A 845: Provides for the establishment of school speed limits of not less than fifteen miles per hour by the legislative body of any county or, if so delegated, by the legislative body of any locality within said county on a portion of a state highway passing a school building.
The proposed law aims to establish school speed limits on state highways outside cities with a population over one million. The law allows the Department of Transportation to set higher or lower maximum speed limits, with a minimum of 25 miles per hour, except for school speed limits, which can be set at 15 miles per hour or lower. School speed limits can be established by the Department of Transportation or by local legislative bodies for a distance of up to 1,320 feet near school buildings, entrances, or exits. The absence of speed limit signs on highways is considered presumptive evidence that the Department of Transportation has not established a higher maximum speed limit than the standard 55 miles per hour limit. The law takes effect on the first of November next succeeding the date it becomes a law.
| May. 20, 2026 | held for consideration in transportation |
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to transportation |
| Jan. 08, 2025 | referred to transportation |
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 845 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BLANKENBUSH, BRABENEC, DeSTEFANO, McDONOUGH, MILLER, SMULLEN, TAGUE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to school speed limits The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 1620 of the vehicle and traffic 2 law, as amended by chapter 563 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read 3 as follows: 4 (a) The department of transportation with respect to state highways 5 maintained by the state outside of cities having a population in excess 6 of one million, and highways on Indian reservations, may by order, rule 7 or regulation establish higher or lower maximum speed limits at which 8 vehicles may proceed on or along such highways than the fifty-five miles 9 per hour statutory maximum speed limit. No such maximum speed limit 10 shall be established at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except 11 that school speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen 12 miles per hour by the department of transportation or by the legislative 13 body of any county or, if so delegated by such county legislative body, 14 by the legislative body of any municipality or school district located 15 within said county, for a distance not to exceed one thousand three 16 hundred twenty feet, on a highway passing a school building, entrance or 17 exit of a school abutting on the highway. Absence of signs installed 18 pursuant to this section shall be presumptive evidence that the depart- 19 ment of transportation has not established a higher maximum speed limit 20 than the fifty-five miles per hour statutory limit. 21 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 22 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03292-01-5