S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    167
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. EPSTEIN, LEVENBERG, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, SIMON, BORES,
   RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN  ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing
   a five mile per hour speed limit for open streets in cities  having  a
   population in excess of one million
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subparagraph (a) of paragraph  27  of  subdivision  (a)  of
 section  1642 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by section 2 of
 part OO of chapter 56 of the  laws  of  2024,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   (a)  Establishment of maximum speed limits below twenty miles per hour
 at which motor vehicles may proceed  on  or  along  designated  highways
 within  such city for the explicit purpose of implementing traffic calm-
 ing measures as such term is defined herein OR FOR THE EXPLICIT  PURPOSE
 OF  IMPLEMENTING  AN OPEN STREET; provided, however, that no speed limit
 shall be set below ten miles per hour nor  shall  such  speed  limit  be
 established where the traffic calming measure to be implemented consists
 solely  of  a traffic control sign, AND PROVIDED, FURTHER, THAT NO SPEED
 LIMIT SHALL BE SET BELOW FIVE MILES PER HOUR ON AN OPEN  STREET.  Estab-
 lishment of such a speed limit shall, where applicable, be in compliance
 with  the provisions of sections sixteen hundred twenty-four and sixteen
 hundred eighty-four of this title. Nothing  contained  herein  shall  be
 deemed  to  alter  or  affect  the  establishment of school speed limits
 pursuant to the provisions of section  sixteen  hundred  forty-three  of
 this article. For the purposes of this paragraph, "traffic calming meas-
 ures"  shall  mean  any  physical  engineering  measure or measures that
 reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver  behavior
 and  improve conditions for non-motorized street users such as pedestri-
 ans and bicyclists, AND "OPEN STREET" SHALL MEAN A STREET OR SEGMENT  OF
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD00603-01-5
 A. 167                              2
 
 A STREET DESIGNATED BY THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AS
 SUCH PURSUANT TO SECTION 19-107.1 OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE OF THE CITY
 OF NEW YORK, ON WHICH MOTOR VEHICLE ACCESS IS CONTROLLED BY BARRIERS AND
 SIGNAGE  OR  OTHER  TRAFFIC  CALMING  MEASURES, AND ON WHICH PRIORITY IS
 GIVEN TO PEDESTRIANS, INDIVIDUALS USING BICYCLES, AND OTHER  NON-VEHICU-
 LAR STREET USERS.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
 this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
 on or before such effective date.