A 1615: Enacts the "area speed limits act"; relates to factors for setting area speed limits.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1615 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SHRESTHA, LEVENBERG, STECK, SHIMSKY, BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Trans- portation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to area speed limits The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "area speed limits act". 3 § 2. Section 1643 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chap- 4 ter 496 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 5 § 1643. Speed limits on highways in cities and villages. The legisla- 6 tive body of any city or village with respect to highways (which term 7 for the purposes of this section shall include private roads open to 8 public motor vehicle traffic) in such city or village, other than state 9 highways maintained by the state on which the department of transporta- 10 tion shall have established higher or lower speed limits than the statu- 11 tory fifty-five miles per hour speed limit as provided in section 12 sixteen hundred twenty of this title, or on which the department of 13 transportation shall have designated that such city or village shall not 14 establish any maximum speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred 15 twenty-four of this title, subject to the limitations imposed by section 16 sixteen hundred eighty-four of this title may by local law, ordinance, 17 order, rule or regulation establish maximum speed limits at which vehi- 18 cles may proceed within such city or village, within designated areas of 19 such city or village or on or along designated highways within such city 20 or village higher or lower than the fifty-five miles per hour maximum 21 statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable throughout such city or 22 village or within designated areas of such city or village shall be 23 established at less than twenty-five miles per hour; except that in the 24 city of Long Beach, in the county of Nassau, speed limits may be estab- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00541-01-5 
 A. 1615 2 1 lished at not less than fifteen miles per hour on any portion of the 2 following highways in such city: Cleveland avenue, Harding avenue, Mitc- 3 hell avenue, Belmont avenue, Atlantic avenue, Coolidge avenue, Wilson 4 avenue and Taft avenue. No such speed limit applicable on or along 5 designated highways within such city or village shall be established at 6 less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits 7 may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a 8 distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a 9 highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting 10 on the highway and except that within the cities of Buffalo and Roches- 11 ter speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per 12 hour for any portion of a highway within a city park. No speed limits 13 shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this section except 14 in accordance with the engineering considerations and factors for speed 15 limits set forth in either: 16 a. the standards and methods described by the national association of 17 city transportation officials (NACTO), such as a published guide for 18 evaluating speed limits; or 19 b. the manual and specifications for a uniform system of traffic 20 control devices maintained by the commissioner of transportation pursu- 21 ant to section sixteen hundred eighty of this title, as such manual and 22 specifications may be amended from time to time, certified by a licensed 23 professional engineer who specializes in traffic operations. 24 § 3. Section 1662-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by 25 chapter 496 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 26 § 1662-a. Speed limits in [certain] towns. The town board of any 27 [suburban] town governed pursuant to [article three-A of] the town law 28 [and the town board of any other town having a population exceeding 29 fifty thousand], with respect to highways (which term for the purposes 30 of this section shall include private roads open to public motor vehicle 31 traffic) in such towns outside any village, other than state highways 32 maintained by the state on which the department of transportation shall 33 have established higher or lower speed limits than the statutory fifty- 34 five miles per hour speed limit as provided in section sixteen hundred 35 twenty of this title, or on which the department of transportation shall 36 have designated that such towns shall not establish any maximum speed 37 limit as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty-four of this title, 38 subject to the limitations imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty- 39 four of this title may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regu- 40 lation establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed 41 within such towns, within designated areas of such towns or on or along 42 designated highways within such towns lower than the fifty-five miles 43 per hour maximum statutory limit. No such speed limit applicable 44 throughout such towns or within designated areas of such towns shall be 45 established at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that in the 46 town of Hempstead speed limits may be established at not less than 47 fifteen miles per hour on any portion of a highway in the community 48 known as Point Lookout and on all or any portion of the following high- 49 ways in the community known as Lido Beach: Ocean Boulevard, Allevard 50 Street, Bath Street, Buxton Street, Cheltenham Street, Pinehurst Street, 51 Harrogate Street, Matlock Street, Nantwick Street, Biarritz Street, 52 Royat Street, Luchon Street, Woodhail Street, Leamington Street, Sarato- 53 ga Street, Kensington Street, and Prescott Street; provided, however, 54 that no such speed limit in such town may be established unless a major- 55 ity of the residents of each such community file a petition with the 56 town board of such town requesting such speed limit. No such speed limit 
 A. 1615 3 1 applicable on or along designated highways within such towns shall be 2 established at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school 3 speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, 4 for a distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on 5 a highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abut- 6 ting on the highway, and except further that in the town of Hempstead 7 speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour 8 on any portion of a highway in the communities known as Point Lookout 9 and Lido Beach; provided, however, that no such speed limit in such town 10 may be established unless a majority of the residents of each such 11 community file a petition with the town board of such town requesting 12 such speed limit. No speed limits shall be established pursuant to the 13 provisions of this section except in accordance with the engineering 14 considerations and factors for speed limits set forth in either: 15 a. the standards and methods described by the national association of 16 city transportation officials (NACTO), such as a published guide for 17 evaluating speed limits; or 18 b. the manual and specifications for a uniform system of traffic 19 control devices maintained by the commissioner of transportation pursu- 20 ant to section sixteen hundred eighty of this title, as such manual and 21 specifications may be amended from time to time, certified by a licensed 22 professional engineer who specializes in traffic operations. 23 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.