| Old | New | Differences | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 3 | EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. | |
| 4 | 4 | [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. | |
| 5 | - | Underlining indicates amendments to bill. | |
| 6 | - | Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by | |
| 7 | - | amendment. | |
| 8 | 5 | *hb0963* | |
| 9 | 6 | ||
| 10 | 7 | HOUSE BILL 963 | |
| 11 | 8 | R5 5lr0878 | |
| 12 | 9 | ||
| 13 | 10 | By: Montgomery County Delegation | |
| 14 | 11 | Introduced and read first time: January 31, 2025 | |
| 15 | 12 | Assigned to: Environment and Transportation | |
| 16 | - | Committee Report: Favorable | |
| 17 | - | House action: Adopted | |
| 18 | - | Read second time: March 6, 2025 | |
| 19 | 13 | ||
| 20 | - | ||
| 14 | + | A BILL ENTITLED | |
| 21 | 15 | ||
| 22 | 16 | AN ACT concerning 1 | |
| 23 | 17 | ||
| 24 | 18 | Montgomery County – Highways – Maximum Speed Limits 2 | |
| 25 | 19 | ||
| 26 | 20 | MC 1–25 3 | |
| 27 | 21 | ||
| 28 | 22 | FOR the purpose of authorizing a local authority in Montgomery County to decrease the 4 | |
| 29 | 23 | maximum speed limit on a highway without performing an engineering and traffic 5 | |
| 30 | 24 | investigation; and generally relating to maximum speed limits in Montgomery 6 | |
| 31 | 25 | County. 7 | |
| 32 | 26 | ||
| 33 | 27 | BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 8 | |
| 34 | 28 | Article – Transportation 9 | |
| 35 | 29 | Section 21–803(a)(1), (c), and (d) 10 | |
| 36 | 30 | Annotated Code of Maryland 11 | |
| 37 | 31 | (2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12 | |
| 38 | 32 | ||
| 39 | 33 | BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13 | |
| 40 | 34 | Article – Transportation 14 | |
| 41 | 35 | Section 21–803(a)(4) 15 | |
| 42 | 36 | Annotated Code of Maryland 16 | |
| 43 | 37 | (2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17 | |
| 44 | 38 | ||
| 45 | 39 | SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEM BLY OF MARYLAND, 18 | |
| 46 | 40 | That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19 | |
| 47 | 41 | ||
| 48 | - | Article – Transportation 20 2 HOUSE BILL 963 | |
| 42 | + | Article – Transportation 20 | |
| 43 | + | ||
| 44 | + | 21–803. 21 | |
| 45 | + | ||
| 46 | + | (a) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (3) through (5) of this subsection, if, 22 | |
| 47 | + | on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation, a local authority determines that 23 | |
| 48 | + | any maximum speed limit specified in this subtitle is greater or less than reasonable or 24 2 HOUSE BILL 963 | |
| 49 | 49 | ||
| 50 | 50 | ||
| 51 | + | safe under existing conditions on any part of a highway in its jurisdiction, it may establish 1 | |
| 52 | + | a reasonable and safe maximum speed limit for that part of the highway, which may: 2 | |
| 51 | 53 | ||
| 52 | - | ||
| 54 | + | (i) Decrease the limit at an intersection; 3 | |
| 53 | 55 | ||
| 54 | - | (a) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (3) through (5) of this subsection, if, 2 | |
| 55 | - | on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation, a local authority determines that 3 | |
| 56 | - | any maximum speed limit specified in this subtitle is greater or less than reasonable or 4 | |
| 57 | - | safe under existing conditions on any part of a highway in its jurisdiction, it may establish 5 | |
| 58 | - | a reasonable and safe maximum speed limit for that part of the highway, which may: 6 | |
| 56 | + | (ii) Increase the limit in an urban district to not more than 50 miles 4 | |
| 57 | + | per hour; 5 | |
| 59 | 58 | ||
| 60 | - | ( | |
| 59 | + | (iii) Decrease the limit in an urban district; or 6 | |
| 61 | 60 | ||
| 62 | - | ( | |
| 63 | - | per hour | |
| 61 | + | (iv) Decrease the limit outside an urban district to not less than 25 7 | |
| 62 | + | miles per hour. 8 | |
| 64 | 63 | ||
| 65 | - | ( | |
| 64 | + | (4) (i) This paragraph applies only to: 9 | |
| 66 | 65 | ||
