STATE OF NEW YORK
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7738--A
IN SENATE
February 12, 2020
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Introduced by Sen. MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation -- commit-
tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
mitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing
cities, villages and towns to reduce the speed limit to twenty-five
miles per hour
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 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 (i) the
22 legislative body of any city or village may by local law, ordinance,
23 order, rule or regulation establish a maximum speed limit of twenty-five
24 miles per hour applicable throughout such city or village, and (ii) in
25 the city of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13761-03-0
S. 7738--A 2
1 established at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of
2 the following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue,
3 Mitchell avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge avenue,
4 Wilson avenue and Taft avenue. No such speed limit applicable on or
5 along designated highways within such city or village shall be estab-
6 lished at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed
7 limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a
8 distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a
9 highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting
10 on the highway and except that within the cities of Buffalo and Roches-
11 ter speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per
12 hour for any portion of a highway within a city park.
13 § 2. Section 1662-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
14 chapter 405 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
15 § 1662-a. Speed limits in certain towns. The town board of any subur-
16 ban town governed pursuant to article three-A of the town law and the
17 town board of any other town having a population exceeding fifty thou-
18 sand, with respect to highways (which term for the purposes of this
19 section shall include private roads open to public motor vehicle traf-
20 fic) in such towns outside any village, other than state highways main-
21 tained by the state on which the department of transportation shall have
22 established higher or lower speed limits than the statutory fifty-five
23 miles per hour speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty
24 of this title, or on which the department of transportation shall have
25 designated that such towns shall not establish any maximum speed limit
26 as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty-four of this title,
27 subject to the limitations imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty-
28 four of this title may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regu-
29 lation establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed
30 within such towns, within designated areas of such towns or on or along
31 designated highways within such towns lower than the fifty-five miles
32 per hour maximum statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable
33 throughout such towns or within designated areas of such towns shall be
34 established at less than thirty miles per hour, except that (i) a town
35 board may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regulation establish a
36 maximum speed limit of twenty-five miles per hour applicable throughout
37 such town and (ii) in the town of Hempstead speed limits may be estab-
38 lished at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a high-
39 way in the community known as Point Lookout and on all or any portion of
40 the following highways in the community known as Lido Beach: Ocean
41 Boulevard, Allevard Street, Bath Street, Buxton Street, Cheltenham
42 Street, Pinehurst Street, Harrogate Street, Matlock Street, Nantwick
43 Street, Biarritz Street, Royat Street, Luchon Street, Woodhail Street,
44 Leamington Street, Saratoga Street, Kensington Street, and Prescott
45 Street; provided, however, that no such speed limit in such town may be
46 established unless a majority of the residents of each such community
47 file a petition with the town board of such town requesting such speed
48 limit. No such speed limit applicable on or along designated highways
49 within such towns shall be established at less than twenty-five miles
50 per hour, except that school speed limits may be established at not less
51 than fifteen miles per hour, for a distance not to exceed one thousand
52 three hundred twenty feet, on a highway passing a school building,
53 entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway, and except further
54 that in the town of Hempstead speed limits may be established at not
55 less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a highway in the
56 communities known as Point Lookout and Lido Beach; provided, however,
S. 7738--A 3
1 that no such speed limit in such town may be established unless a major-
2 ity of the residents of each such community file a petition with the
3 town board of such town requesting such speed limit.
4 § 3. Subdivision 2 of section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law, as
5 amended by chapter 83 of the laws of 1969, is amended to read as
6 follows:
7 2. Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or
8 along all such highways lying within an area or areas as designated by a
9 description of the boundaries of such area or areas submitted by the
10 county superintendent of highways of a county and the town board of the
11 town or towns affected lower than fifty-five miles per hour statutory
12 maximum speed limit. No such limit shall be established at less than
13 [thirty] twenty-five miles per hour.
14 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
