S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                   8599
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                            September 13, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Transportation
 
 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:
 
   Section 1. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended  by
 chapter 412 of the laws 2012, is amended to read as follows:
   §  1643. Speed limits on highways in cities and villages. The legisla-
 tive body of any city or village with respect to  highways  (which  term
 for  the  purposes  of  this section shall include private roads open to
 public motor vehicle traffic) in such city or village, other than  state
 highways  maintained by the state on which the department of transporta-
 tion shall have established higher or lower speed limits than the statu-
 tory fifty-five miles per  hour  speed  limit  as  provided  in  section
 sixteen  hundred  twenty  of  this  title, or on which the department of
 transportation shall have designated that such city or village shall not
 establish any maximum speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred
 twenty-four of this title, subject to the limitations imposed by section
 sixteen hundred eighty-four of this title may by local  law,  ordinance,
 order,  rule or regulation establish maximum speed limits at which vehi-
 cles may proceed within such city or village, within designated areas of
 such city or village or on or along designated highways within such city
 or village higher or lower than the fifty-five miles  per  hour  maximum
 statutory  limit. No such speed limit applicable throughout such city or
 village or within designated areas of such  city  or  village  shall  be
 established  at  less  than  thirty  miles per hour; except that (I) THE
 LEGISLATIVE BODY OF ANY CITY OR VILLAGE MAY  BY  LOCAL  LAW,  ORDINANCE,
 ORDER, RULE OR REGULATION ESTABLISH A MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT OF TWENTY-FIVE
 MILES  PER  HOUR APPLICABLE THROUGHOUT SUCH CITY OR VILLAGE, AND (II) in
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD13761-02-9

 A. 8599                             2
 
 the city of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau,  speed  limits  may  be
 established  at  not  less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of
 the following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue,  Harding  avenue,
 Mitchell  avenue,  Belmont  avenue,  Atlantic  avenue,  Coolidge avenue,
 Wilson avenue and Taft avenue. No such  speed  limit  applicable  on  or
 along  designated  highways  within such city or village shall be estab-
 lished at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed
 limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a
 distance not to exceed one thousand three  hundred  twenty  feet,  on  a
 highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting
 on  the highway and except that within the cities of Buffalo and Roches-
 ter speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen  miles  per
 hour for any portion of a highway within a city park.
   §  2.  Section  1662-a  of  the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
 chapter 405 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
   § 1662-a. Speed limits in certain towns. The town board of any  subur-
 ban  town  governed  pursuant to article three-A of the town law and the
 town board of any other town having a population exceeding  fifty  thou-
 sand,  with  respect  to  highways  (which term for the purposes of this
 section shall include private roads open to public motor  vehicle  traf-
 fic)  in such towns outside any village, other than state highways main-
 tained by the state on which the department of transportation shall have
 established higher or lower speed limits than the  statutory  fifty-five
 miles per hour speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty
 of  this  title, or on which the department of transportation shall have
 designated that such towns shall not establish any maximum  speed  limit
 as  provided  in  section  sixteen  hundred  twenty-four  of this title,
 subject to the limitations imposed by section  sixteen  hundred  eighty-
 four  of  this  title  may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regu-
 lation establish maximum speed limits  at  which  vehicles  may  proceed
 within  such towns, within designated areas of such towns or on or along
 designated highways within such towns lower than  the  fifty-five  miles
 per  hour  maximum  statutory  limit.  No  such  speed  limit applicable
 throughout such towns or within designated areas of such towns shall  be
 established  at  less than thirty miles per hour, except that (I) A TOWN
 BOARD MAY BY LOCAL LAW, ORDINANCE, ORDER, RULE OR REGULATION ESTABLISH A
 MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT OF TWENTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR APPLICABLE  THROUGHOUT
 SUCH  TOWN  AND (II) in the town of Hempstead speed limits may be estab-
 lished at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a high-
 way in the community known as Point Lookout and on all or any portion of
 the following highways in the  community  known  as  Lido  Beach:  Ocean
 Boulevard,  Allevard  Street,  Bath  Street,  Buxton  Street, Cheltenham
 Street, Pinehurst Street, Harrogate  Street,  Matlock  Street,  Nantwick
 Street,  Biarritz  Street, Royat Street, Luchon Street, Woodhail Street,
 Leamington Street, Saratoga  Street,  Kensington  Street,  and  Prescott
 Street;  provided, however, that no such speed limit in such town may be
 established unless a majority of the residents of  each  such  community
 file  a  petition with the town board of such town requesting such speed
 limit. No such speed limit applicable on or  along  designated  highways
 within  such  towns  shall be established at less than twenty-five miles
 per hour, except that school speed limits may be established at not less
 than fifteen miles per hour, for a distance not to exceed  one  thousand
 three  hundred  twenty  feet,  on  a  highway passing a school building,
 entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway, and except further
 that in the town of Hempstead speed limits may  be  established  at  not
 less  than  fifteen  miles  per  hour on any portion of a highway in the

 A. 8599                             3
 
 communities known as Point Lookout and Lido  Beach;  provided,  however,
 that no such speed limit in such town may be established unless a major-
 ity  of  the  residents  of each such community file a petition with the
 town board of such town requesting such speed limit.
   §  3. Subdivision 2 of section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law, as
 amended by chapter 83 of the  laws  of  1969,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   2.  Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or
 along all such highways lying within an area or areas as designated by a
 description of the boundaries of such area or  areas  submitted  by  the
 county  superintendent of highways of a county and the town board of the
 town or towns affected lower than fifty-five miles  per  hour  statutory
 maximum  speed  limit.  No  such limit shall be established at less than
 [thirty] TWENTY-FIVE miles per hour.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.