Last Wednesday, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Transportation Committee approved several bills that Tri-State has been monitoring. Bills that protect vulnerable users and allow for red light camera programs could make the state’s roads safer, but legislation that establishes tolls for a Route 11 extension asks Connecticut residents to pay for a project that would lead to congestion and sprawl.
Vulnerable User Bill
A bill to enhance penalties for drivers who carelessly injure or kill vulnerable users like pedestrians, cyclists and highway workers was voted out of committee with amended language and wide support. The penalties include a driver retraining course and community service as well as a fine. The original maximum fine of $5000 was reduced to $1000, which brings it in line with other states in the region. The bill now moves to the Joint Committee on Judiciary, where it was overwhelmingly supported last year.
Red Light Cameras
The committee also cleared an amended version of the red light camera bill. After a contentious hearing, the committee voted to send the bill forward for further discussion. The enabling legislation would allow municipalities of over 48,000—with the approval of the chief executive officer and legislative body of the municipality—to install red light cameras at intersections. Advocates worked hard to ensure that the $65 fine would only be issued after police officers reviewed images of the violation, while also explicitly excluding events like funeral processions from being ticketed. The legislation also includes numerous ways for drivers to appeal the tickets.
The Hartford Courant predicts that the bill will be referred to other committees before seeing a House or Senate vote.
Tolling Route 11
The committee also approved a bill that would establish tolls for the extension of Route 11, a project that Tri-State has long opposed. While Tri-State supports tolling in some instances, in this case, the toll revenue would fund a project that encourages sprawl and congestion. There is also no clear indication that tolls would actually pay for the road expansion, and the legislation explicitly states that, once the bonds that pay for the construction of the road are paid off, the tolls would be removed. This ignores long-term road maintenance and repair costs. Planning to pay for a project with tolls that likely won’t cover its costs—while simultaneously mandating that the tolls be removed at a certain point—would leave Connecticut taxpayers on the hook for the estimated $1 billion project, plus the price of upkeep.
