Rep. Bobby Nardolillo Will Sponsor Law Against Standing in Highway Medians

COVENTRY, RI—Cranston and Newport recently debated -- and then shot down -- local regulations that would curb panhandlers in their cities. Now, Coventry's state Rep. Bobby Nardolillo says he will propose a bill that would make the highway medians off-limits to everyone.

It's not an anti-panhandler bill, he stressed. In fact, the median ban isn't aimed at any specific group.

"I want to make it unlawful for any individual," he said.

By focusing on location and not on an activity, he sees the measure as non-discriminatory and a common sense safety provision.

"Route 2 is a perfect example," he said. People go out advertising for businesses there, and it's dangerous. When Building 19 was there, its employees went out on the median to advertise, and now, he sees a lot of tax preparers doing the same.

They'd all be banned, he said, if his bill passes.

His bill, if signed into law, would only cover state highways, so Newport and Cranston would be on their own, as far as dealing with their local streets. But they could use his bill as a model, he said.

"I don't want to dictate to cities and towns," he said. "But what I wanted to do is set a great example or a model to address road distractions."

He expects the American Civil Liberties Union will "have a strong opinion," he said, noting the big "blowback from the civil rights organization when Newport and Cranston attempted to stop panhandling in their cities. Nardolillo agrees panhandling and soliciting for businesses are protected First Amendment rights.

But standing in the median is "definitely without a question a public saftey issue," he said. For drivers, it poses a "visual obstruction," he said and risk of liability, if they hit someone. For pedestrians, there's a risk of injury.

Motorists aren't typically traveling 2 mph on a state highway.

"There's a little pep in your step when you're on a state road," he said. "It's an obvious public safety issue."

He can't introduce the bill until January, and meantime, he will be looking for a co-sponsor in the state Senate, probably one of the Cranston lawmakers.

But he is optimistic about the bill's chances.

"It just makes sense," he said.

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