S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  2021--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 16, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  MAY,  HOYLMAN,  TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Trans-
   portation -- recommitted to the Committee on Transportation in accord-
   ance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
   ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted 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:
 
   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
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02142-03-2
              

 S. 2021--A                          2
 
 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-
 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.  NO SPEED LIMITS
 SHALL BE ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS  SECTION  EXCEPT
 IN  ACCORDANCE WITH THE ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS AND FACTORS FOR SPEED
 LIMITS SET FORTH IN THE MANUAL AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR A  UNIFORM  SYSTEM
 OF TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES MAINTAINED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTA-
 TION  PURSUANT  TO SECTION SIXTEEN HUNDRED EIGHTY OF THIS TITLE, AS SUCH
 MANUAL AND SPECIFICATIONS MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, CERTIFIED BY
 A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER WHO SPECIALIZES IN TRAFFIC OPERATIONS.
   § 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
 S. 2021--A                          3
 
 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. NO SPEED LIMITS SHALL  BE  ESTAB-
 LISHED  PURSUANT  TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE
 WITH THE ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS AND FACTORS  FOR  SPEED  LIMITS  SET
 FORTH  IN  THE MANUAL AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF TRAFFIC
 CONTROL DEVICES MAINTAINED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTATION  PURSU-
 ANT  TO SECTION SIXTEEN HUNDRED EIGHTY OF THIS TITLE, AS SUCH MANUAL AND
 SPECIFICATIONS MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, CERTIFIED BY A LICENSED
 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER WHO SPECIALIZES IN TRAFFIC OPERATIONS.
   § 3. 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.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.