S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    392
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              January 9, 2023
                                ___________
 
 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 496 of the laws of 2022, 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 twenty-five 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
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02296-01-3
              

 A. 392                              2
 
 AREAS  DESIGNATED FOR SENIOR CITIZENS OF SUCH CITY OR VILLAGE, 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  limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour
 on any portion of the following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue,
 Harding avenue, Mitchell avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue,  Cool-
 idge avenue, Wilson avenue and Taft avenue. No such speed limit applica-
 ble on or along designated highways within such city or village 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 abut-
 ting on the highway and except that within the  cities  of  Buffalo  and
 Rochester 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
 transportation 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 496 of the laws of 2022, 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 twenty-five miles per hour, except that  (I)  A
 TOWN BOARD MAY BY LOCAL LAW, ORDINANCE, ORDER, RULE OR REGULATION ESTAB-
 LISH  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  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,
 A. 392                              3
 
 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 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 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  transportation  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.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.