Senate Bill S3516

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S3516

SPONSOR: SCARCELLA-SPANTON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a central business district toll exemption for certain police officers

 
PURPOSE:

To provide an exemption for New York City-employed police officers from
the central business district toll.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill would add a new subdivision 2-a to § 1704-a of the
Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide an exemption from the central busi-
ness district toll for any police officer employed by New York City.

Section 2 provides that the bill shall take effect immediately.

 
              

JUSTIFICATION:

The Central Business District Tolling Zone extends from 60th Street in
Manhattan to all of the roadways south of 60th Street, with exceptions.
Under the toll zone program, passenger vehicles entering or remaining in
the Central Business District would be charged a toll.

The existing statute provides an exemption for any "qualifying author-
ized emergency vehicle," which includes police vehicles.  However, in
most instances the police vehicle is held and maintained in the local
Manhattan precinct and is not driven by the police officers to and from
their residences, which may be outside of the Central Business District
Toll Zone, to the precinct.

This bill would clarify that police officers who travel to their Manhat-
tan precincts to fulfill their duty of protecting the public, will not
incur a toll, which could otherwise result in a police officer paying
hundreds or thousands of dollars in tolls each year.  Failure to clarify
that the exemption exists for police officers traveling to perform their
duty, as exists once they are in their police vehicles, will create a
disincentive for police officers to accept assignments in the toll zone.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Held in Senate Transportation Committee.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill would take effect immediately.