Sec. 14-298. Office of the State Traffic Administration.
Sec. 14-297. Definitions. Terms used in this chapter shall be construed as follows, unless another construction is clearly apparent from the language or context in which the term is used or unless the construction is inconsistent with the manifest intention of the General Assembly:
(1) The following terms shall be construed as they are defined in section 14-1: “Authorized emergency vehicle”, “class 1 electric bicycle”, “class 2 electric bicycle”, “class 3 electric bicycle”, “driver”, “electric bicycle”, “electric foot scooter”, “head lamp”, “highway”, “intersection”, “limited access highway”, “motor vehicle”, “number plate”, “operator”, “person”, “rotary” or “roundabout”, “shoulder”, “stop”, “truck” and “vehicle”;
(2) “Crosswalk” means that portion of a highway ordinarily included within the prolongation or connection of the lateral lines of sidewalks at intersections, or any portion of a highway distinctly indicated, by lines or other markings on the surface, as a crossing for pedestrians, except such prolonged or connecting lines from an alley across a street;
(3) “Official traffic control devices” means all signs, signals, markings and devices consistent with the provisions of this chapter and placed or erected, for the purpose of regulating, warning or guiding traffic, by authority of a public body or official having jurisdiction;
(4) “Parking” means the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, on a highway, except it shall not include the temporary standing of a vehicle for the purpose of and while engaged in receiving or discharging passengers or loading or unloading merchandise or while in obedience to traffic regulations or traffic signs or signals;
(5) “Traffic” means pedestrians, vehicles and other conveyances while using any highway for the purpose of travel;
(6) “Traffic authority” means the board of police commissioners of any city, town or borough, or the city or town manager, the chief of police, the superintendent of police or any legally elected or appointed official or board, or any official having similar powers and duties, of any city, town or borough that has no board of police commissioners but has a regularly appointed force, or the board of selectmen of any town in which there is no city or borough with a regularly appointed police force, except that, with respect to state highways and bridges, “traffic authority” means the Office of the State Traffic Administration, provided nothing contained in this section shall be construed to limit or detract from the jurisdiction or authority of the Office of the State Traffic Administration to adopt regulations establishing a uniform system of traffic control signals, devices, signs and markings as provided in section 14-298, and the requirement that no installation of any traffic control signal light shall be made by any city, town or borough until the installation has been approved by the Office of the State Traffic Administration as provided in section 14-299;
(7) “Traffic control sign” means any sign bearing a message with respect to the stopping or to the rate of speed of vehicles; and
(8) “Traffic control signal” means any device, whether operated manually, electrically or mechanically, by which traffic is alternately directed to stop and to proceed.
(1949 Rev., S. 2516; P.A. 84-429, S. 42; P.A. 90-263, S. 53, 74; P.A. 05-210, S. 27; P.A. 12-132, S. 28; P.A. 18-165, S. 16; P.A. 19-162, S. 16.)
History: P.A. 84-429 substantially revised section, dividing section into Subsecs., applying definitions in Sec. 14-1 to terms added in Subdiv. (1), rephrasing provisions and making other technical changes; P.A. 90-263 amended Subdiv. (1) to delete “public service motor vehicle”; P.A. 05-210 amended Subdiv. (1) by substituting “rotary” or “roundabout” for “rotary traffic island”, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 12-132 amended Subdiv. (6) by replacing “State Traffic Commission” with “Office of the State Traffic Administration”, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 18-165 amended Subdiv. (1) by adding “class 1 electric bicycle”, “class 2 electric bicycle”, “class 3 electric bicycle” and “electric bicycle”; P.A. 19-162 amended Subdiv. (1) by adding “electric foot scooter” and making technical changes.
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Sec. 14-298. Office of the State Traffic Administration. There shall be within the Department of Transportation the Office of the State Traffic Administration, which shall constitute a successor to the State Traffic Commission, in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-38d, 4-38e and 4-39. For the purpose of standardization and uniformity, said office shall adopt and cause to be printed for publication regulations establishing a uniform system of traffic control signals, devices, signs and markings consistent with the provisions of this chapter for use upon the public highways. The Commissioner of Transportation shall make known to the General Assembly the availability of such regulations and any requesting member shall be sent a written copy or electronic storage media of such regulations by said commissioner. Taking into consideration the public safety and convenience with respect to the width and character of the highways and roads affected, the density of traffic thereon and the character of such traffic, said office shall also adopt regulations, in cooperation and agreement with local traffic authorities, governing the use of state highways and roads on state-owned properties, and the operation of vehicles, including, but not limited to, motor vehicles, bicycles, as defined in section 14-286, electric bicycles and electric foot scooters thereon. A list of limited-access highways shall be published with such regulations and said list shall be revised and published once each year. The Commissioner of Transportation shall make known to the General Assembly the availability of such regulations and list and any requesting member shall be sent a written copy or electronic storage media of such regulations and list by the commissioner. A list of limited-access highways opened to traffic by the Commissioner of Transportation in the interim period between publications shall be maintained in the Office of the State Traffic Administration and such regulations shall apply to the use of such listed highways. Said office shall also make regulations, in cooperation and agreement with local traffic authorities, respecting the use by through truck traffic of streets and highways within the limits of, and under the jurisdiction of, any city, town or borough of this state for the protection and safety of the public. If said office determines that the prohibition of through truck traffic on any street or highway is necessary because of an immediate and imminent threat to the public health and safety and the local traffic authority is precluded for any reason from acting on such prohibition, the office, if it is not otherwise precluded from so acting, may impose such prohibition. Said office may place and maintain traffic control signals, signs, markings and other safety devices, which it deems to be in the interests of public safety, upon such highways as come within the jurisdiction of said office as set forth in section 14-297. The traffic authority of any city, town or borough may place and maintain traffic control signals, signs, markings and other safety devices upon the highways under its jurisdiction, and all such signals, devices, signs and markings shall conform to the regulations established by said office in accordance with this chapter, and such traffic authority shall, with respect to traffic control signals, conform to the provisions of section 14-299.
