S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
6911
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
April 10, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. OTIS -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to speed limits
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
1 Section 1. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
2 chapter 412 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
3 S 1643. Speed limits on highways in cities, TOWNS and villages. (A)
4 The legislative body of any city, TOWN or village with respect to high-
5 ways (which term for the purposes of this section shall include private
6 roads open to public motor vehicle traffic) in such city, TOWN or
7 village, other than state highways maintained by the state on which the
8 department of transportation shall have established higher or lower
9 speed limits than the statutory fifty-five miles per hour speed limit as
10 provided in section sixteen hundred twenty of this title, or on which
11 the department of transportation shall have designated that such city,
12 TOWN or village shall not establish any maximum speed limit as provided
13 in section sixteen hundred twenty-four of this title, subject to the
14 limitations imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty-four of this title
15 may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regulation establish maximum
16 speed limits at which vehicles may proceed within such city, TOWN or
17 village, within designated areas of such city, TOWN or village or on or
18 along designated highways within such city or village higher or lower
19 than the fifty-five miles per hour maximum statutory limit. No such
20 speed limit applicable throughout such city, TOWN or village or within
21 designated areas of such city or village shall be established at less
22 than [thirty] TWENTY-FIVE miles per hour; except that in the city of
23 Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be established at
24 not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of the following
25 highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue, Mitchell
26 avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge avenue, Wilson avenue
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08819-03-5
A. 6911 2
1 and Taft avenue. No such speed limit applicable on or along designated
2 highways within such city or village shall be established at less than
3 twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits may be
4 established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a distance not
5 to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a highway passing a
6 school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway
7 and except that within the cities of Buffalo and Rochester speed limits
8 may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour for any
9 portion of a highway within a city park.
10 (B)(1) ANY CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE MAY ESTABLISH MAXIMUM SPEED LIMITS
11 BELOW TWENTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR AT WHICH MOTOR VEHICLES MAY PROCEED ON
12 OR ALONG DESIGNATED HIGHWAYS WITHIN SUCH CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE FOR THE
13 EXPLICIT PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES AS SUCH TERM
14 IS DEFINED HEREIN; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT NO SPEED LIMIT SHALL BE SET
15 BELOW FIFTEEN MILES PER HOUR NOR SHALL SUCH SPEED LIMIT BE ESTABLISHED
16 WHERE THE TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURE TO BE IMPLEMENTED CONSISTS SOLELY OF A
17 TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGN. ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH A SPEED LIMIT SHALL, WHERE
18 APPLICABLE, BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTIONS SIXTEEN
19 HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR AND SIXTEEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-FOUR OF THIS TITLE. NOTH-
20 ING CONTAINED HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED TO ALTER OR AFFECT THE ESTABLISH-
21 MENT OF SCHOOL SPEED LIMITS PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
22 FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH, "TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES" SHALL
23 MEAN ANY PHYSICAL ENGINEERING MEASURE OR MEASURES THAT REDUCE THE NEGA-
24 TIVE EFFECTS OF MOTOR VEHICLE USE, ALTER DRIVER BEHAVIOR AND IMPROVE
25 CONDITIONS FOR NON-MOTORIZED STREET USERS SUCH AS PEDESTRIANS AND BICY-
26 CLISTS.
27 (2) ANY CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE ESTABLISHING MAXIMUM SPEED LIMITS BELOW
28 TWENTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR PURSUANT TO CLAUSE (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH
29 SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE
30 SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY ON OR BEFORE THE FIRST OF JUNE
31 NEXT SUCCEEDING THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION AND BIANNUALLY
32 THEREAFTER ON THE RESULTS OF USING TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES AND SPEED
33 LIMITS LOWER THAN TWENTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR AS AUTHORIZED BY THIS PARA-
34 GRAPH. THIS REPORT SHALL ALSO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC BY SUCH
35 CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE ON ITS WEBSITE. SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT
36 BE LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:
37 (I) A DESCRIPTION OF THE DESIGNATED HIGHWAYS WHERE TRAFFIC CALMING
38 MEASURES AND A LOWER SPEED LIMIT WERE ESTABLISHED;
39 (II) A DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES USED AND
40 THE MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT ESTABLISHED; AND
41 (III) A COMPARISON OF THE AGGREGATE TYPE, NUMBER, AND SEVERITY OF
42 ACCIDENTS REPORTED ON STREETS ON WHICH STREET CALMING MEASURES AND LOWER
43 SPEED LIMITS WERE IMPLEMENTED IN THE YEAR PRECEDING THE IMPLEMENTATION
44 OF SUCH MEASURES AND POLICIES AND THE YEAR FOLLOWING THE IMPLEMENTATION
45 OF SUCH MEASURES AND POLICIES, TO THE EXTENT THIS INFORMATION IS MAIN-
46 TAINED BY ANY AGENCY OF THE STATE OR THE CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE.
47 S 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
48 have become a law.