Patty Ritchie's posts related to Transportation

Measure Eases Rules On Family Friendly Rec Vehicles

State Senator Patty Ritchie’s bill to make regulations on all terrain vehicles more friendly to families passed the Senate Monday.

The bill, S.3318, increases the acceptable weight limits on ATV's from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds, allowing New Yorkers to register their UTV's. That will generate more state revenue through registrations, as many riders are currently registering the increasingly popular vehicles in other states.

"Upstate New York offers thousands of miles of ATV trails. This legislation will help attract riders to come to New York to experience what we have to offer, expanding our tourism industry and providing more reasons to visit our rural areas," Senator Ritchie said. "If we want to revitalize our economy and help create more jobs in our rural areas, we need to modernize our regulations."

Says DMV Plan Will Reverse Gains in Road Safety

State Senator Patty Ritchie is today calling on the state DMV to abandon its plan to abolish vision tests for drivers, saying the move creates an unnecessary risk for motorists and will undo recent gains in road safety.

The newly formed “International Border Caucus,” co-chaired by State Senators Patty Ritchie and Joseph Griffo and Ontario Senator Robert Runciman, discussed problems posed by delays at Northern New York’s border crossings for both Americans and Canadians.

“I am very pleased that our first organizational meeting of this international legislative group identified the problems everyday citizens and business people from both sides of the border are having when they visit each other’s countries,” Senator Ritchie said. “That’s the number one complaint I hear from the people I represent.”