Researcher: JP Page 1 4/5/23
OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 904
AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE OFFICE
OF THE STATE TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION AND THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THE DISSOLUTION OF THE
NORWALK TRANSIT DISTRICT AND ROUTE SHIELD PAVEMENT
MARKINGS.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
SUMMARY
§§ 1-6 — OSTA-RELATED LAWS AND REGULATIO NS
Makes municipalities that do not comply with OSTA orders or regulations, after a
warning, ineligible for certain competitive grants; requires local traffic authorities to
attend annual training; makes other minor changes to OSTA laws on traffic signals and
major traffic generator certificates
§ 7 — LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY SPEED LIMITS
Give OSTA discretion in setting speed limits on limited-access highways by eliminating
the requirement that the speed limit be 65 mph on suitable multi-lane, limited access
highways; instead allows the office to set speed limits up to 65 mph
§§ 8-10 — CONNECTICUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Renames the Commuter Rail Council as the Connecticut Public Transportation Council
and modifies its composition and charge to include bus user representation
§ 11 — SHORE LINE EAST RAIL LINE STUDY
Extends deadline for Shore Line East study to December 1, 2023
§§ 12 & 13 — OVERSIGHT OF LIVERY VEHICLES
Allows livery permittees to apply for two additional vehicles annually through an
expedited process under certain conditions and makes other changes to livery permit
statutes
§ 14 ― NORWALK TRANSIT DISTRICT DISSOLUTION
Dissolves, and transfers to DOT, the Norwalk Transit District’s property, liabilities, and
responsibilities on January 1, 2024
§ 15 — INTERSTATE PAVEMENT MARKINGS
Requires DOT to install and maintain pavement markings at certain major limited access
highway intersections
2023SB-00904-R000437-BA.DOCX
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SUMMARY
Among its other changes, this bill (1) strengthens enforcement of
Office of the State Traffic Administration (OSTA) laws, including
making noncompliant municipalities ineligible for certain competitive
grants and requiring training for local traffic authorities; (2) modifies the
composition and charge of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council to
include bus user representation (§§ 8-10); (3) modifies livery service
laws, including expanding the Department of Transportation’s (DOT)
enforcement options to include ordering corrective actions (§§ 12 & 13);
and (4) dissolves the Norwalk Transit District and transfers its property,
liabilities, and responsibilities to DOT (§ 14).
It also makes various minor, technical, and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2023, unless otherwise noted below.
§§ 1-6 — OSTA-RELATED LAWS AND REGULATIO NS
Makes municipalities that do not comply with OSTA orders or regulations, after a
warning, ineligible for certain competitive grants; requires local traffic authorities to
attend annual training; makes other minor changes to OSTA laws on traffic signals and
major traffic generator certificates
Compliance With OSTA Orders and Regulations (§ 1)
The bill requires OSTA to give written notice to a city, town, or
borough that fails to comply with one of its issued orders or regulations.
The notice must specify the compliance deadline, taking into
consideration the availability of, or the need for installing or purchasing,
any equipment. Under the bill, failure to comply by the deadline makes
a city, town, or borough ineligible to apply for any competitive grant
program administered by DOT or the Office of Policy and Management,
including the small-town economic assistance program (STEAP), to
fund a transportation-related project.
Traffic Control Signals and Pedestrian Control Signals (§§ 2 & 3)
By law, OSTA approval is required before a town, city, or borough
may install a traffic control signal light. The bill expands this authority
to also require OSTA approval before a signal light is revised.
It also explicitly permits the use of symbols (i.e., of a walking person 2023SB-00904-R000437-BA.DOCX
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to represent “Walk” and an upraised hand to represent “Don’t Walk”),
rather than only words as under current law, on pedestrian control
signals. This conforms to the Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control
Devices (MUTCD).
Major Traffic Generator Certificates (§§ 4 & 5)
By law, entities building, expanding, or establishing a major traffic-
generating development (i.e., having at least 100,000 square feet of floor
area or at least 200 parking spaces) must get an OSTA certificate, and local
building officials may not issue a building permit to them until they show
their certificate. The bill additionally prohibits local building officials
from issuing a certificate of occupancy for these developments until
conditions of the OSTA certificate have been met. By law, OSTA has the
authority to order entities who have not met conditions listed in the
certificate to stop development and may bring action in court if the
conditions are not met.
It also makes a conforming change to require that all entities who
must apply for a certificate attend a meeting with OSTA and DOT before
applying (§ 5).
