STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         7738--A

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 12, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation --  commit-
          tee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
          mitted 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:

     1    Section  1. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
     2  chapter 412 of the laws 2012, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 1643. Speed limits on highways in cities and villages. The  legisla-
     4  tive  body  of  any city or village with respect to highways (which term
     5  for the purposes of this section shall include  private  roads  open  to
     6  public  motor vehicle traffic) in such city or village, other than state
     7  highways maintained by the state on which the department of  transporta-
     8  tion shall have established higher or lower speed limits than the statu-
     9  tory  fifty-five  miles  per  hour  speed  limit  as provided in section
    10  sixteen hundred twenty of this title, or  on  which  the  department  of
    11  transportation shall have designated that such city or village shall not
    12  establish any maximum speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred
    13  twenty-four of this title, subject to the limitations imposed by section
    14  sixteen  hundred  eighty-four of this title may by local law, ordinance,
    15  order, rule or regulation establish maximum speed limits at which  vehi-
    16  cles may proceed within such city or village, within designated areas of
    17  such city or village or on or along designated highways within such city
    18  or  village  higher  or lower than the fifty-five miles per hour maximum
    19  statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable throughout such city  or
    20  village  or  within  designated  areas  of such city or village shall be
    21  established at less than thirty miles per  hour;  except  that  (i)  the
    22  legislative  body  of  any  city or village may by local law, ordinance,
    23  order, rule or regulation establish a maximum speed limit of twenty-five
    24  miles per hour applicable throughout such city or village, and  (ii)  in
    25  the  city  of  Long  Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13761-03-0

        S. 7738--A                          2

     1  established at not less than fifteen miles per hour on  any  portion  of
     2  the  following  highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue,
     3  Mitchell avenue,  Belmont  avenue,  Atlantic  avenue,  Coolidge  avenue,
     4  Wilson  avenue  and  Taft  avenue.  No such speed limit applicable on or
     5  along designated highways within such city or village  shall  be  estab-
     6  lished at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed
     7  limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a
     8  distance  not  to  exceed  one  thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a
     9  highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting
    10  on the highway and except that within the cities of Buffalo and  Roches-
    11  ter  speed  limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per
    12  hour for any portion of a highway within a city park.
    13    § 2. Section 1662-a of the vehicle and  traffic  law,  as  amended  by
    14  chapter 405 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
    15    §  1662-a. Speed limits in certain towns. The town board of any subur-
    16  ban town governed pursuant to article three-A of the town  law  and  the
    17  town  board  of any other town having a population exceeding fifty thou-
    18  sand, with respect to highways (which term  for  the  purposes  of  this
    19  section  shall  include private roads open to public motor vehicle traf-
    20  fic) in such towns outside any village, other than state highways  main-
    21  tained by the state on which the department of transportation shall have
    22  established  higher  or lower speed limits than the statutory fifty-five
    23  miles per hour speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty
    24  of this title, or on which the department of transportation  shall  have
    25  designated  that  such towns shall not establish any maximum speed limit
    26  as provided in  section  sixteen  hundred  twenty-four  of  this  title,
    27  subject  to  the  limitations imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty-
    28  four of this title may by local law, ordinance,  order,  rule  or  regu-
    29  lation  establish  maximum  speed  limits  at which vehicles may proceed
    30  within such towns, within designated areas of such towns or on or  along
    31  designated  highways  within  such towns lower than the fifty-five miles
    32  per hour  maximum  statutory  limit.  No  such  speed  limit  applicable
    33  throughout  such towns or within designated areas of such towns shall be
    34  established at less than thirty miles per hour, except that (i)  a  town
    35  board may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regulation establish a
    36  maximum  speed limit of twenty-five miles per hour applicable throughout
    37  such town and (ii) in the town of Hempstead speed limits may  be  estab-
    38  lished at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a high-
    39  way in the community known as Point Lookout and on all or any portion of
    40  the  following  highways  in  the  community  known as Lido Beach: Ocean
    41  Boulevard, Allevard  Street,  Bath  Street,  Buxton  Street,  Cheltenham
    42  Street,  Pinehurst  Street,  Harrogate  Street, Matlock Street, Nantwick
    43  Street, Biarritz Street, Royat Street, Luchon Street,  Woodhail  Street,
    44  Leamington  Street,  Saratoga  Street,  Kensington  Street, and Prescott
    45  Street; provided, however, that no such speed limit in such town may  be
    46  established  unless  a  majority of the residents of each such community
    47  file a petition with the town board of such town requesting  such  speed
    48  limit.  No  such  speed limit applicable on or along designated highways
    49  within such towns shall be established at less  than  twenty-five  miles
    50  per hour, except that school speed limits may be established at not less
    51  than  fifteen  miles per hour, for a distance not to exceed one thousand
    52  three hundred twenty feet, on  a  highway  passing  a  school  building,
    53  entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway, and except further
    54  that  in  the  town  of Hempstead speed limits may be established at not
    55  less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion  of  a  highway  in  the
    56  communities  known  as  Point Lookout and Lido Beach; provided, however,

        S. 7738--A                          3

     1  that no such speed limit in such town may be established unless a major-
     2  ity of the residents of each such community file  a  petition  with  the
     3  town board of such town requesting such speed limit.
     4    §  3. Subdivision 2 of section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law, as
     5  amended by chapter 83 of the  laws  of  1969,  is  amended  to  read  as
     6  follows:
     7    2.  Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or
     8  along all such highways lying within an area or areas as designated by a
     9  description of the boundaries of such area or  areas  submitted  by  the
    10  county  superintendent of highways of a county and the town board of the
    11  town or towns affected lower than fifty-five miles  per  hour  statutory
    12  maximum  speed  limit.  No  such limit shall be established at less than
    13  [thirty] twenty-five miles per hour.
    14    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.