Permits motor vehicles on a certain segment of public roads

Title of bill

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to permitting certain motor vehicles on a certain segment of public roads

Purpose

This bill would permit tandem trailers to travel from exit 49 of the New York state thruway for approximately .5 miles to their shipping and receiving location.

Summary of provisions

Section 1. Subdivision 16 of section 385 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new paragraph (v) to read as follows: Over a route extending between the thruway toll booth at the New York state thruway exit 49 to the terminus of the exit 49 on and off ramps and its intersection with New York state route 78 and southerly on New York state route 78 to its intersection with Pfohl Road, a distance of approximately .5 miles, and approximately 550 feet west on Pfohl Road, where the commissioner of transportation determines that the vehicle or combination of vehicles could operate safely along the designated route and that no applicable federal, regulation or other requirement prohibits the operation of such vehicle or combinations of vehicles on such route.

Section 2 states that this act shall take effect immediately. Existing Law states in Section 385 of the vehicle and traffic law states maximum dimensions and weight restrictions for vehicles on public roads. Subdivision 16 of this section, however, allows for the possibility of exempting a designated route from these requirements. The vehicles on this route must be travelling to or from the New York state thruway, and they must also meet the maximum dimensions and weight restrictions for the New York state thruway. There are currently 22 such exemptions under Subdivision 16.

Justification

This bill allows for tandem trailers, already incompliance with New York state thruway maximum dimensions and weight restrictions, to legally exit the thruway and travel to a designated shipping and receiving location approximately .5 miles from exit 49 of the New York state thruway. Under current law, tandem trailers may travel on the thruway, but may not exit the thruway to their shipping and receiving location approximately .5 miles away.

Subdivision 16 of Section 385 of the vehicle and traffic law recognizes this potential problem by allowing for possible exemptions for those motor vehicles traveling to and from the New York state thruway. This bill simply adds another designated route to that current list of 22 exemptions. Furthermore, this bill requires the commissioner of transportation to determine that the tandem trailers could operate safely along the designated route and that no other applicable laws prohibit the operation of the tandem trailers on such route.

Legislative history

S.7945 of 2014

Fiscal implications

None

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.