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Council adopts 2024 model traffic code; expands definitions, hands‑free rules and pedestrian protections
Summary
The Littleton City Council adopted revisions to Title 9 on second reading to incorporate the 2024 Model Traffic Code, updating definitions, hands‑free rules and protections for vulnerable road users.
The Littleton City Council voted 5‑0 on second reading to repeal and reenact Title 9 (traffic regulations) and adopt the 2024 Model Traffic Code with several Littleton‑specific amendments.
City staff explained the principal changes: updated definitions for new vehicle classes (for example, e‑scooters and autocycles); updated provisions related to automated vehicle identification systems (AVIS), including authorization for civil notice by mail for certain automated enforcement; incorporation and clarification of hands‑free restrictions consistent with state law; expanded move‑over and hazard‑vehicle protections for workers and emergency responders; a prohibition on passing snowplows operating in echelon; enhancements to penalties for collisions involving vulnerable users (pedestrians, bicyclists); and a codification of the Colorado “safety stop” treatment for certain non‑motorized users at controlled intersections. Staff also noted an update to allowable gross vehicle weights on city streets.
Councilmembers and the public asked questions about future speed‑limit standardization (Councilmember Peters signaled interest in a future review of default residential speeds) and enforcement (how officers prove handheld phone use). Pam Chadbourne and others spoke during public comment in favor of the safety‑stop approach and urged strong hands‑free enforcement; Candace Rutledge reminded the council that a state hands‑free law is already in effect as of Jan. 1. The city attorney clarified that data from automated speed enforcement is not generally discoverable in public records requests.
Action: Council moved to approve the ordinance on second reading; the vote was 5‑0 and the ordinance will be codified.
Ending: The ordinance establishes a local legal framework to address new vehicle types, safety‑stop practices and enforcement methods; further transport planning (including possible default speed limit adjustments) will be addressed in the upcoming transportation master plan update.