| 67 | - | (iv) Decrease the limit outside an urban district to not less than 25 11 | |
| 68 | - | miles per hour. 12 | |
| 66 | + | 1. Anne Arundel County and Montgomery County; and 10 | |
| 69 | 67 | ||
| 70 | - | (4) (i) This paragraph applies only to: 13 | |
| 68 | + | 2. Municipalities located in Anne Arundel County and 11 | |
| 69 | + | Montgomery County. 12 | |
| 71 | 70 | ||
| 72 | - | 1. Anne Arundel County and Montgomery County; and 14 | |
| 71 | + | (ii) 1. [A] SUBJECT TO SUBSUBPAR AGRAPH 2 OF THIS 13 | |
| 72 | + | SUBPARAGRAPH , A local authority may decrease the maximum speed limit to not less than 14 | |
| 73 | + | 15 miles per hour on a highway only after performing an engineering and traffic 15 | |
| 74 | + | investigation. 16 | |
| 73 | 75 | ||
| 74 | - | 2. Municipalities located in Anne Arundel County and 15 | |
| 75 | - | Montgomery County. 16 | |
| 76 | - | ||
| 77 | - | (ii) 1. [A] SUBJECT TO SUBSUBPARAGRAPH 2 OF THIS 17 | |
| 78 | - | SUBPARAGRAPH , A local authority may decrease the maximum speed limit to not less than 18 | |
| 79 | - | 15 miles per hour on a highway only after performing an engineering and traffic 19 | |
| 76 | + | 2. IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, A LOCAL AUTHORITY MA Y 17 | |
| 77 | + | DECREASE THE MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT ON A HIGHWAY UNDER SUBSUBPARAGRAP H 18 | |
| 78 | + | 1 OF THIS SUBPARAGRAPH WITHOUT PERFORMING A N ENGINEERING AND TR AFFIC 19 | |
| 80 | 79 | INVESTIGATION . 20 | |
| 81 | 80 | ||
| 82 | - | 2. IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, A LOCAL AUTHORITY MA Y 21 | |
| 83 | - | DECREASE THE MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT ON A HIGHWAY UNDER SUBSUBPARAGRAP H 22 | |
| 84 | - | 1 OF THIS SUBPARAGRAPH WITHOUT PERFORMING A N ENGINEERING AND TR AFFIC 23 | |
| 85 | - | INVESTIGATION . 24 | |
| 81 | + | (iii) A local authority may not implement a new speed monitoring 21 | |
| 82 | + | system to enforce speed limits on any portion of a highway for which the speed limit has 22 | |
| 83 | + | been decreased under this paragraph. 23 | |
| 86 | 84 | ||
| 87 | - | (iii) A local authority may not implement a new speed monitoring 25 | |
| 88 | - | system to enforce speed limits on any portion of a highway for which the speed limit has 26 | |
| 89 | - | been decreased under this paragraph. 27 | |
| 85 | + | (c) An altered maximum speed limit established under this section is effective 24 | |
| 86 | + | when posted on appropriate signs giving notice of the limit. 25 | |
| 90 | 87 | ||
| 91 | - | (c) An altered maximum speed limit established under this section is effective 28 | |
| 92 | - | when posted on appropriate signs giving notice of the limit. 29 | |
| 88 | + | (d) Except in Baltimore City, any alteration by a local authority of a maximum 26 | |
| 89 | + | speed limit on a part or extension of a State highway is not effective until it is approved by 27 | |
| 90 | + | the State Highway Administration. 28 | |
| 93 | 91 | ||
| 94 | - | (d) Except in Baltimore City, any alteration by a local authority of a maximum 30 | |
| 95 | - | speed limit on a part or extension of a State highway is not effective until it is approved by 31 | |
| 96 | - | the State Highway Administration. 32 HOUSE BILL 963 3 | |
| 97 | - | ||
| 98 | - | ||
| 99 | - | ||
| 100 | - | SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1 | |
| 101 | - | October 1, 2025. 2 | |
| 102 | - | ||
| 103 | - | ||
| 104 | - | ||
| 105 | - | Approved: | |
| 106 | - | ________________________________________________________________________________ | |
| 107 | - | Governor. | |
| 108 | - | ________________________________________________________________________________ | |
| 109 | - | Speaker of the House of Delegates. | |
| 110 | - | ________________________________________________________________________________ | |
| 111 | - | President of the Senate. | |
| 92 | + | SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 29 | |
| 93 | + | October 1, 2025. 30 |