Local Traffic Authority Training (§ 6)
The bill requires UConn’s Connecticut Training and Technical
Assistance Center to do mandatory training for traffic authorities at least
three times per year. The training must cover the authorities’ powers
and responsibilities, traffic control device installation, and applicable
statutes and OSTA regulations. By January 1, 2024, and annually
afterwards, each traffic authority or its appointed representative must
complete the training. The bill requires the center to maintain records of
training completion for each traffic authority.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 7 — LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY SPEED LIMITS
Give OSTA discretion in setting speed limits on limited-access highways by eliminating
the requirement that the speed limit be 65 mph on suitable multi-lane, limited access
highways; instead allows the office to set speed limits up to 65 mph
The bill gives OSTA more discretion in setting speed limits on limited 2023SB-00904-R000437-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JP Page 4 4/5/23
access highways. Current law requires OSTA to establish a 65 mph
speed limit on any multi-lane, limited access highways that are suitable
for this speed limit, taking into consideration factors including design,
population area, and traffic flow. The bill instead requires the office to
set speed limits that are suitable for each of these highways, up to 65
mph, taking into account the same relevant factors (§ 7).
§§ 8-10 — CONNECTICUT PUBLIC TRANSPOR TATION
Renames the Commuter Rail Council as the Connecticut Public Transportation Council
and modifies its composition and charge to include bus user representation
Organization (§§ 8 & 9)
Under current law, the Commuter Rail Council consists mostly of
commuters, appointed with the advice and consent of the General
Assembly, who regularly use the New Haven commuter rail line,
Shoreline East rail line, or a proposed new rail line commencing
operation after July 1, 2013 (i.e., the Hartford line).
Under the bill, the council is renamed the Connecticut Public
Transportation Council, with the same number of members, all of whom
must be residents who regularly use the New Haven, Shoreline East, or
Hartford rail lines or state-funded public bus transportation. Additional
specific qualifications based on appointing authority are outlined in the
table below.
Table: Council Membership Under Current Law vs. The Bill
Appointing
Authority
Specific Qualifications
Under Current Law
Specific Qualifications
Under the Bill
Senate president
pro tempore
General qualification Resident who regularly uses
state-funded public bus services
General qualification Resident who regularly uses the
New Haven rail line
General qualification General qualification
House speaker General qualification Resident who regularly uses
state-funded public bus services
General qualification Resident who regularly uses the
Hartford rail line
General qualification General qualification
Senate minority
leader
General qualification General qualification 2023SB-00904-R000437-BA.DOCX
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Appointing
Authority
Specific Qualifications
Under Current Law
Specific Qualifications
Under the Bill
House minority
leader
General qualification General qualification
Governor General qualification General qualification
General qualification General qualification
Chief elected official of a
municipality located on an
operating or proposed new
rail line
General qualification
General qualification General qualification
Transportation
Committee co-chair
Resident of a municipality in
which the DOT commissioner
has proposed a new rail line or
a rail line that has commenced
operation after July 1, 2013
Resident who regularly uses
state-funded public bus services
Transportation
Committee co-chair
Resident of a municipality in
which a station for the
Shoreline East railroad line is
located
Resident who regularly uses the
Shore Line East rail line
Transportation
Committee ranking
members
Resident of a municipality
served by the Danbury or
Waterbury branches of the
New Haven commuter railroad
line
Resident who regularly uses
state-funded public bus services
The bill requires all initial appointments to the new council to be
made by August 1, 2023, for four-year terms, except that all existing rail
council members who were appointed prior to July 1, 2023, and whose
term is unexpired on that date, are deemed appointed to the new council
until their term expires or a vacancy occurs, whichever occurs first. It
eliminates current law’s requirement that council appointments be
approved by the General Assembly. The council chairperson must
notify the relevant appointing authority within 10 days after a vacancy
occurs on the new council or a member resigns.
Under current law, the rail council is charged with studying and
investigating all aspects of state commuter rail lines’ daily operation,
monitoring their performance, and recommending changes to improve
the efficiency and quality of service of their operation. To enable it to
carry out these duties, the council may request and receive assistance
and data from any state department, division, board, bureau, 2023SB-00904-R000437-BA.DOCX
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commission, agency, or public authority or any political subdivision.
The council must work with DOT to advocate for commuter line
customers and make recommendations for the lines’ improvement.
Under the bill, the public transportation council is charged with
studying and investigating all aspects of the daily operation of the
commuter railroad systems and public bus services funded by the state,
monitoring their performance, and recommending changes to improve
their services’ efficiency, equity, and quality. To enable it to carry out
these duties, the new council may request and receive assistance and
data, if available, from any state department, division, board, bureau,
commission, agency, public authority, or any political subdivision. The
council must serve as an advocate for customers of all commuter
railroad systems and public bus transportation services funded by the
state.
