Assembly Bill A1973

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1973
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. MAHER -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law,  in  relation  to  allowing
   non-public schools to apply for school zone speed limits
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 1620 of the vehicle and  traffic
 law,  as  amended by chapter 563 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read
 as follows:
   (a) The department of transportation with respect  to  state  highways
 maintained  by the state outside of cities having a population in excess
 of one million, and highways on Indian reservations, may by order,  rule
 or  regulation  establish  higher or lower maximum speed limits at which
 vehicles may proceed on or along such highways than the fifty-five miles
 per hour statutory maximum speed limit.  No  such  maximum  speed  limit
 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.  FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION,
 "SCHOOL"  SHALL  ALSO  INCLUDE  NON-PUBLIC  SCHOOLS.  Absence  of  signs
 installed  pursuant  to  this section shall be presumptive evidence that
 the department of transportation has not established  a  higher  maximum
 speed limit than the fifty-five miles per hour statutory limit.
   §  2. Subdivision 1 of section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law, as
 amended by chapter 563 of the laws  of  2002,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   1.  Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or
 along such highways higher or lower than the fifty-five miles  per  hour
 statutory  maximum  speed  limit.  No such limit shall be established at
 less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that  school  speed  limits

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04976-01-5
              

 A. 1973                             2
 
 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.  FOR  THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, "SCHOOL" SHALL
 ALSO INCLUDE NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
   § 3. 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-
 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.  FOR THE  PURPOSES
 OF  THIS  SECTION,  "SCHOOL"  SHALL  ALSO INCLUDE NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 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.