S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8600
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                            September 13, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to reducing the
   speed  limit  to  twenty-five  miles  per hour in cities, villages and
   towns
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section. 1. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
 chapter 412 of the laws 2012, is amended to read as follows:
   §  1643. Speed limits on highways in cities and villages. The legisla-
 tive body of any city or village with respect to  highways  (which  term
 for  the  purposes  of  this section shall include private roads open to
 public motor vehicle traffic) in such city or village, other than  state
 highways  maintained by the state on which the department of transporta-
 tion shall have established higher or lower speed limits than the statu-
 tory 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 or village 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 may by local  law,  ordinance,
 order,  rule or regulation establish maximum speed limits at which vehi-
 cles may proceed within such city or village, within designated areas of
 such city or village or on or along designated highways within such city
 or village higher or lower than the fifty-five miles  per  hour  maximum
 statutory  limit. No such speed limit applicable throughout such city or
 village or within designated areas of such  city  or  village  shall  be
 established  at  less  than  [thirty] TWENTY-FIVE miles per hour; except
 that in the city of Long Beach, in the county of  Nassau,  speed  limits
 may  be  established  at  not  less  than  fifteen miles per hour on any
 portion of the following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue,  Hard-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD13762-02-9

 A. 8600                             2
 
 ing  avenue,  Mitchell avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge
 avenue, Wilson avenue and Taft avenue. No such speed limit applicable on
 or along designated highways within such city or village shall be estab-
 lished at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed
 limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a
 distance  not  to  exceed  one  thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a
 highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting
 on the highway and except that within the cities of Buffalo and  Roches-
 ter  speed  limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per
 hour for any portion of a highway within a city park.
   § 2. Section 1662-a of the vehicle and  traffic  law,  as  amended  by
 chapter 405 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
   §  1662-a. Speed limits in certain towns. The town board of any subur-
 ban town governed pursuant to article three-A of the town  law  and  the
 town  board  of any other town having a population exceeding fifty thou-
 sand, with respect to highways (which term  for  the  purposes  of  this
 section  shall  include private roads open to public motor vehicle traf-
 fic) in such towns outside any village, other than state highways  main-
 tained 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 towns 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 may by local law, ordinance,  order,  rule  or  regu-
 lation  establish  maximum  speed  limits  at which vehicles may proceed
 within such towns, within designated areas of such towns or on or  along
 designated  highways  within  such towns lower than the fifty-five miles
 per hour  maximum  statutory  limit.  No  such  speed  limit  applicable
 throughout  such towns or within designated areas of such towns shall be
 established at less than [thirty] TWENTY-FIVE  miles  per  hour,  except
 that  in  the  town  of Hempstead speed limits may be established at not
 less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion  of  a  highway  in  the
 community  known  as  Point  Lookout  and  on  all or any portion of the
 following highways in the community known as Lido  Beach:  Ocean  Boule-
 vard,  Allevard  Street,  Bath Street, Buxton Street, Cheltenham Street,
 Pinehurst Street, Harrogate Street,  Matlock  Street,  Nantwick  Street,
 Biarritz  Street, Royat Street, Luchon Street, Woodhail Street, Leaming-
 ton Street, Saratoga Street, Kensington  Street,  and  Prescott  Street;
 provided,  however,  that no such speed limit in such town may be estab-
 lished unless a majority of the residents of each such community file  a
 petition  with  the town board of such town requesting such speed limit.
 No such speed limit applicable on or along  designated  highways  within
 such towns shall be established at less than twenty-five miles per hour,
 except  that  school  speed  limits  may be established at not less than
 fifteen miles per hour, for a distance not to exceed one thousand  three
 hundred twenty feet, on a highway passing a school building, entrance or
 exit of a school abutting on the highway, and except further that in the
 town  of  Hempstead  speed  limits  may  be established at not less than
 fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a highway  in  the  communities
 known  as  Point Lookout and Lido Beach; provided, however, that no such
 speed limit in such town may be established unless  a  majority  of  the
 residents  of each such community file a petition with the town board of
 such town requesting such speed limit.

 A. 8600                             3
 
   § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 1271 of the vehicle and traffic law,  as
 added by chapter 365 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  Except  in  cities  with  a  population of one million or more and
 except as provided by local law, ordinance, order,  rule  or  regulation
 enacted  or  promulgated pursuant to subdivision two of this section, an
 electric personal assistive mobility device  may  only  be  operated  on
 highways  with  a  posted  speed limit of [thirty] TWENTY-FIVE miles per
 hour or less, including non-interstate public  highways,  private  roads
 open  to  motor vehicle traffic, and designated bicycle or in-line skate
 lanes. Every person operating an electric  personal  assistive  mobility
 device  upon  a  roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be
 subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of  a  vehicle  by
 this  title, except as to special regulations in this article and except
 as to those provisions of this title which by their nature can  have  no
 application;  provided,  however,  that when the operator of an electric
 personal assistive mobility device is making a left turn at or  crossing
 an  intersection,  such  operator shall use the designated crosswalk for
 such purpose.
   § 4. Subdivision 2 of section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law,  as
 amended  by  chapter  83  of  the  laws  of  1969, is amended to read as
 follows:
   2. Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on  or
 along all such highways lying within an area or areas as designated by a
 description  of  the  boundaries  of such area or areas submitted by the
 county superintendent of highways of a county and the town board of  the
 town  or  towns  affected lower than fifty-five miles per hour statutory
 maximum speed limit. No such limit shall be  established  at  less  than
 [thirty] TWENTY-FIVE miles per hour.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.