S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
9731
I N A S S E M B L Y
May 20, 2014
___________
Introduced by M. of A. O'DONNELL, SILVER, MOSLEY, JACOBS, ORTIZ, ROSA,
DAVILA, SIMOTAS, GOTTFRIED, ROBINSON, MILLMAN, DINOWITZ, OTIS, QUART,
WEPRIN, KAVANAGH, SEPULVEDA, PICHARDO, WRIGHT, SCARBOROUGH, CLARK,
DenDEKKER, BENEDETTO, MILLER, HEASTIE, SIMANOWITZ, GLICK, WEINSTEIN,
MARKEY, CYMBROWITZ, ROSENTHAL, CRESPO, MOYA, RODRIGUEZ -- Multi-Spon-
sored by -- M. of A. ARROYO, COOK, FARRELL, JAFFEE, LENTOL, PERRY,
RIVERA, ROZIC, STECK -- 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:
Section 1. Paragraph 26 of subdivision (a) of section 1642 of the
vehicle and traffic law is renumbered paragraph 27 and a new paragraph
26 is added to read as follows:
26. WITH RESPECT TO HIGHWAYS (WHICH TERM FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS
PARAGRAPH SHALL INCLUDE PRIVATE ROADS OPEN TO PUBLIC MOTOR VEHICLE TRAF-
FIC) IN SUCH CITY, OTHER THAN STATE HIGHWAYS MAINTAINED 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
CITY 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, ESTABLISH-
MENT OF MAXIMUM SPEED LIMITS AT WHICH VEHICLES MAY PROCEED WITHIN SUCH
CITY OR WITHIN DESIGNATED AREAS OF SUCH CITY HIGHER OR LOWER THAN THE
FIFTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR MAXIMUM STATUTORY LIMIT. NO SUCH SPEED LIMIT
APPLICABLE THROUGHOUT SUCH CITY OR WITHIN DESIGNATED AREAS OF SUCH CITY
SHALL BE ESTABLISHED AT LESS THAN TWENTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR.
S 2. Paragraph 27 of subdivision (a) of section 1642 of the vehicle
and traffic law, as added by chapter 499 of the laws of 1999 and as
renumbered by section one of this act, is amended to read as follows:
27. (a) Establishment of maximum speed limits below twenty-five miles
per hour at which motor vehicles may proceed on or along designated
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15293-01-4
A. 9731 2
highways within such city for the explicit purpose of implementing traf-
fic calming measures as such term is defined herein; provided, however,
that no speed limit shall be set below fifteen 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 IF SUCH CITY HAS MADE A WRITTEN DETERMINATION THAT THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED HERE-
IN IS NOT FEASIBLE ON A PARTICULAR DESIGNATED HIGHWAY, SPEED LIMITS AT
WHICH MOTOR VEHICLES MAY PROCEED ON OR ALONG SUCH DESIGNATED HIGHWAY
WITHIN SUCH CITY MAY BE ESTABLISHED AND POSTED AT NOT LESS THAN TWENTY
MILES PER HOUR. Establishment of such a speed limit shall, where appli-
cable, be in compliance with the provisions of sections sixteen hundred
twenty-four and sixteen hundred eighty-four of this chapter. 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 measures" 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 pedestrians and bicyclists.
(b) Any city establishing maximum speed limits below twenty-five miles
per hour pursuant to clause (i) of this subparagraph shall submit a
report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the
speaker of the assembly on or before March first, two thousand [two]
FIFTEEN AND BIANNUALLY THEREAFTER on the results of using traffic calm-
ing measures and speed limits lower than twenty-five miles per hour as
authorized by this paragraph. Such report shall include, but not be
limited to the following:
(i) a description of the designated highways where traffic calming
measures and a lower speed limit were established and
(ii) a description of the specific traffic calming measures used and
the maximum speed limit established.
S 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
have become a law.