| 1 | 1 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 1919 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 2015; March 25, 2015, read |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | first time and referred to Committee on Transportation; |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | April 30, 2015, reported adversely, with favorable Committee |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 3; April 30, 2015, |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | sent to printer.) |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Click here to see the committee vote |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1919 By: Huffines |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | relating to the establishment of a variable speed limit pilot |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | program by the Texas Transportation Commission. |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | (1) "Commission" means the Texas Transportation |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | Commission. |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (2) "Department" means the Texas Department of |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | Transportation. |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | SECTION 2. VARIABLE SPEED LIMIT PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | commission by rule shall establish and the department shall |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | implement a variable speed limit pilot program to study the |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | effectiveness of temporarily lowering prima facie speed limits to |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | address inclement weather, congestion, road construction, or any |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | other condition that affects the safe and orderly movement of |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | traffic on a roadway. Notice of a speed limit established under the |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | pilot program may be displayed using a stationary or portable |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | changeable message sign, as defined by Section 544.013, |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | Transportation Code. |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (b) The commission shall select up to 10 locations to test |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | the pilot program. |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | (c) The commission shall inform the Department of Public |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | Safety and any affected local law enforcement agency about the |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | pilot program and the locations that are being used to test the |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | pilot program. |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | (d) A speed limit that is established under the pilot |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | program: |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | (1) must be based on an engineering and traffic |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | investigation; |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | (2) may be effective for all or a designated portion of |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | the highway and may be effective for any period of the day or night, |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | as the department determines necessary; and |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | (3) is effective only when the speed limit is posted |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | and only if a sign notifying motorists of the change in speed limit |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | is posted not less than 500 feet but not more than 1,000 feet before |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | the point at which the speed limit begins. |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than December 31, 2016, the |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | commission shall submit a report to the legislature that includes |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | information about the pilot program, the results of the pilot |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | program, and any recommendations for statutory changes based on the |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | results of the pilot program. |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires February 1, 2017. |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | * * * * * |
|---|