STATE OF NEW YORK
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1615--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2025
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Introduced by M. of A. SHRESTHA, LEVENBERG, STECK, SHIMSKY,
BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Trans-
portation -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to area speed
limits
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "area speed limits act".
3 § 2. 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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00541-03-5
A. 1615--A 2
1 city of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be estab-
2 lished at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of the
3 following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue, Mitc-
4 hell avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge avenue, Wilson
5 avenue and Taft avenue. 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. [No speed limits
14 shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this section except
15 in accordance with the engineering considerations and factors for speed
16 limits set forth in the manual and specifications for a uniform system
17 of traffic control devices maintained by the commissioner of transporta-
18 tion pursuant to section sixteen hundred eighty of this title, as such
19 manual and specifications may be amended from time to time, certified by
20 a licensed professional engineer who specializes in traffic operations.]
21 § 3. Section 1662-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
22 chapter 496 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
23 § 1662-a. Speed limits in certain towns. The town board of any subur-
24 ban town governed pursuant to article three-A of the town law and the
25 town board of any other town having a population exceeding fifty thou-
26 sand, and the town board of any other town that has adopted a local law
27 authorizing itself to set speed limits pursuant to this section, with
28 respect to highways (which term for the purposes of this section shall
29 include private roads open to public motor vehicle traffic) in such
30 towns outside any village, other than state highways maintained by the
31 state on which the department of transportation shall have established
32 higher or lower speed limits than the statutory fifty-five miles per
33 hour speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty of this
34 title, or on which the department of transportation shall have desig-
35 nated that such towns shall not establish any maximum speed limit as
36 provided in section sixteen hundred twenty-four of this title, subject
37 to the limitations imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty-four of
38 this title may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regulation estab-
39 lish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed within such
40 towns, within designated areas of such towns or on or along designated
41 highways within such towns lower than the fifty-five miles per hour
42 maximum statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable throughout such
43 towns or within designated areas of such towns shall be established at
44 less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that in the town of Hemp-
45 stead speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per
46 hour on any portion of a highway in the community known as Point Lookout
47 and on all or any portion of the following highways in the community
48 known as Lido Beach: Ocean Boulevard, Allevard Street, Bath Street,
49 Buxton Street, Cheltenham Street, Pinehurst Street, Harrogate Street,
50 Matlock Street, Nantwick Street, Biarritz Street, Royat Street, Luchon
51 Street, Woodhail Street, Leamington Street, Saratoga Street, Kensington
52 Street, and Prescott Street; provided, however, that no such speed limit
53 in such town may be established unless a majority of the residents of
54 each such community file a petition with the town board of such town
55 requesting such speed limit. No such speed limit applicable on or along
56 designated highways within such towns shall be established at less than
A. 1615--A 3
1 twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits may be
2 established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a distance not
3 to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a highway passing a
4 school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway,
5 and except further that in the town of Hempstead speed limits may be
6 established at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a
7 highway in the communities known as Point Lookout and Lido Beach;
8 provided, however, that no such speed limit in such town may be estab-
9 lished unless a majority of the residents of each such community file a
10 petition with the town board of such town requesting such speed limit.
11 [No speed limits shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this
12 section except in accordance with the engineering considerations and
13 factors for speed limits set forth in the manual and specifications for
14 a uniform system of traffic control devices maintained by the commis-
15 sioner of transportation pursuant to section sixteen hundred eighty of
16 this title, as such manual and specifications may be amended from time
17 to time, certified by a licensed professional engineer who specializes
18 in traffic operations.]
19 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
