Transportation

Transit-oriented housing overlay districts. Requires certain localities to establish one or more transit-oriented housing overlay districts covering qualifying areas, as defined in the bill, within their boundaries. The bill provides that within such overlay districts, the locality shall permit, by right, a minimum height of six stories and a minimum average density of 30 units per acre within one-quarter of a mile of a major transit stop and allow two units per lot and four units per corner lot between one-quarter of a mile and one mile from a such a stop. The bill further provides that applications for such housing development shall be approved ministerially by the zoning administrator or other designated official and that no public hearing is required for approval. The bill allows certain areas within a locality to be excluded from its provisions and sunsets on September 1, 2030. The bill has a delayed effective date of September 1, 2027.

Emergency vehicles; exempt from certain traffic regulations. Authorizes a law-enforcement vehicle, defined in current law, operated by or under the direction of a state or local law-enforcement officer to disregard parking and stopping provisions. The bill expands the situations in which such vehicles may disregard speed limits to include when establishing evidence of other violations of law and when responding to an emergency in which emergency lights and siren may pose a safety risk and removes such authorization for disregarding speed limits in certain situations provided under existing law for law-enforcement vehicles operated by or under the direction of a federal law-enforcement officer.

This bill prohibits consuming or possessing open containers of alcohol in the passenger area of any motor vehicle. It directly affects drivers and passengers who might have open alcohol containers in the car's passenger space. The law would require such containers to be stored outside the passenger area (e.g., in the trunk) to prevent in-vehicle alcohol use.

Use of violation monitoring systems to enforce traffic light signals and certain traffic control devices; repeal. Repeals the authority of localities to use traffic light signal violation monitoring systems, colloquially known as red light cameras, and traffic control device violation monitoring systems to enforce certain traffic offenses, including traffic light signal violations.

Tort claims against the Commonwealth; liability for dangerous condition on public roadway. Provides that the Commonwealth or a transportation district of the Commonwealth shall be liable for injury or death caused by a dangerous condition on a public roadway that the Commonwealth or transportation district had knowledge of and negligently or wrongfully failed to remedy or maintain. Current law immunizes the Commonwealth or a transportation district against such liability.

School crossing zones; institutions of higher education. Expands the definition of "school crossing zone" to include areas surrounding schools where the presence of students reasonably requires a special warning to motorists and provides that the term "school" as it relates to a school crossing zone includes public institutions of higher education and nonprofit private institutions of higher education. Currently, the definition of "school crossing zone" includes only areas surrounding schools where the presence of children requires such warning. Existing provisions of law allowing photo speed monitoring devices to be installed in school crossing zones will apply to any location that meets the expanded definition.