Connecticut General Statutes 14-218a – Traveling unreasonably fast. Establishment of speed limits
(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.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 14-218a
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Intersection: means the area embraced within the prolongation of the lateral curb lines of two or more highways which join one another at an angle, whether or not one of the highways crosses the other. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-212
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- legislative body: means : (1) As applied to unconsolidated towns, the town meeting. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
- Motor vehicle: includes all vehicles used on the public highways. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-212
- Parking area: means lots, areas or other accommodations for the parking of motor vehicles off the street or highway and open to public use with or without charge. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-212
(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 the speed limit on limited access highways during a weather event or an emergency, provided the commissioner erects electronic signs indicating such 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.