§ 14-218a — Traveling unreasonably fast. Establishment of speed limits.

Connecticut § 14-218a

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 14: Motor Vehicles. Use of the Highway By Vehicles. Gasoline
• Ch. 248: Vehicle Highway Use

Text

(a)(1) No person shall operate a motor vehicle upon any public highway of the state, or road of any specially chartered municipal association or any district organized under the provisions of chapter 105, a purpose of which is the construction and maintenance of roads and sidewalks, or on any parking area as defined in section 14-212, or upon a private road on which a speed limit has been established in accordance with this subsection, or upon any school property, at a rate of speed greater than is reasonable, having regard to the width, traffic and use of highway, road or parking area, the intersection of streets and weather conditions. (2) The Office of the State Traffic Administration may determine speed limits which are reasonable and safe on any state highway, bridge or parkway built or maintained by the state, and differing limits may be established for different types of vehicles, and may erect or cause to be erected signs indicating such speed limits. (3) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section and section 14-307a , the traffic authority of any town, city or borough may establish speed limits on streets, highways and bridges or in any parking area for ten cars or more or on any private road wholly within the municipality under its jurisdiction; provided such limit on streets, highways, bridges and parking areas for ten cars or more shall become effective only after application for approval thereof has been submitted in writing to the Office of the State Traffic Administration and a certificate of such approval has been forwarded by the office to the traffic authority; and provided such signs giving notice of such speed limits shall have been erected as the office directs, provided the erection of such signs on any private road shall be at the expense of the owner of such road. The presence of such signs adjacent to or on the highway or parking area for ten cars or more shall be prima facie evidence that they have been so placed under the direction of and with the approval of the office. Approval of such speed limits may be revoked by the office at any time if said office deems such revocation to be in the interest of public safety and welfare, and thereupon such speed limits shall cease to be effective and any signs that have been erected shall be removed. (4) Any speed in excess of a speed limit established in accordance with this section or section 14-307a , other than speeding as provided for in section 14-219 , shall be prima facie evidence that such speed is not reasonable, but the fact that the speed of a vehicle is lower than such speed limit shall not relieve the operator from the duty to decrease speed when a special hazard exists with respect to pedestrians or other traffic or by reason of weather or highway conditions. (b) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the Office of the State Traffic Administration shall establish a speed limit not to exceed sixty-five miles per hour on each multiple lane, limited access highway. The office shall establish speed limits that are suitable for each such highway, taking into consideration relevant factors including design, population of area and traffic flow. (2) The Commissioner of Transportation may establish a variable speed limit to allow for the temporary lowering of a posted speed limit on a limited access highway, or a designated portion thereof, to address traffic congestion, road construction or any other condition that affects the safe and orderly movement of traffic on such limited access highway. Any such variable speed limit (A) shall be based on an engineering investigation; (B) shall not be less than ten miles per hour below the posted speed limit on such highway, or designated portion thereof; and (C) shall be effective when the variable speed limit is posted and when a sign notifying motorists of the change in the posted speed limit is erected not less than five hundred feet, but not more than one thousand feet, before the point at which the variable speed limit begins. The commissioner shall use stationary or portable changeable message signs to provide notice of a variable speed limit. (c) (1) The traffic authority of any town, city or borough may establish, modify and maintain speed limits on streets, highways and bridges or in any parking area for ten cars or more or on any private road wholly within the municipality under its jurisdiction without approval from the Office of the State Traffic Administration, provided: (A) The municipality, by vote of its legislative body, or in the case of a municipality in which the legislative body is a town meeting, its board of selectmen, permits the traffic authority to assume responsibility and authority for the establishment, modification and maintenance of the speed limits on all streets, highways and bridges and in parking areas for ten cars or more or on any private road wholly within the municipality under its jurisdiction. Such permission is not required if such legislative body or board of selectmen is also the traffic authority; (B) The traffic authority notifies the office in writing that the traffic authority is permitted under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision and intends to assume such responsibility and authority; (C) The traffic authority establishes, modifies and maintains the speed limits on all streets, highways and bridges and in parking areas for ten cars or more or on any private road wholly within the municipality under its jurisdiction; (D) The traffic authority conducts an engineering study described in subdivision (3) of this subsection; and (E) The traffic authority notifies the office of each change to a speed limit on such street, highway, bridge and parking area wholly within the municipality under its jurisdiction so the office may maintain a state-wide inventory of speed limits. Any speed limit approved by the office pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall remain in effect until modified by a traffic authority. (2) (A) The traffic authority shall not establish or reduce a speed limit lower than twenty-five miles per hour unless (i) the speed limit is in a pedestrian safety zone pursuant to section 14-307a , or (ii) the engineering study described in subdivision (3) of this subsection finds that a speed limit lower than twenty-five miles per hour is reasonable. (B) The traffic authority shall not reduce a speed limit by more than ten miles per hour without approval from the municipality, by vote of its legislative body, or in the case of a municipality in which the legislative body is a town meeting, its board of selectmen, if such legislative body or board of selectmen is not also the traffic authority. (C) If the traffic authority reduces a speed limit by more than ten miles per hour, the traffic authority shall erect reduced speed limit ahead signs in accordance with the standards contained in the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, as amended from time to time. (D) On any street or highway that runs into an adjoining municipality, a traffic authority shall not reduce the speed limit within one thousand feet of the boundary of the adjoining municipality by more than ten miles per hour from the speed limit on such road in the adjoining municipality without (i) approval of the adjoining municipality, by vote of its legislative body, or in the case of a municipality in which the legislative body is a town meeting, its board of selectmen, and (ii) the approval required under subparagraph (B) of this subdivision. (E) If a traffic authority reduces the speed limit on any street or highway that runs into an adjoining municipality between one thousand feet and one mile of the boundary of the adjoining municipality by more than ten miles per hour from the speed limit on such road in the adjoining municipality, the traffic authority shall provide written notice of the reduced speed limit to the adjoining municipality. (3) Prior to establishing or modifying a speed limit pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, the traffic authority shall conduct an engineering study in accordance with the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, as amended from time to time, and other generally accepted engineering principles and guidance. The study shall be completed by a professional engineer licensed to practice in this state and shall consider factors, including, but not limited to, pedestrian activity, type of land use and development, parking and the record of traffic accidents in the jurisdiction of the traffic authority. (4) The Office of the State Traffic Administration may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this subsection. (d) Any person who operates a motor vehicle at a greater rate of speed than is reasonable, other than speeding, as provided for in section 14-219 , shall commit the infraction of traveling unreasonably fast. See Sec. 14-111g re operator's retraining program.

