What's happening
This bill prohibits authorities from unreasonably restricting or overcharging organized bicycle and running events on public roads.
Why it matters
Enhances access to public spaces. for community groups and athletes by making it harder for local authorities to block or restrict organized cycling and running events, unless they can prove it would create real, significant problems for infrastructure or residents.
Protects affordability for event organizers. by requiring that any fees imposed for these events must be reasonable, and places the responsibility on authorities to justify and prove the fairness of such charges.
Limits arbitrary local control. by preventing cities, villages, and other authorities from enacting overly restrictive or exclusionary rules, promoting statewide consistency in how events are permitted and managed.
Supports the growth of healthy, active communities. by reducing bureaucratic and financial barriers to organizing group sporting events, potentially increasing participation and associated economic and social benefits.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Protect Bike and Running Events
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7620
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 5, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE, FAHY, D'URSO, COOK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the highway law and the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to organized bicycle and running events on public highways
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 316 of the highway law, as amended by chapter 655 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
§ 316. Entitled to free use of highways. The authorities having charge or control of any highway, public street, park, parkway, driveway, or place, shall have no power or authority to pass, enforce or maintain any ordinance, rule or regulation by which any person using a bicycle or tricycle shall be excluded or prohibited from the free use of any highway, public street, avenue, roadway, driveway, parkway, park, or place, at any time when the same is open to the free use of persons having and using other pleasure carriages, except upon such driveway, speedway or road as has been or may be expressly set apart by law for the exclusive use of horses and light carriages. But nothing herein shall prevent the passage, enforcement or maintenance of any regulation, ordinance or rule, regulating the use of bicycles or tricycles in highways, public streets, driveways, parks, parkways, and places, or the regulation of the speed of carriages, vehicles or engines, in public parks and upon parkways and driveways in the city of New York, under the exclusive jurisdiction and control of the department of parks and recreation of said city, nor prevent any such authorities in any other city from regulating the speed of any vehicles herein described in such manner as to limit and determine the proper rate of speed with which such vehicle may be propelled nor in such manner as to require, direct or prohibit the use of bells, lamps and other appurtenances nor to prohibit the use of any vehicle upon that part of the highway, street, park, or parkway, commonly known as the footpath or sidewalk. No regulation, ordinance or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07863-01-7
A. 7620 2
rule regulating the use of bicycles, tricycles or runners may deny any organized bicycle or running events, or any organized events that combine bicycle and running from any highway, public street, park, parkway, driveway or place unless said authority can demonstrate an unreasonable hardship to its infrastructure or its residents. Further, no such regulation, ordinance or rule shall impose an unreasonable fee for such use of any highway, public street, park, parkway, driveway or place. The burden of proving that any such fee is reasonable shall be on the pertinent authorities.
§ 2. Section 1640 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new subdivision (f) to read as follows:
(f) No legislative body of a city or village shall enact any law or regulation that prohibits the use of its roads to bicycles or runners engaged in organized events that combine bicycle and running, from any highway, public street, park, parkway, driveway or place unless said city or village can demonstrate an unreasonable hardship to its infrastructure or its residents. Further, no city of village shall impose an unreasonable fee for such use of its roads. The burden of proving that any such fee is reasonable shall be on the city or village.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.