S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  6911

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                             April 10, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M. of A. OTIS -- read once and referred to the Committee
  on Transportation

AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to speed limits

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by
chapter 412 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
  S 1643. Speed limits on highways in cities, TOWNS  and  villages.  (A)
The  legislative body of any city, TOWN or village with respect to high-
ways (which term for the purposes of this section shall include  private
roads  open  to  public  motor  vehicle  traffic)  in such city, TOWN or
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 city,
TOWN 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 vehicles may proceed within  such  city,  TOWN  or
village,  within designated areas of such city, TOWN 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, TOWN or village  or  within
designated  areas  of  such city or village shall be established at less
than [thirty] TWENTY-FIVE miles per hour; except that  in  the  city  of
Long  Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be established at
not less than fifteen miles per hour on any  portion  of  the  following
highways  in  such  city:  Cleveland  avenue,  Harding  avenue, Mitchell
avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge avenue, Wilson  avenue

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD08819-03-5
              

A. 6911                             2

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 Rochester speed limits
may be established at not less than  fifteen  miles  per  hour  for  any
portion of a highway within a city park.
  (B)(1)  ANY  CITY,  TOWN OR VILLAGE MAY ESTABLISH MAXIMUM SPEED LIMITS
BELOW TWENTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR AT WHICH MOTOR VEHICLES MAY PROCEED  ON
OR  ALONG  DESIGNATED HIGHWAYS WITHIN SUCH CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE FOR THE
EXPLICIT PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES AS  SUCH  TERM
IS  DEFINED  HEREIN; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT NO SPEED LIMIT SHALL BE SET
BELOW FIFTEEN MILES PER HOUR NOR SHALL SUCH SPEED LIMIT  BE  ESTABLISHED
WHERE THE TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURE TO BE IMPLEMENTED CONSISTS SOLELY OF A
TRAFFIC  CONTROL SIGN.  ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH A SPEED LIMIT SHALL, WHERE
APPLICABLE, BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE  PROVISIONS  OF  SECTIONS  SIXTEEN
HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR AND SIXTEEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-FOUR OF THIS TITLE. NOTH-
ING  CONTAINED  HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED TO ALTER OR AFFECT THE ESTABLISH-
MENT OF SCHOOL SPEED LIMITS PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS  SECTION.
FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS PARAGRAPH, "TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES" SHALL
MEAN ANY PHYSICAL ENGINEERING MEASURE OR MEASURES THAT REDUCE THE  NEGA-
TIVE  EFFECTS  OF  MOTOR  VEHICLE USE, ALTER DRIVER BEHAVIOR AND IMPROVE
CONDITIONS FOR NON-MOTORIZED STREET USERS SUCH AS PEDESTRIANS AND  BICY-
CLISTS.
  (2)  ANY CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE ESTABLISHING MAXIMUM SPEED LIMITS BELOW
TWENTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR PURSUANT TO  CLAUSE  (I)  OF  THIS  PARAGRAPH
SHALL  SUBMIT  A  REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE
SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY ON OR BEFORE THE  FIRST  OF  JUNE
NEXT  SUCCEEDING  THE  EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION AND BIANNUALLY
THEREAFTER ON THE RESULTS OF USING TRAFFIC CALMING  MEASURES  AND  SPEED
LIMITS LOWER THAN TWENTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR AS AUTHORIZED BY THIS PARA-
GRAPH.  THIS  REPORT  SHALL ALSO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC BY SUCH
CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE ON ITS WEBSITE. SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT
BE LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:
  (I) A DESCRIPTION OF THE DESIGNATED  HIGHWAYS  WHERE  TRAFFIC  CALMING
MEASURES AND A LOWER SPEED LIMIT WERE ESTABLISHED;
  (II)  A  DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES USED AND
THE MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT ESTABLISHED; AND
  (III) A COMPARISON OF THE AGGREGATE  TYPE,  NUMBER,  AND  SEVERITY  OF
ACCIDENTS REPORTED ON STREETS ON WHICH STREET CALMING MEASURES AND LOWER
SPEED  LIMITS  WERE IMPLEMENTED IN THE YEAR PRECEDING THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF SUCH MEASURES AND POLICIES AND THE YEAR FOLLOWING THE  IMPLEMENTATION
OF  SUCH  MEASURES AND POLICIES, TO THE EXTENT THIS INFORMATION IS MAIN-
TAINED BY ANY AGENCY OF THE STATE OR THE CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE.
  S 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
have become a law.