House Transportation hears testimony tying H.834 language to lower speeds and pedestrian safety

At a March 12 House Transportation Committee meeting, Jason Rasmmanson, executive director of a regional commission and chair of VAP’s transportation committee, urged lawmakers to link draft bill language (referred to in testimony as H84/H.834) to existing state law and planning designations so towns can lower speeds in village centers and protect pedestrians. Rasmmanson said any change should pair clearer statutory language with design guidance so road geometry and street uses encourage slower driving.

Rasmmanson told the committee that regional planning commissions often perform speed counts and engineering studies (commonly using the 85th-percentile methodology) but that prevailing speeds reflect road design. “If I were starting from scratch...Let’s design it as if you’re driving 20 miles an hour,” Rasmmanson said, arguing that designing for lower operating speeds will produce safer behavior more reliably than changing posted limits alone.

Why it matters: Committee members said downtowns and village centers on state highways currently feel the tension between mobility and local access, with some towns facing higher-than-desired speeds. Rasmmanson recommended referencing Act 181 and the Title 24 neighborhood definitions to clarify where reduced speed policies should apply and to avoid duplicative or conflicting procedures.

Committee members and staff discussed specific statutory references raised in testimony, including 24 VSA 5804 (neighborhood/designated growth area language) and the relationship between local planning commissions and state traffic authorities. One member described concern that extremes—allowing towns to change speeds without safety input or denying towns meaningful local influence—would both be undesirable; several members urged a balanced process that includes both planners and public-safety officials.

Rasmmanson also walked through technical guidance documents that affect on-the-ground decisions. He noted MUTCD (the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) standards such as minimum no-parking offsets near crosswalks and suggested that the draft Vermont Multimodal Roadway Guide (BMRG), expected in July 2026, could serve as an effective supplement to inform context-based speed zones and thresholds.

The committee agreed to pursue additional work over the summer: RPCs, agency staff and stakeholders will try to craft clearer guidance and recommendations for the committee to consider next session, including clarifying which neighborhoods or downtown designations should be eligible for lower posted speeds and how appeals or input from safety authorities should be handled. No formal vote or motion was taken.

Next steps: Witnesses and RPCs are expected to return next session (or earlier if requested) with coordinated recommendations and any proposed statutory cross-references to help the committee refine H.834 language and implementation guidance.