Legislative History

(P.A. 75-577, S. 7, 126; P.A. 77-103; 77-340, S. 4; P.A. 84-429, S. 65; P.A. 98-181, S. 1; P.A. 12-132, S. 15; P.A. 21-28, S. 6; P.A. 22-40, S. 2; P.A. 23-135, S. 6; P.A. 24-40, S. 9.) History: P.A. 77-103 clarified proviso re effective date of speed limits; P.A. 77-340 replaced first reference to parking areas for 10 or more cars with parking areas as defined in Sec. 14-219a and specified infraction in Subsec. (b) as infraction “of traveling unreasonably fast”; P.A. 84-429 made technical changes for statutory consistency; P.A. 98-181 added new Subsec.(b) requiring the State Traffic Commission to establish a speed limit of 65 miles per hour on multiple lane, limited access highways determined to be suitable for said speed limit, relettering former Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c); P.A. 12-132 replaced references to State Traffic Commission with references to Office of the State Traffic Administration, effective July 1, 2012 (Revisor's note: In Subsecs. (a) and (b), references to “Office of State Traffic Administration” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Office of the State Traffic Administration” for accuracy); P.A. 21-28 amended Subsec. (a) by designating existing provisions as Subdivs. (1) to (4), adding “Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section and section 14-307a” in Subdiv. (3), adding “a speed limit established in accordance with this section or section 14-307a” in Subdiv. (4) and making technical changes, added new Subsec. (c) re traffic authority establishing speed limits without approval from office and redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d); P.A. 22-40 amended Subsec. (b) by designating existing provision as Subdiv. (1) and amending same to add provision re except as provided in Subdiv. (2) and adding Subdiv. (2) re commissioner to establish speed limit on limited access highway during weather event or emergency; P.A. 23-135 amended Subsec. (b)(1) by replacing speed limit of 65 miles per hour with speed limit not to exceed 65 miles per hour and making conforming changes; P.A. 24-40 amended Subsec. (b)(2) by replacing provision re speed limit on limited access highway during weather event or emergency with provisions re variable speed limit to address traffic congestion, road construction or other condition that affects movement of traffic and adding provisions re variable speed limit and stationary or portable changeable messages signs. Cited. 181 C. 515; 208 C. 94; 234 C. 660. Cited. 5 CA 434; 9 CA 825; 29 CA 791; 30 CA 810; 33 CA 44; 34 CA 189; 37 CA 85; 38 CA 322; 46 CA 633. Cited. 38 CS 426; 39 CS 313.