HB 1695-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2012 SESSION
06/09
HOUSE BILL 1695-FN
AN ACT increasing certain speed limits.
SPONSORS: Rep. Vaillancourt, Hills 15; Rep. Ohm, Hills 26; Rep. Mirski, Graf 10; Rep. K. Murphy, Hills 18; Rep. DeJong, Hills 9
This bill increases the speed limits on certain highways.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
12-2098
06/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twelve
AN ACT increasing certain speed limits.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Speed Limits Raised. Amend RSA 265:60, II(e) to read as follows:
(e) [65] 70 miles [an] per hour on the interstate system[,]; 65 miles per hour on the central New Hampshire turnpike and the eastern New Hampshire turnpike in locations where said highways are 4-lane divided highways or other divided highways of 4 or more lanes; except that the speed limit on portions of the interstate system which had a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour on the effective date of this act shall be 60 miles per hour.
2 Minimum Speed Increased. Amend RSA 265:64, I to read as follows:
I. No person shall drive a vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law. Under this provision a minimum speed limit of [45] 50 miles per hour shall be posted and prevail on the interstate highway system in the state.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
12-2098
Revised 01/26/12
HB 1695 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT increasing certain speed limits.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Safety, Department of Transportation, and Judicial Branch state this bill will decrease state highway fund and restricted revenues by indeterminable amounts in FY 2013 and each year thereafter. The Department of Safety states this bill will increase state highway fund expenditures by $26,750 in FY 2013. The Department of Transportation states this bill will increase state highway fund expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2013. The Judicial Branch states this bill may decrease state expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2013 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on county or local revenue or expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Safety states this bill raises the speed limit on certain sections of highway within the state. The Department assumes the overall number of speeding fines and the amount of revenue collected on those fines will decline as a result of this bill, as it expects the number of instances and the degree of speeding to decrease. The Department cannot project the amount of this revenue decrease. The Department also states the speed limit change would require computer programming changes to its ticketing and plea-by-mail payment systems and various hard copy form changes to reflect the new speed limits. The computer system changes would increase state highway fund expenditures by $26,250 (150 consultant hours x $175 per hour), and the form changes would increase state highway expenditures by $500.
The Department of Transportation states this bill will increase state highway fund expenditures, as the change in speed limits would entail the costs to revise all regulations to reflect the modified speed limit, to replace the speed limit signs, and to analyze speed data to determine if the limit change corresponds to a change in overall driver speed. The Department estimates the revisions to the regulations will take 2 employees (principal engineer and administrative secretary) approximately 50 hours each, with an associated cost for salary and benefits of $4,192 ($2,774 + $1,418). The Department estimates 250 signs will need to be replaced at an average cost per sign of $118.44, which would include materials and the trucks, equipment, and sign crew labor to install the signs, for a total cost of $29,610 (250 signs x $118.44 per sign). The Department estimates the compilation and analysis of speed data before and after the change in speed limit to determine the effects of the change would require the time of 3 different employees: (an engineering technician III for 40 hours, a civil engineer III for 16 hours, and a civil engineer IV for 4 hours). The Department estimates the cost for these three employees to be $1,941 ($1,080 + $689 + $172). The Department states the total of these costs is an increase in expenditures of $35,742 ($4,192 + $29,609 +$1,941), however if overtime for Department employees or the hiring of outside contractors is necessary in order to accomplish the additional responsibilities called for in this bill, expenditures will increase further.
The Judicial Branch has information on which to estimate how many fewer speeding violations, if any, will result from this bill, so it cannot predict the amount of any revenue or expenditure decrease. The Branch states any such decline in speeding fines that it collects would be a decrease in highway fund revenue. The Branch also can provide the average per case cost for processing this type of case. The Branch states all costs are estimated based on case weight information from the last needs assessment completed in 2005. The Branch states a violation will cost $41.92 per case in FY 2013 and $43.20 per case in FY 2014 and each year thereafter.