Senate Bill S9605

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9605
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 27, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to enacting the
   "real accessible pedestrian signal act"
 
   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 "real accessible pedestrian signal act".
   § 2. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that DeafBlind pedes-
 trians and others with combined  sensory  disabilities  cannot  rely  on
 visual, audio, or unraised text instructions to safely cross streets. To
 ensure  effective  communication  and independent navigation, accessible
 pedestrian signals must include tactile features such as braille, raised
 lettering, and raised lines.
   § 3. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding  a  new  section
 1118 to read as follows:
   §  1118.  ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS. (A) DEFINITIONS. FOR PURPOSES
 OF THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   1. "PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL" MEANS A  TRAFFIC  CONTROL  DEVICE  DESIGNED  TO
 REGULATE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC.
   2.  "ACCESSIBLE  PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL" MEANS A PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL DESIGNED
 TO ASSIST PEDESTRIANS  WITH  VISUAL,  AUDITORY,  PHYSICAL,  OR  COMBINED
 SENSORY DISABILITIES IN LOCATING AND ACTIVATING THE PEDESTRIAN PHASE.
   3.  "TACTILE  MAP" MEANS A TACTILE SIGN OR SURFACE AFFIXED TO OR INTE-
 GRATED WITH AN  ACCESSIBLE  PEDESTRIAN  SIGNAL  THAT  UTILIZES  BRAILLE,
 RAISED  LETTERING,  AND RAISED LINES TO CONVEY INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR
 SAFE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING.
   4. "PUSHBUTTON LOCATOR TONES" MEANS TONES  EMITTED  BY  AN  ACCESSIBLE
 PEDESTRIAN  SIGNAL  TO  ASSIST  PEDESTRIANS  WITH VISUAL DISABILITIES IN
 LOCATING THE PUSHBUTTON.
   (B) REQUIREMENT OF ACCESSIBILITY IN  PEDESTRIAN  SIGNALS.  1.  IN  ANY
 TOWN,  CITY,  OR  VILLAGE,  ALL  PEDESTRIAN  SIGNAL  UNITS  INSTALLED OR
 CONSTRUCTED ON OR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE  OF  THIS  SECTION  SHALL  BE
 ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS AND SHALL INCLUDE TACTILE MAPS.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14865-01-6
 S. 9605                             2
 
   2.  PEDESTRIAN  SIGNAL  UNITS INSTALLED PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
 THIS SECTION SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO BE RETROFITTED OR REPLACED  SOLELY
 TO  COMPLY  WITH THIS SECTION, BUT SHALL BE BROUGHT INTO COMPLIANCE ONLY
 WHEN SUCH UNITS ARE REPLACED OR UPGRADED AS PART OF ROUTINE MAINTENANCE,
 REPAIR, MODERNIZATION, OR END-OF-LIFE REPLACEMENT.
   3. TACTILE MAPS SHALL INCLUDE, AT MINIMUM:
   A.  IDENTIFICATION  OF THE RELEVANT INTERSECTION AND CROSSING LOCATION
 (FOR EXAMPLE, "NORTHEAST CORNER OF 42ND STREET AND BROADWAY");
   B. INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPERATING THE SIGNAL, INCLUDING IDENTIFICATION  OF
 TACTILE, VIBRATORY, VISUAL, OR AUDIBLE FEATURES; AND
   C.  RAISED  AND  BRAILLE  TEXT  IDENTIFYING THE CROSSING DIRECTION AND
 ORIENTATION.
   (C) CLARIFICATION OF APPLICABILITY AND LIMITATIONS. 1. NOTHING IN THIS
 SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO REQUIRE ANY MUNICIPALITY,  THE  DEPARTMENT
 OF  TRANSPORTATION,  THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OF THE CITY OF NEW
 YORK OR ANY MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR  THE  INSTALLATION  AND
 MAINTENANCE  OF  PEDESTRIAN  SIGNALS  TO  ACCELERATE PLANNED REPLACEMENT
 SCHEDULES OR INCUR COSTS BEYOND ORDINARY CAPITAL REPLACEMENT CYCLES.
   2. THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THE DEPARTMENT OF  TRANSPORTATION
 OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND ANY MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
 INSTALLATION  AND  MAINTENANCE  OF  PEDESTRIAN  SIGNALS  MAY CONTINUE TO
 INSTALL AND DEPLOY ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL UNITS OWNED OR  HELD  IN
 INVENTORY PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, UNTIL SUCH INVEN-
 TORY IS EXHAUSTED.
   (D)  MAINTENANCE OF PUSHBUTTON LOCATOR TONES. PUSHBUTTON LOCATOR TONES
 SHALL BE MAINTAINED IN WORKING CONDITION  AND  SHALL  REMAIN  REASONABLY
 CAPABLE  OF DIRECTING PEDESTRIANS WITH VISUAL DISABILITIES TO THE ACCES-
 SIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL UNIT.
   (E) PRIORITY OF INSTALLATION OF ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS. NOTHING
 IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO DELAY, POSTPONE, OR  DIMINISH  ANY
 EXISTING  OBLIGATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THE DEPARTMENT
 OF TRANSPORTATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK OR  ANY  MUNICIPAL  DEPARTMENT
 RESPONSIBLE  FOR  THE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS
 TO INSTALL ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS, REPLACE NON-ACCESSIBLE  PEDES-
 TRIAN  SIGNALS,  REPAIR  MALFUNCTIONING  UNITS, OR COMPLY WITH ANY COURT
 ORDER OR SETTLEMENT CURRENTLY IN EFFECT IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
   (F) RESPONSIBILITY. THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,  THE  DEPARTMENT
 OF  TRANSPORTATION  OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND ANY MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT
 RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF  PEDESTRIAN  SIGNALS
 SHALL  BE RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION
 RELATIVE TO ANY  ACCESSIBLE  PEDESTRIAN  SIGNAL  UNIT  OVER  WHICH  SUCH
 DEPARTMENT HAS JURISDICTION.
   §  4.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
 have become a law.