Representative Robert A. Nardolillo Plans to Submit Long-Needed Public-Safety Legislation to Make Standing in Medians on State Roadways a Crime

STATE HOUSE — Representative Robert A. Nardolillo III. (R-District 28 Coventry)
is preparing to submit legislation during the 2017 House session to outlaw standing
in medians, along state roadways, where sidewalks are provided. Representative
Nardolillo wants violators to face a civil fine after their first warning and a
criminal misdemeanor on their third offense.

«When someone is standing in a median, on a major state roadway, they are
distracting traffic and creating a safety hazard for motor vehicles as well as
pedestrians in crosswalks,» said Rep. Nardolillo. «If you are crossing a roadway,
that’s one thing, anything other than that should be considered a crime, because it
is a serious safety issue.»

Rep. Nardolillo went on to say, «Last week, when I was on the road, I had to stop
short, almost rear-ending the vehicle ahead of me, because they decided to slam on
their brakes to hand something to someone standing in the median.»

In 2014, a similar law was passed in Pheonix, Arizona, a city that saw about 40
pedestrian deaths a year. There, the City Council unanimously passed an ordinance
to outlaw standing in medians.