitted by 317 
the Office of the State Traffic Administration, no local building official 318 
shall issue a building or foundation permit to any such [group or 319 
member thereof] person, firm, corporation or agency to build, expand, 320 
establish or operate such a development until the [group or member] 321 
person, firm, corporation or agency provides to such official a copy of 322 
the certificate issued under this section by the Office of the State Traffic 323 
Administration. No local building official shall issue a certificate of 324 
occupancy to any such person, firm, corporation or agency for such 325 
development until the conditions of the certificate issued by the office 326 
under this section have been satisfied. If the Office of the State Traffic 327 
Administration determines that any [group or member] person, firm, 328 
corporation or agency has (1) started building, expanding, establishing 329 
or operating such a development without first obtaining a certificate 330 
from said office, or (2) has failed to comply with the conditions of such 331 
a certificate, it shall order the [group or member] person, firm, 332 
corporation or agency to (A) cease constructing, expanding, establishing 333 
or operating the development, or (B) to comply with the conditions of 334 
the certificate within a reasonable period of time. If such [group or 335 
member] person, firm, corporation or agency fails to (i) cease such work, 336 
or (ii) comply with such order within such time as specified by the Office 337 
of the State Traffic Administration, said office or the traffic authority of 338 
the municipality wherein the development is located may make an 339 
application to the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford or 340 
the judicial district where the development is located enjoining the 341 
construction, expansion, establishment or the operation of such 342 
development. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, for 343  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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single family home building lots within a subdivision of land, for which 344 
a certificate is required and which do not have a direct exit or entrance 345 
on, or directly abut or adjoin any state highway, no local building 346 
official shall issue a certificate of occupancy to any such [group or 347 
member thereof or] person, firm, corporation or agency to occupy 348 
homes on such lots until such [group, member or] person, firm, 349 
corporation or agency provides to such official a copy of the certificate 350 
issued under this section by said office and such official confirms that 351 
the certificate conditions have been satisfied. 352 
(c) The Office of the State Traffic Administration, to the extent 353 
practicable, shall begin its review of an application prior to final 354 
approval of the proposed activity by the municipal planning and zoning 355 
agency or other responsible municipal agency. 356 
(d) In determining the advisability of such certification, the Office of 357 
the State Traffic Administration shall include, in its consideration, 358 
highway safety, the width and character of the highways affected, the 359 
density of traffic thereon, the character of such traffic and the opinion 360 
and findings of the traffic authority of the municipality wherein the 361 
development is located. The Office of the State Traffic Administration 362 
may require improvements to be made by the applicant to the extent 363 
that such improvements address impacts to state highway safety 364 
created by the addition of the applicant's proposed development or 365 
activity. If the Office of the State Traffic Administration determines that 366 
such improvements, including traffic signals, pavement markings, 367 
channelization, pavement widening or other changes or traffic control 368 
devices, are required to handle traffic safely and efficiently, one 369 
hundred per cent of the cost thereof shall be borne by the [group] 370 
person, firm, corporation or agency building, establishing or operating 371 
such open air theater, shopping center or other development generating 372 
large volumes of traffic, except that such cost shall not be borne by any 373 
municipal agency. The Commissioner of Transportation may issue a 374 
permit to [said group] such person, firm, corporation or agency to 375 
construct or install the changes required by the Office of the State Traffic 376 
Administration, in consultation with the local traffic authority. 377  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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(e) Any [group] person, firm, corporation or agency building, 378 
establishing or operating such open air theater, shopping center or other 379 
development generating large volumes of traffic aggrieved by any 380 
decision of the Office of the State Traffic Administration [hereunder] 381 
under this section may appeal therefrom in accordance with the 382 
provisions of section 4-183, except venue for such appeal shall be in the 383 
judicial district in which it is proposed to operate such establishment. 384 
The provisions of this section except insofar as such provisions relate to 385 
expansion shall not apply to any open air theater, shopping center or 386 
other development generating large volumes of traffic which has 387 
received all necessary permits, variances, exceptions and approvals 388 
from the municipal zoning commission, planning commission, 389 
combined planning and zoning commission and zoning board of 390 
appeals in which such development is located prior to or on July 1, 1985, 391 
or to any such development which is in operation on that date. 392 
(f) Before submitting an application for any development generating 393 
large volumes of traffic pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to the 394 
Office of the State Traffic Administration, the person, firm, corporation 395 
or agency submitting such application shall attend a mandatory 396 
meeting with the Office of the State Traffic Administration and other 397 
staff from the Department of Transportation. At such meeting, such 398 
person, firm, corporation or agency shall present the applicant's 399 
proposed development and receive feedback, including, but not limited 400 
to, information as to what materials need to be submitted for an 401 
application to be considered complete. 402 
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Connecticut Training and 403 
Technical Assistance Center at The University of Connecticut shall 404 
conduct training sessions, at least annually, for traffic authorities 405 
concerning the powers and responsibilities of traffic authorities, the 406 
installation of official traffic control devices and an overview of the 407 
applicable provisions of the general statutes and any regulations 408 
adopted by the Office of the State Traffic Administration. 409 
(b) On or before January 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, each traffic 410  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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authority, or such authority's appointed representative, shall complete 411 
the training offered pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. The 412 
Connecticut Training and Technical Assistance Center shall maintain 413 
records indicating when a traffic authority, or such authority's 414 
representative, completed such training. 415 
Sec. 7. Subsection (b) of section 14-218a of the general statutes is 416 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 417 
1, 2023): 418 
(b) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the 419 
Office of the State Traffic Administration shall establish a speed limit 420 
[of] not to exceed sixty-five miles per hour on [any] each multiple lane, 421 
limited access [highways] highway. The office shall establish speed 422 
limits that are suitable for [a speed limit of sixty-five miles per hour] 423 
each such highway, taking into consideration relevant factors including 424 
design, population of area and traffic flow. 425 
(2) The Commissioner of Transportation may establish the speed 426 
limit on limited access highways during a weather event or an 427 
emergency, provided the commissioner erects electronic signs 428 
indicating such speed limit.  429 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 October 1, 2023 14-314 
Sec. 2 October 1, 2023 14-299 
Sec. 3 October 1, 2023 14-300 
Sec. 4 October 1, 2023 14-311 
Sec. 5 October 1, 2023 14-311c 
Sec. 6 from passage New section 
Sec. 7 October 1, 2023 14-218a(b) 
 
Statement of Purpose:   
To (1) establish a penalty for a municipality that fails to comply with an 
order issued by the Office of the State Traffic Administration, (2) permit 
the use of symbols on pedestrian control signals, (3) require operators 
to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, (4) prohibit local building officials  Raised Bill No.  904 
 
 
 
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from issuing a certificate of occupancy for certain developments until 
conditions of a certificate issued by the office have been completed, (5) 
require annual training for traffic authorities, and (6) permit speed 
limits up to sixty-five miles per hour on suitable multiple lane, limited 
access highways. 
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except 
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not 
underlined.]