Assembly Bill A9826

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9826
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              April 19, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. CRUZ -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to  authorizing
   cities,  villages  and  towns  to  reduce the speed limit to less than
   twenty-five miles per hour in areas designated for senior citizens
 
   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 of 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 miles per  hour;  except  that  (I)  THE
 LEGISLATIVE  BODY  OF  ANY  CITY OR VILLAGE MAY BY LOCAL LAW, ORDINANCE,
 ORDER, RULE OR REGULATION ESTABLISH A SPEED LIMIT LESS THAN  TWENTY-FIVE
 MILES  PER  HOUR  BUT NOT LESS THAN FIFTEEN MILES PER HOUR APPLICABLE IN
 AREAS DESIGNATED FOR SENIOR CITIZENS OF SUCH  TOWN,  INCLUDING  BUT  NOT
 LIMITED TO, SENIOR CITIZEN CENTERS AND SENIOR CITIZEN HOUSING COMPLEXES,
 AND  (II)  in  the  city  of  Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD15180-02-2
 A. 9826                             2
 
 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-
 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 miles per hour, except that (I)  A  TOWN
 BOARD MAY BY LOCAL LAW, ORDINANCE, ORDER, RULE OR REGULATION ESTABLISH A
 SPEED  LIMIT  LESS  THAN  TWENTY-FIVE  MILES  PER HOUR BUT NOT LESS THAN
 FIFTEEN MILES PER HOUR APPLICABLE IN AREAS DESIGNATED FOR  SENIOR  CITI-
 ZENS  OF SUCH TOWN, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SENIOR CITIZEN CENTERS
 AND SENIOR CITIZEN HOUSING COMPLEXES, AND (II) 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 Boulevard, Allevard  Street,  Bath  Street,  Buxton
 Street,  Cheltenham  Street, Pinehurst Street, Harrogate Street, Matlock
 Street, Nantwick Street, Biarritz Street, Royat Street,  Luchon  Street,
 Woodhail  Street, Leamington Street, Saratoga Street, Kensington Street,
 and Prescott Street; 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. 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 build-
 ing,  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
 A. 9826                             3
 
 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 major-
 ity  of  the  residents  of each such community file a petition with the
 town board of such town requesting such speed limit.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.