Amd SS1643 & 1642, V & T L; amd S19-177, NYC Ad Cd
Authorizes the city of New York to establish speed limits throughout the city at not less than twenty-five miles per hour and not less than twenty miles per hour on or along certain designated highways.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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6496--B
IN SENATE
January 29, 2014
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Introduced by Sens. DILAN, DIAZ, HOYLMAN, ESPAILLAT, GIANARIS, KRUEGER,
LATIMER, MONTGOMERY, PARKER, PERKINS, RIVERA, SERRANO, SQUADRON,
STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be
committed to the Committee on Cities -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the administrative code
of the city of New York, in relation to speed limits
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
2 chapter 412 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 1643. Speed limits on highways in cities and villages. The legisla-
4 tive body of any city or village with respect to highways (which term
5 for the purposes of this section shall include private roads open to
6 public motor vehicle traffic) in such city or village, other than state
7 highways maintained by the state on which the department of transporta-
8 tion shall have established higher or lower speed limits than the statu-
9 tory fifty-five miles per hour speed limit as provided in section
10 sixteen hundred twenty of this title, or on which the department of
11 transportation shall have designated that such city or village shall not
12 establish any maximum speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred
13 twenty-four of this title, subject to the limitations imposed by section
14 sixteen hundred eighty-four of this title may by local law, ordinance,
15 order, rule or regulation establish maximum speed limits at which vehi-
16 cles may proceed within such city or village, within designated areas of
17 such city or village or on or along designated highways within such city
18 or village higher or lower than the fifty-five miles per hour maximum
19 statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable throughout such city or
20 village or within designated areas of such city or village shall be
21 established at less than thirty miles per hour; except that in the city
22 of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be established
23 at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of the following
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13595-07-4
S. 6496--B 2
1 highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue, Mitchell
2 avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge avenue, Wilson avenue
3 and Taft avenue; and except that in the city of New York the speed limit
4 applicable throughout such city may be established at not less than
5 twenty-five miles per hour. No such speed limit applicable on or along
6 designated highways within such city or village shall be established at
7 less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits
8 may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a
9 distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a
10 highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting
11 on the highway and except that within the cities of Buffalo and Roches-
12 ter speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per
13 hour for any portion of a highway within a city park, and except that
14 within the city of New York speed limits may be established at not less
15 than twenty miles per hour on or along designated highways within such
16 city if such city has determined that the implementation of traffic
17 calming measures as such term is defined in section sixteen hundred
18 forty-two of this title is not feasible on such highways.
19 § 2. Paragraph 26 of subdivision (a) of section 1642 of the vehicle
20 and traffic law, as added by chapter 499 of the laws of 1999, is amended
21 to read as follows:
22 26. [(a)] Establishment of maximum speed limits below twenty-five
23 miles per hour at which motor vehicles may proceed on or along desig-
24 nated highways within such city for the explicit purpose of implementing
25 traffic calming measures as such term is defined herein; provided,
26 however, that no such speed limit shall be set below fifteen miles per
27 hour nor shall such speed limit be established where the traffic calming
28 measure to be implemented consists solely of a traffic control sign.
29 Establishment of such a speed limit shall, where applicable, be in
30 compliance with the provisions of sections sixteen hundred twenty-four
31 and sixteen hundred eighty-four of this chapter. Nothing contained here-
32 in shall be deemed to alter or affect the establishment of school speed
33 limits pursuant to the provisions of section sixteen hundred forty-three
34 of this article. For the purposes of this paragraph, "traffic calming
35 measures" shall mean any physical engineering measure or measures that
36 reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior
37 and improve conditions for non-motorized street users such as pedestri-
38 ans and bicyclists.
39 [(b) Any city establishing maximum speed limits below twenty-five
40 miles per hour pursuant to clause (i) of this subparagraph shall submit
41 a report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the
42 speaker of the assembly on or before March first, two thousand two on
43 the results of using traffic calming measures and speed limits lower
44 than twenty-five miles per hour as authorized by this paragraph. Such
45 report shall include, but not be limited to the following:
46 (i) a description of the designated highways where traffic calming
47 measures and a lower speed limit were established and
48 (ii) a description of the specific traffic calming measures used and
49 the maximum speed limit established.]
50 § 3. Subdivision a of section 19-177 of the administrative code of the
51 city of New York, as added by Local law number 6 of the city of New York
52 for the year 1996, is amended to read as follows:
53 a. The official speed limit for a vehicle in the city of New York
54 shall be [thirty] twenty-five miles per hour except where an official
55 sign indicates that a different speed limit is in effect.
56 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