The bill adds specific information and assistance that DOT must give
the new council. The bill requires DOT to (1) submit monthly reports
with information and data about the commuter rail systems’ and state-
funded public bus services’ on-time performance by station and
passenger ridership and (2) make quarterly presentations on these
reports at council meetings and respond to reasonable council inquiries
made in advance of any council meeting. DOT must also maintain
records, and denote the status, of each request for information and data
it receives from the council.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Reporting Deadline (§ 10)
By February 1, 2024, the Public Transportation Council must submit
a report on the council’s organizational structure and any
recommendations to improve or modify its structure and mission to the
Transportation Committee. In addition to current law’s requirements to
annually report on its findings and recommendations to various
authorities (e.g., the governor, DOT, and the legislature), the bill also
requires the new council to annually present its findings and
recommendations to the Transportation Committee. 2023SB-00904-R000437-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JP Page 7 4/5/23
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 11 — SHORE LINE EAST RAIL LINE STUDY
Extends deadline for Shore Line East study to December 1, 2023
The bill extends the deadline, from January 1, 2023, to December 1,
2023, for the DOT commissioner to submit the results of a study on the
feasibility of various Shore Line East rail line initiatives to the
Transportation Committee. By law, unchanged by the bill, he must
study the feasibility of:
1. extending the rail line to Rhode Island,
2. establishing a new passenger rail service from New London to
Norwich,
3. establishing a new train station in Groton and Stonington
borough, and
4. extending ground transportation systems in the eastern region
and providing interconnection between them and rail lines.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§§ 12 & 13 — OVERSIGHT OF LIVERY VEHICLES
Allows livery permittees to apply for two additional vehicles annually through an
expedited process under certain conditions and makes other changes to livery permit
statutes
Under current law, DOT must, within 30 calendar days of receiving
an application, issue an in-state livery service permit holder of at least
one year up to two additional vehicle permits each year, without a
hearing or written notice to other parties affected by the application.
DOT must do so as long as all of the applicant’s existing permits are
registered and in use and there are no outstanding violations or matters
pending adjudication against him or her. The bill allows a permittee to
submit a second expedited permit application for up to two additional
vehicles under the same terms. It clarifies that DOT must issue the
amended permit within 30 days of receiving an application and fee
payment. 2023SB-00904-R000437-BA.DOCX
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The bill eliminates the requirement that owners or operators display
their livery permits in their vehicles. Under existing law, livery vehicles
generally must display their assigned livery registration while
operating in livery service (CGS § 13b-106).
By law, DOT may make reasonable regulations and impose civil
penalties for violations of them or the laws on livery vehicles with
respect to fares, service, operation, and equipment. The bill expands this
authority to include a livery’s management and staffing. In addition to
civil penalties, the bill authorizes DOT to order corrective actions as it
deems necessary, including attendance at a driver retraining program.
§ 14 ― NORWALK TRANS IT DISTRICT DISSOLUTION
Dissolves, and transfers to DOT, the Norwalk Transit District’s property, liabilities, and
responsibilities on January 1, 2024
On January 1, 2024, the bill dissolves the Norwalk Transit District and
transfers all of its funds and property to DOT, including all liability for,
and payment of, its debts and obligations. DOT must provide transit
services to the areas previously served by the district.
The bill does this notwithstanding statutory provisions (1)
authorizing one or more municipalities to form a transit district, which
assumes the same regulatory and supervisory functions over transit
systems in its district that DOT would exercise (CGS § 7-273b) and (2)
requiring that any special legislation on the powers, organization, or
form of local government be requested by the affected municipalities
(CGS § 2-14). Under this law, it appears that each impacted municipality
must request the special legislation and its town clerk must file a
certified copy of the resolution or the petition with the secretary of the
state at least 10 days before the start of the legislative session.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 15 — INTERSTATE PAVEMENT MARKINGS
Requires DOT to install and maintain pavement markings at certain major limited access
highway intersections
Under the bill, DOT must paint and maintain route shield pavement
markings to guide drivers through the interchanges, in accordance with 2023SB-00904-R000437-BA.DOCX
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the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), at the
intersections of (1) I-95 and I-91 in New Haven and (2) I-91 and I-84 in
Hartford.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
COMMITTEE ACTION
Transportation Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 23 Nay 13 (03/17/2023)