STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9270
IN ASSEMBLY
February 23, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAHER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to allowing
non-public schools to apply for school zone speed limits
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 1620 of the vehicle and traffic
2 law, as amended by chapter 563 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read
3 as follows:
4 (a) The department of transportation with respect to state highways
5 maintained by the state outside of cities having a population in excess
6 of one million, and highways on Indian reservations, may by order, rule
7 or regulation establish higher or lower maximum speed limits at which
8 vehicles may proceed on or along such highways than the fifty-five miles
9 per hour statutory maximum speed limit. No such maximum speed limit
10 shall be established at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except
11 that school speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen
12 miles per hour, for a distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred
13 twenty feet, on a highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of
14 a school abutting on the highway. For the purposes of this subdivision,
15 "school" shall also include non-public schools. Absence of signs
16 installed pursuant to this section shall be presumptive evidence that
17 the department of transportation has not established a higher maximum
18 speed limit than the fifty-five miles per hour statutory limit.
19 § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law, as
20 amended by chapter 563 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as
21 follows:
22 1. Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or
23 along such highways higher or lower than the fifty-five miles per hour
24 statutory maximum speed limit. No such limit shall be established at
25 less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits
26 may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a
27 distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a
28 highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14334-01-4
A. 9270 2
1 on the highway. For the purposes of this subdivision, "school" shall
2 also include non-public schools.
3 § 3. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chap-
4 ter 496 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
5 § 1643. Speed limits on highways in cities and villages. The legisla-
6 tive body of any city or village with respect to highways (which term
7 for the purposes of this section shall include private roads open to
8 public motor vehicle traffic) in such city or village, other than state
9 highways maintained by the state on which the department of transporta-
10 tion shall have established higher or lower speed limits than the statu-
11 tory fifty-five miles per hour speed limit as provided in section
12 sixteen hundred twenty of this title, or on which the department of
13 transportation shall have designated that such city or village shall not
14 establish any maximum speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred
15 twenty-four of this title, subject to the limitations imposed by section
16 sixteen hundred eighty-four of this title may by local law, ordinance,
17 order, rule or regulation establish maximum speed limits at which vehi-
18 cles may proceed within such city or village, within designated areas of
19 such city or village or on or along designated highways within such city
20 or village higher or lower than the fifty-five miles per hour maximum
21 statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable throughout such city or
22 village or within designated areas of such city or village shall be
23 established at less than twenty-five miles per hour; except that in the
24 city of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be estab-
25 lished at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of the
26 following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue, Mitc-
27 hell avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge avenue, Wilson
28 avenue and Taft avenue. No such speed limit applicable on or along
29 designated highways within such city or village shall be established at
30 less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits
31 may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a
32 distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a
33 highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting
34 on the highway and except that within the cities of Buffalo and Roches-
35 ter speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per
36 hour for any portion of a highway within a city park. For the purposes
37 of this section, "school" shall also include non-public schools. No
38 speed limits shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this
39 section except in accordance with the engineering considerations and
40 factors for speed limits set forth in the manual and specifications for
41 a uniform system of traffic control devices maintained by the commis-
42 sioner of transportation pursuant to section sixteen hundred eighty of
43 this title, as such manual and specifications may be amended from time
44 to time, certified by a licensed professional engineer who specializes
45 in traffic operations.
46 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.