What's happening
This bill exempts certain commercial vehicles performing critical service work from state highway and parkway restrictions if they meet specific conditions.
Why it matters
Supports rapid utility and communications repairs. By allowing essential service vehicles (like those for electric, gas, cable, and telecom companies) access to restricted highways and parkways, the bill ensures that critical infrastructure can be restored or maintained more quickly during outages or emergencies.
Limits exemption to specific conditions. Only vehicles under 10,000 pounds, displaying proper lighting and identification, and carrying a valid work order are exempt—balancing the need for access with continued roadway safety and oversight.
Clarifies what counts as ‘critical service’. The bill provides a clear definition of “critical service business” and includes both travel to and from a job site, reducing ambiguity for law enforcement and service providers.
Preserves emergency powers. The legislation explicitly states that the governor retains the authority to waive all restrictions during a declared state of emergency, ensuring broader flexibility in disaster scenarios.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Critical Service Trucks
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 40
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to transportation
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to transportation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 63–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1362
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
284
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sens. MURPHY, GRIFFO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to exceptions from prohibitions on the operation of commercial vehicles on certain state highways and parkways
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraphs 9 and 22 of subdivision (a) of section 1621 of the vehicle and traffic law, paragraph 9 as amended and paragraph 22 as added by chapter 1008 of the laws of 1983, are amended to read as follows:
9. Exclude trucks, commercial vehicles, tractors, tractor-trailer combinations, tractor-semitrailer combinations, or tractor-trailer-semitrailer combinations from highways specified by the commissioner. Such exclusion shall not be construed to prevent the delivery or pickup of merchandise or other property along the highways from which such vehicles and combinations are otherwise excluded, nor shall such exclusion apply to certain commercial vehicles directly engaged in the performance of a critical service business and subject to a valid work order.
22. Exclude trucks, commercial vehicles, tractors, tractor-trailer combinations, tractor-semitrailer combinations, or tractor-trailer-semitrailer combinations in excess of any designated weight, designated length, designated height, or eight feet in width, from highways or set limits on hours of operation of such vehicles on particular state highways or segments of such highways. Such exclusion shall not be construed to prevent the delivery or pickup of merchandise or other property along the highways from which such vehicles or combinations are otherwise excluded, nor shall such exclusion apply to certain commercial vehicles directly engaged in the performance of a critical service business and subject to a valid work order.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02340-01-7
S. 284 2
§ 2. Section 1621 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new subdivision (e) to read as follows:
(e) 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in paragraph two of this subdivision, no rule or regulation of the department of transportation or the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation shall exclude from any state highway or parkway a commercial vehicle directly engaged in the performance of a critical service business. For the purposes of this section, "critical service business" shall mean the improvement, repair or maintenance of the property or equipment of an electric corporation, gas corporation, combined electric and gas corporation, cable television company or telecommunications corporation, as those terms are defined in the public service law, a transportation corporation, as defined in the transportation corporation law, or a wireless communication service supplier, as defined in 47 USC § 332(d) as amended from time to time. The term "directly engaged" shall include transit to and from any improvement, repair or maintenance subject to a valid work order.
2. No commercial vehicle shall be subject to an exclusion as set forth in paragraph one of this subdivision unless the operation of such vehicle on a state highway or parkway meets the following terms and conditions:
(i) the vehicle is registered or leased to a valid critical service business;
(ii) the operator has in his or her possession a valid work order to conduct a critical business service;
(iii) the vehicle weighs less than ten thousand pounds;
(iv) the vehicle meets the height restrictions for any such highway or parkway;
(v) the vehicle is operating with all external running lights on and an amber revolving light located on the roof of the vehicle is engaged; and
(vi) the vehicle is subject to an approved certificate of insurance.
3. Nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to impair the ability of the governor to waive all restrictions for operation on a state highway pursuant to a declared state of emergency.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to exceptions from prohibitions on the operation of commercial vehicles on certain state highways and parkways
Purpose
To provide for limited access to the State's parkway system by light duty commercial vehicles engaged in the direct performance of a critical service business, such as electric/gas utility, telecommunication or wireless infrastructure.
Summary of provisions
This bill amends § 1621 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law to authorize limited access to the State's parkways by light duty commercial vehicles engaged directly in the performance of critical service business, i.e., improvement, repairs and maintenance of equipment or property of an electric corporation, gas corporation, combined electric and gas corporation, cable television company, telecommunication corporation, transportation corporation, or wireless communication service supplier.
Read the full memo (615 words)
Such access will only be allowed when:
*the vehicle is registered or leased to a critical service business; *the operator has in his or her possession a valid work order; *the vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 10,000 lbs.; *the vehicle meets the height restrictions for any such parkway; *the vehicle is operating with all external running lights on and an amber revolving light located on the roof of the vehicle is engaged; and *the vehicle is subject to an approved certificate of insurance.
Justification
The State's parkway system is comprised of a series of four-lane roads that were originally created to provide for a scenic route into and out of New York City. The first part of the system dates back to 1908. While many of these parkways were originally constructed by regional agencies, the vast majority are now overseen by State DOT.
Today, the parkways are functionally equivalent to freeways and expressways, but with a few nuances that distinguish them. For example, many do not have shoulders, creating a sense that the lanes are narrower; and they often meander on a less direct, but more scenic route with generally more curves than a modern expressway. Most importantly, these parkways were designed with low, often decorative overpasses that, by their very nature, excluded trucks, tractor trailers and large commercial vehicles. As a result, NYSDOT has, by regulation, banned commercial traffic from the parkways over which it has jurisdiction.
However, as transportation patterns and consumer tastes have evolved over the past 100 years, the traditional passenger car has given way to pick-up trucks and SUVs registered for passenger use, creating something of an anomaly. Identical vehicles with commercial plates continue to be prohibited-while their passenger-plated counterparts continue to have unfettered access to the parkways. Thus, while the case for keeping trucks off of the parkways continues to constitute an engineering necessity, the absolute ban on light-duty "commercial vehicles" does not. The real world impact of this regulation has been to force light duty vehicles, seeking to reach critical infrastructure for repairs or maintenance, on to local roads, adding hours of unnecessary travel time, slowing repairs, and, in some cases, threatening public safety. This is not only inefficient, but can be dangerous if the maintenance or repairs are of an urgent nature.
This measure addresses these issues by providing very limited exceptions to the commercial ban by allowing those vehicles, the weight and dimensions of which would allow them to be registered as passenger vehicles, and which are performing an essential function pursuant to a work order, to access the parkway system. The requirements for access are of such a nature as to provide for easy and adequate enforcement of the provisions.
Legislative history
2015-2016: S.5757B - Passed Senate
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.