NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9784
SPONSOR: Perry TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in
relation to permitting travel in designated bus lanes under certain
conditions
PURPOSE:
To allow vehicles to drive in dedicated bus lanes provided certain
requirements are met.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill adds § 1116-a to the vehicle and traffic law to
allow vehicles to drive in dedicated bus lanes in mixed residential and
commercial areas when it is not rush hour provided that the vehicle
exits the bus lane promptly and safely if the vehicle is within two-hun-
dred and fifty feet from in front of a bus.
This section also defines rush hour.
Section 2 of the bill provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
The implementation of dedicated bus lanes is to decrease the time in
which commuters take to get to any given place during peak hours which
generally range from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. During
off peak hours, the need for a lane dedicated for buses is greatly
reduced. In mixed residential and commercial areas, during off peak
hours, bus lane violations serve as trap for tickets and summons by the
police. Motorist face high fines and it is simply unfair. There is no
justification why a motorist driving in the bus lane at 3AM should be
penalized, especially during time periods where bus service is signif-
icantly diminished and there is no need for a dedicated bus lane.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None
FISCAL IMPACT ON THE STATE:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9784
IN ASSEMBLY
April 8, 2016
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PERRY -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to permitting
travel in designated bus lanes under certain conditions
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new
2 section 1116-a to read as follows:
3 § 1116-a. Travel in designated bus lanes. 1. Notwithstanding any law,
4 rule or regulation to the contrary, when designated bus lane
5 restrictions are in effect on a street in a mixed residential and
6 commercial zone, except during rush hour, it shall not be a violation of
7 law for a vehicle to drive in such designated bus lane provided such
8 vehicle is at a distance of not less than two hundred fifty feet in
9 front and ahead of a bus in the designated bus lane and the driver of
10 the vehicle promptly exits the bus lane, thereby leaving the designated
11 bus lane free and clear for the bus.
12 2. For purposes of this section, "rush hour" shall mean the hours of
13 six a.m. through ten a.m. Monday through Friday and four p.m. through
14 seven p.m. Monday through Friday or the period, as designated by the
15 local transit authority, when bus service provided is at its peak
16 levels.
17 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
18 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14126-07-6
