S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
2021--A
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
January 16, 2021
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Introduced by Sens. MAY, HOYLMAN, TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Trans-
portation -- recommitted to the Committee on Transportation in accord-
ance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- 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 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] TWENTY-FIVE miles per hour; except
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02142-03-2
S. 2021--A 2
that in 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, Hard-
ing 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. NO SPEED LIMITS
SHALL BE ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION EXCEPT
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS AND FACTORS FOR SPEED
LIMITS SET FORTH IN THE MANUAL AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR A UNIFORM SYSTEM
OF TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES MAINTAINED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTA-
TION PURSUANT TO SECTION SIXTEEN HUNDRED EIGHTY OF THIS TITLE, AS SUCH
MANUAL AND SPECIFICATIONS MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, CERTIFIED BY
A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER WHO SPECIALIZES IN TRAFFIC OPERATIONS.
§ 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] TWENTY-FIVE miles per hour, except
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
community known as Point Lookout and on all or any portion of the
following highways in the community known as Lido Beach: Ocean Boule-
vard, Allevard Street, Bath Street, Buxton Street, Cheltenham Street,
Pinehurst Street, Harrogate Street, Matlock Street, Nantwick Street,
Biarritz Street, Royat Street, Luchon Street, Woodhail Street, Leaming-
ton Street, Saratoga Street, Kensington Street, and Prescott Street;
provided, however, that no such speed limit in such town may be estab-
lished 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
S. 2021--A 3
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 communities
known as Point Lookout and Lido Beach; 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 SPEED LIMITS SHALL BE ESTAB-
LISHED PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THE ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS AND FACTORS FOR SPEED LIMITS SET
FORTH IN THE MANUAL AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF TRAFFIC
CONTROL DEVICES MAINTAINED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTATION PURSU-
ANT TO SECTION SIXTEEN HUNDRED EIGHTY OF THIS TITLE, AS SUCH MANUAL AND
SPECIFICATIONS MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, CERTIFIED BY A LICENSED
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER WHO SPECIALIZES IN TRAFFIC OPERATIONS.
§ 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.
