Council approves first reading of model traffic code changes to mirror state law on school buses and other updates

The Lafayette City Council on Jan. 6 approved on first reading Ordinance No. 2, Series 2026, which updates the city’s adoption of the state model traffic code to incorporate recent statutory changes and to restore a local default-judgment provision.

Deputy City Attorney Erin Poe summarized three primary amendments: first, a change reflecting House Bill 25-1230 that removes the word "painted" from the list of medians that divide a highway, meaning motorists traveling in the opposite direction of a stopped school bus must now stop even when a painted median (not a raised or physical barrier) separates lanes; second, a change (House Bill 25-1112) that allows dismissal of a failure-to-register vehicle charge if certain conditions are met (vehicle unregistered no more than four months, owner registers before first court date, and the owner pays court costs); and third, readopting a local amendment to permit default judgment entry when defendants do not appear for court with a 35-day window to remove the judgment for excusable neglect and limiting the default judgment to certain lower-point infractions.

Councilors asked whether the painted-median change would affect local bus stops and whether it is uniform across the county; staff replied it is a state law change that enables enforcement where painted medians previously prevented summonses. After brief discussion, council moved and approved the ordinance on first reading without recorded dissents.