Bill Text: NY A00561 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes legislative bodies to establish speed limits not less than fifteen miles per hour for any portion of a highway within a city, village or town park.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - referred to transportation [A00561 Detail]
Download: New_York-2025-A00561-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 561 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to speed limits for any portion of a highway within a city, village or town park The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by 2 chapter 496 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 1643. Speed limits on highways in cities and villages. The legisla- 4 tive body of any city or village with respect to highways (which term 5 for the purposes of this section shall include private roads open to 6 public motor vehicle traffic) in such city or village, other than state 7 highways maintained by the state on which the department of transporta- 8 tion shall have established higher or lower speed limits than the statu- 9 tory fifty-five miles per hour speed limit as provided in section 10 sixteen hundred twenty of this title, or on which the department of 11 transportation shall have designated that such city or village shall not 12 establish any maximum speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred 13 twenty-four of this title, subject to the limitations imposed by section 14 sixteen hundred eighty-four of this title may by local law, ordinance, 15 order, rule or regulation establish maximum speed limits at which vehi- 16 cles may proceed within such city or village, within designated areas of 17 such city or village or on or along designated highways within such city 18 or village higher or lower than the fifty-five miles per hour maximum 19 statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable throughout such city or 20 village or within designated areas of such city or village shall be 21 established at less than twenty-five miles per hour; except that in the 22 city of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be estab- 23 lished at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of the 24 following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue, Mitc- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02067-01-5A. 561 2 1 hell avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge avenue, Wilson 2 avenue and Taft avenue. No such speed limit applicable on or along 3 designated highways within such city or village shall be established at 4 less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits 5 may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a 6 distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a 7 highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting 8 on the highway [and], except that within the cities of Buffalo and 9 Rochester speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles 10 per hour for any portion of a highway within a city park, and except 11 that a speed limit may be established at not less than fifteen miles per 12 hour for any portion of a highway within a city or village park. No 13 speed limits shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this 14 section except in accordance with the engineering considerations and 15 factors for speed limits set forth in the manual and specifications for 16 a uniform system of traffic control devices maintained by the commis- 17 sioner of transportation pursuant to section sixteen hundred eighty of 18 this title, as such manual and specifications may be amended from time 19 to time, certified by a licensed professional engineer who specializes 20 in traffic operations. 21 § 2. Section 1662-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by 22 chapter 496 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 23 § 1662-a. Speed limits in certain towns. The town board of any subur- 24 ban town governed pursuant to article three-A of the town law and the 25 town board of any other town having a population exceeding fifty thou- 26 sand, with respect to highways (which term for the purposes of this 27 section shall include private roads open to public motor vehicle traf- 28 fic) in such towns outside any village, other than state highways main- 29 tained by the state on which the department of transportation shall have 30 established higher or lower speed limits than the statutory fifty-five 31 miles per hour speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty 32 of this title, or on which the department of transportation shall have 33 designated that such towns shall not establish any maximum speed limit 34 as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty-four of this title, 35 subject to the limitations imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty- 36 four of this title may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regu- 37 lation establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed 38 within such towns, within designated areas of such towns or on or along 39 designated highways within such towns lower than the fifty-five miles 40 per hour maximum statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable 41 throughout such towns or within designated areas of such towns shall be 42 established at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that in the 43 town of Hempstead speed limits may be established at not less than 44 fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a highway in the community 45 known as Point Lookout and on all or any portion of the following high- 46 ways in the community known as Lido Beach: Ocean Boulevard, Allevard 47 Street, Bath Street, Buxton Street, Cheltenham Street, Pinehurst Street, 48 Harrogate Street, Matlock Street, Nantwick Street, Biarritz Street, 49 Royat Street, Luchon Street, Woodhail Street, Leamington Street, Sarato- 50 ga Street, Kensington Street, and Prescott Street; provided, however, 51 that no such speed limit in such town may be established unless a major- 52 ity of the residents of each such community file a petition with the 53 town board of such town requesting such speed limit. No such speed limit 54 applicable on or along designated highways within such towns shall be 55 established at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school 56 speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour,A. 561 3 1 for a distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on 2 a highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abut- 3 ting on the highway, except that a speed limit may be established at not 4 less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a highway within a 5 town park, and except further that in the town of Hempstead speed limits 6 may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any 7 portion of a highway in the communities known as Point Lookout and Lido 8 Beach; provided, however, that no such speed limit in such town may be 9 established unless a majority of the residents of each such community 10 file a petition with the town board of such town requesting such speed 11 limit. No speed limits shall be established pursuant to the provisions 12 of this section except in accordance with the engineering considerations 13 and factors for speed limits set forth in the manual and specifications 14 for a uniform system of traffic control devices maintained by the 15 commissioner of transportation pursuant to section sixteen hundred 16 eighty of this title, as such manual and specifications may be amended 17 from time to time, certified by a licensed professional engineer who 18 specializes in traffic operations. 19 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
