S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1615--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 10, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SHRESTHA, LEVENBERG, STECK, SHIMSKY,
BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Trans-
portation -- 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 area speed
limits
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the "area speed limits act".
§ 2. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chap-
ter 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 in the
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00541-03-5
A. 1615--A 2
city of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be estab-
lished at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of the
following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue, Mitc-
hell 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 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 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.]
§ 3. 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, AND THE TOWN BOARD OF ANY OTHER TOWN THAT HAS ADOPTED A LOCAL LAW
AUTHORIZING ITSELF TO SET SPEED LIMITS PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION, with
respect to highways (which term for the purposes of this section shall
include private roads open to public motor vehicle traffic) in such
towns outside any village, 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 desig-
nated 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 regulation estab-
lish 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 in the town of Hemp-
stead 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
A. 1615--A 3
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 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 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 commis-
sioner 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.]
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.