(1949 Rev., S. 2517; 1957, P.A. 331, S. 1; 1967, P.A. 685, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 768, S. 151; P.A. 77-375, S. 6; 77-614, S. 558, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 11, 136; P.A. 84-429, S. 67; P.A. 88-242, S. 1, 2; P.A. 98-222, S. 6; P.A. 11-51, S. 134; Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 11-1, S. 7; P.A. 12-132, S. 1; P.A. 18-165, S. 17; P.A. 19-162, S. 17.)
History: 1967 act added provisions re regulations governing use of state highways and roads on state-owned properties and re list of limited access highways; 1969 act replaced highway commissioner with commissioner of transportation; P.A. 77-375 added reference to role of local traffic authorities in adoption of regulations and specifically referred to regulations re operation of vehicles “not limited to motor vehicles” and of bicycles; P.A. 77-614 placed state traffic commission in department of transportation and changed membership to include commissioner of public safety rather than commissioner of motor vehicles, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-303 restored membership of commissioner of motor vehicles and deleted reference to no longer existing commissioner of state police; P.A. 84-429 made technical changes for statutory consistency; P.A. 88-242 added provisions authorizing the state traffic commission to prohibit through truck traffic in certain cases involving an immediate and imminent threat to public health and safety; P.A. 98-222 added a requirement that the commissioner notify the General Assembly that the regulations establishing a uniform system of traffic control signals and the list of limited-access highways are available upon request in a written format or as electronic storage; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection”, effective July 1, 2011; Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 11-1 added provision making Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, or his or her designee, a member of commission when commission discusses and votes on any matter re an economic development project, and made technical changes, effective October 27, 2011; P.A. 12-132 replaced provisions re State Traffic Commission with provisions re Office of the State Traffic Administration, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 18-165 added “and electric bicycles” re operation of vehicles on state highways and roads on state-owned properties and made technical changes; P.A. 19-162 deleted reference to Sec. 14-1 and added “and electric foot scooters” re operation of vehicles on state highways and roads on state-owned properties.
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Sec. 14-300i. Vehicle operator to exercise reasonable care when near vulnerable user on a public way. (a) As used in subsection (b) of this section, (1) “vulnerable user” means: (A) A pedestrian; (B) a highway worker; (C) a person riding or driving an animal; (D) a person riding a bicycle, an electric bicycle or an electric foot scooter; (E) a person using a skateboard, roller skates or in-line skates; (F) a person operating or riding on an agricultural tractor; (G) a person using a wheelchair or motorized chair; and (H) a person who is blind and such person's service animal, (2) “public way” includes any state or other public highway, road, street, avenue, alley, driveway, parkway or place, under the control of the state or any political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to public travel or other use, (3) “substantial bodily harm” means bodily injury that involves a temporary but substantial disfigurement, causes a temporary but substantial loss or impairment of the function of any bodily part or organ, or causes a fracture of any bodily part, and (4) “serious physical injury” has the same meaning as provided in section 53a-3.
(b) Any person operating a motor vehicle on a public way who fails to exercise reasonable care and causes substantial bodily harm to, or the serious physical injury or death, of a vulnerable user of a public way, provided such vulnerable user has shown reasonable care in such user's use of the public way, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars.
(P.A. 14-31, S. 1; P.A. 17-202, S. 45; P.A. 18-165, S. 18; P.A. 19-162, S. 18.)
History: P.A. 17-202 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(H) to replace “blind person” with “person who is blind”; P.A. 18-165 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(D) to add “or an electric bicycle”; P.A. 19-162 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(D) to add reference to electric foot scooter, further amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdivs. (3) and (4) defining “substantial bodily harm” and “serious physical injury”, and amended Subsec. (b) to add reference to substantial bodily harm and made technical changes.
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