Vermont H 834: An act relating to traffic calming measures for village centers and pedestrian and bicycle safety

Bill Text

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.834
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VT LEG #386129 v.3
H.834 1
Introduced by Representatives Lalley of Shelburne, Keyser of Rutland City, 2
Pouech of Hinesburg, Tomlinson of Winooski, and Wells of 3
Brownington 4
Referred to Committee on 5
Date: 6
Subject: Motor vehicles; operation of vehicles; local speed limits; stopping, 7
standing, and parking; crosswalks; center turn lanes; passing vehicles; 8
bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; class 1 town highways 9
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to permit 10
municipalities to adopt speed limits under 25 miles per hour in downtown 11
centers, village centers, and thickly settled districts; to permit the Agency of 12
Transportation to adopt a Vermont State supplement to future Manuals on 13
Uniform Traffic Control Devices; to prohibit parking within a certain distance 14
of crosswalks; to permit municipalities to allow vehicle unloading or bicycle or 15
scooter parking within a certain distance of crosswalks; to prohibit the use of a 16
center turn lane to pass other vehicles under certain circumstances; and to 17
study the potential for municipalities and regional planning commissions to 18
assist the Agency of Transportation in implementing future updates to the 19
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, potential approaches to 20
increasing the use of bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and 21

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.834
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VT LEG #386129 v.3
potential measures to increase the conversion of State highways to class 1 town 1
highways. 2
An act relating to traffic calming measures for village centers and 3
pedestrian and bicycle safety 4
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 5
Sec. 1. 23 V.S.A. § 1007 is amended to read: 6
§ 1007. LOCAL SPEED LIMITS 7
* * * 8
(g) Notwithstanding any requirements of section 1025 of this title, 9
downtown development districts designated under 24 V.S.A. chapter 76A an 10
area that is a downtown center or village center pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 5803 11
may have posted speed limits of less than 25 miles per hour. 12
(h)(1) As used in this subsection, “thickly settled district” means a portion 13
of State, city, town, or village highway, or any combination of these, that: 14
(A) is at least one-fifth of a mile in length; and 15
(B) has commercial, industrial, or residential structures, or any 16
combination of the three, located along it that are an average of 200 feet or less 17
from each other. 18
(2) The legislative body of a municipality may by a majority vote 19
designate as a thickly settled district any portion of highway located in the 20

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VT LEG #386129 v.3
jurisdiction of the municipality that meets the requirements of subdivision (1) 1
of this subsection. 2
(3) Notwithstanding any requirements of section 1025 of this title, the 3
legislative body of a municipality may by a majority vote establish a speed 4
limit of 25 miles per hour on any highway in a thickly settled district 5
designated pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection. 6
Sec. 2. 24 V.S.A. § 5803 is amended to read: 7
§ 5803. DESIGNATION OF DOWNTOWN AND VILLAGE CENTERS 8
* * * 9
(f) Benefits Steps. A center may receive the benefits associated with the 10
steps in this section by meeting the established requirements. The Department 11
shall review applications from municipalities to advance from Step One to 12
Two and from Step Two to Three and issue written decisions. The Department 13
shall issue a written administrative decision within 30 days following an 14
application. If a municipal application is rejected by the Department, the 15
municipality may appeal the administrative decision to the State Board. To 16
maintain a downtown approved under chapter 76A after December 31, 2026, 17
the municipality shall apply for renewal following a regional planning 18
approval by the LURB and meet the program requirements. Step Three 19
designations that are not approved for renewal revert to Step Two. The 20
municipality may appeal the administrative decision of the Department to the 21

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State Board. Appeals of administrative decisions shall be heard by the State 1
Board at the next meeting following a timely filing stating the reasons for the 2
appeal. The State Board’s decision is final. The Department shall issue 3
guidance to administer these steps. 4
(1) Step One. 5
(A) Requirements. Step One is established to create an accessible 6
designation for all villages throughout the State to become eligible for funding 7
and technical assistance to support site-based improvements and planning. All 8
downtown and village centers shall automatically reach Step One upon 9
approval of the regional plan future land use map by the LURB. Regional plan 10
future land use maps supersede preexisting designated areas that may already 11
meet the Step One requirement. 12
(B)