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Home/Bills/A 1831New York · 2025–2026 Legislative Session
Assembly BillIntroduced

A 1831: Relates to operators of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle or pedestrian outside the city of New York.

New York · Assembly · 2025–2026 Legislative Session · last verified May 24, 2026

What A 1831 does, verified May 24, 2026

The bill aims to improve road safety by requiring drivers to pass bicycles and pedestrians from behind with caution. In cities with a population under one million, drivers must pass bicycles on the left side of the road at a safe distance. If passing a bicycle from an adjacent lane is not possible, drivers must pass at least three feet away. Similarly, in cities under one million, drivers must pass pedestrians on the left side of the road at a safe distance. In cities over one million, drivers must only pass pedestrians if it is reasonable and prudent under the conditions. The bill takes effect 180 days after it becomes a law.

Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to transportation (2026-01-07)Alert me
Author and sponsors
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Coauthors
Harry BronsonJo Anne SimonCarrie WoernerVacant MemberEmily GallagherRebecca SeawrightSarah ClarkZohran MamdaniPhara Souffrant ForrestJenifer RajkumarSteven OtisDeborah Glick
Recent actions2 total · showing 2
Jan. 07, 2026referred to transportation
Jan. 14, 2025referred to transportation
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 14, 2025 · 729 words
  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1831 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STECK, BRONSON, SIMON, WOERNER, EPSTEIN, GALLAGH- ER, SEAWRIGHT, CLARK, MAMDANI, FORREST, RAJKUMAR, OTIS, GLICK, LEVEN- BERG, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, RAGA, SHRESTHA, SIMONE, ROSENTHAL, LUNSFORD, R. CARROLL, SHIMSKY, KELLES, TAPIA, HEVESI, K. BROWN, PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to operators of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle or pedestrian The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 1122-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by 2 chapter 413 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 1122-a. Overtaking a bicycle or pedestrian. [The] (a) For cities 4 having a population of less than one million and towns and villages, the 5 operator of a vehicle overtaking, from behind, a bicycle proceeding on 6 the same side of a roadway shall pass to the left of such bicycle [at a 7 safe distance until safely clear thereof] with due care. 8 (i) For purposes of this section, such due care shall include, but not 9 be limited to, moving from a lane or shoulder which contains or is imme- 10 diately adjacent to the bicyclist to another lane until safely clear 11 thereof, provided that such movement otherwise complies with the 12 requirements of this chapter including, but not limited to, the 13 provisions of sections eleven hundred ten and eleven hundred twenty- 14 eight of this chapter. 15 (ii) If moving from an immediately adjacent lane to another lane would 16 not otherwise comply with the requirements of this chapter, the operator 17 of such vehicle shall pass to the left of such bicycle at a distance of 18 not less than three feet until safely clear thereof. 19 (iii) If moving from an immediately adjacent lane to another lane or 20 passing to the left of such bicycle at a distance of not less than three 21 feet would not otherwise comply with the requirements of this chapter, 22 the operator of such vehicle shall only pass such bicycle if, after EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03888-01-5 

 A. 1831 2 1 considering the actual and potential hazards then existing, doing so is 2 reasonable and prudent under the conditions. 3 (b) For cities having a population of less than one million and for 4 towns and villages, the operator of a vehicle passing a pedestrian 5 proceeding on the same side of a roadway shall pass to the left of such 6 pedestrian by: (i) moving from a lane or shoulder which contains or is 7 immediately adjacent to the pedestrian to another lane until safely 8 clear thereof, provided that such movement otherwise complies with the 9 requirements of this chapter including, but not limited to, the 10 provisions of sections eleven hundred ten and eleven hundred twenty- 11 eight of this chapter; or (ii) if moving from an immediately adjacent 12 lane to another lane would not otherwise comply with the requirements of 13 this chapter, the operator of such vehicle shall pass to the left of 14 such pedestrian at a distance of not less than three feet until safely 15 clear thereof; or (iii) if moving from an immediately adjacent lane to 16 another lane or passing to the left of such pedestrian at a distance of 17 not less than three feet would not otherwise comply with the require- 18 ments of this chapter, the operator of such vehicle shall only pass such 19 pedestrian if, after considering the actual and potential hazards then 20 existing, doing so is reasonable and prudent under the conditions. 21 (c) For any city not covered under the provisions of subdivision (a) 22 of this section, the operator of a vehicle overtaking, from behind, a 23 bicycle proceeding on the same side of a roadway shall pass to the left 24 of such bicycle at a safe distance until safely clear thereof. 25 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 26 it shall have become a law. 

Text of A 1831 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions
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