S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1615
 
                        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
 
 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
 city  of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be estab-

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00541-01-5
              

 A. 1615                             2
 
 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 EITHER:
   A.  THE STANDARDS AND METHODS DESCRIBED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
 CITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS (NACTO), SUCH AS  A  PUBLISHED  GUIDE  FOR
 EVALUATING SPEED LIMITS; OR
   B.  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. 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
 [suburban] town governed pursuant to [article three-A of] the  town  law
 [and  the  town  board  of  any other town having a population exceeding
 fifty thousand], 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  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 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 high-
 ways 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, Sarato-
 ga Street, Kensington Street, and Prescott  Street;  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. No such speed limit
 A. 1615                             3
 
 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  abut-
 ting  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 EITHER:
   A. THE STANDARDS AND METHODS DESCRIBED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION  OF
 CITY  TRANSPORTATION  OFFICIALS  (NACTO),  SUCH AS A PUBLISHED GUIDE FOR
 EVALUATING SPEED LIMITS; OR
   B. 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.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.