| 1 | 1 | | By: Murphy H.B. No. 537 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to traffic engineering studies on photographic traffic |
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| 7 | 7 | | signal enforcement systems. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 707.003, Transportation Code, is amended |
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| 10 | 10 | | by adding Subsection (d-1) and amending Subsections (e) and (f) to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (d-1) At least once every five years after installing a |
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| 13 | 13 | | photographic traffic signal enforcement system at an intersection |
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| 14 | 14 | | approach, the local authority shall: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) contract with an independent engineering firm to |
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| 16 | 16 | | conduct a traffic engineering study of the approach to determine |
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| 17 | 17 | | whether, in addition to or as an alternative to the system, a design |
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| 18 | 18 | | change to the approach or a change in the signalization of the |
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| 19 | 19 | | intersection is likely to reduce the number of red light violations |
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| 20 | 20 | | at the intersection; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) report the results of the study as required by |
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| 22 | 22 | | Subsection (e). |
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| 23 | 23 | | (e) A local authority shall report results of the traffic |
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| 24 | 24 | | engineering study required by Subsection (c) or (d-1) to a citizen |
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| 25 | 25 | | advisory committee consisting of one person appointed by each |
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| 26 | 26 | | member of the governing body of the local authority. The committee |
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| 27 | 27 | | shall advise the local authority on the installation and operation |
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| 28 | 28 | | of a photographic traffic signal enforcement system established |
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| 29 | 29 | | under this chapter. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (f) A local authority may not impose a civil penalty under |
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| 31 | 31 | | this chapter on the owner of a motor vehicle if the local authority |
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| 32 | 32 | | violates Subsection (b) |
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| 33 | 33 | | , [or] (c), or (d-1). |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 2. Notwithstanding Section 707.003(d-1), |
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| 35 | 35 | | Transportation Code, as added by this Act, a local authority is not |
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| 36 | 36 | | required to comply with that section for a photographic traffic |
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| 37 | 37 | | signal enforcement system installed before September 1, 2015, until |
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| 38 | 38 | | September 1, 2020. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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