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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1806 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3804 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Tommy Vitolo |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act to improve pedestrian safety. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Tommy Vitolo15th Norfolk1/15/2025Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex1/22/2025Tara T. Hong18th Middlesex1/29/2025Colleen M. Garry36th Middlesex2/24/2025Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire2/24/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1806 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3804 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Vitolo of Brookline, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3804) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Tommy Vitolo and others relative to pedestrian safety. Transportation. |
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| 20 | 20 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 21 | 21 | | _______________ |
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| 22 | 22 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | An Act to improve pedestrian safety. |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 27 | 27 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 28 | 28 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 85 Section 2 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official |
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| 29 | 29 | | 2Edition, is hereby amended by inserting in line 61 after the word “prohibited” the following: - |
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| 30 | 30 | | 3 “The department’s manual must indicate that where pedestrians who walk slower, use |
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| 31 | 31 | | 4mobility aids, or who walk at slower speeds resulting from transporting, assisting, or conveying |
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| 32 | 32 | | 5another person, routinely use the crosswalk, these factors should be considered in determining |
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| 33 | 33 | | 6the pedestrian clearance time. The department will be responsible for promulgating regulations |
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| 34 | 34 | | 7that direct a municipality to: |
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| 35 | 35 | | 8 (a.) create a list of locations within their boundaries that are heavily used by pedestrians |
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| 36 | 36 | | 9who are likely to have: (i.) a slower than average walking speed resulting due to age, (ii.) a |
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| 37 | 37 | | 10slower than average walking speed due to a physical mobility issue, and (iii.) slower walking |
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| 38 | 38 | | 11speeds resulting from transporting, assisting, or conveying another person through a signalized |
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| 39 | 39 | | 12crosswalk. 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 13 (b.) require that locations contained in said list, where there are signalized crosswalks |
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| 41 | 41 | | 14regularly in use, account for the slower walking speed of pedestrians by adjusting signal walk |
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| 42 | 42 | | 15clearance times to a reasonable degree to allow for pedestrians to safely compete a crossing.” |
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| 43 | 43 | | 16 SECTION 2. The administrator of the department of highways will promulgate |
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| 44 | 44 | | 17regulations for the implementation of Section 1 not later than January 1, 2026. Municipalities |
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| 45 | 45 | | 18must be in compliance with said regulations not later than January 1, 2027 |
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