What's happening
This bill allows certain town boards in New York to set speed limits on local roads without state approval, with engineering oversight.
Why it matters
Empowers smaller, non-suburban town boards. (excluding towns over 50,000 people or suburban towns) to set speed limits on local roads without needing approval from the state's Department of Transportation, increasing local control over traffic safety.
Limits this new authority to roads classified as "local". under federal guidelines, meaning higher-traffic or more significant roads still require state oversight, ensuring that only neighborhood-type roads are affected.
Requires speed limit decisions to be backed by engineering expertise. specifically, a licensed professional engineer specializing in traffic operations must certify that proposed speed limits meet established safety standards, helping to prevent arbitrary or unsafe changes.
Maintains the state’s ability to set speed limits. if the local board hasn’t already acted, ensuring a backup process and continuity in speed regulation where local boards choose not to exercise this new power.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Let Towns Set Speed Limits
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 45
History
- Referred to transportation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.415
- Referred to transportation
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to transportation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 59–0
Show 4 earlier actions
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.214
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Let Towns Set Speed Limits
In Assembly Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Billy Jones
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
389
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sens. LITTLE, AKSHAR, LARKIN, RITCHIE, SEWARD -- 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 establishing speed limits in towns
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 420 of the laws of 1968, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 563 of the laws of 2002, subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 83 of the laws of 1969, is amended to read as follows:
§ 1622. Speed limits on county roads and town highways. 1. The department of transportation upon the request of the county superintendent of highways of a county and the town board of the town or towns affected with respect to county roads and town highways in such town or towns outside of cities or villages, may by order, rule or regulation:
[1.] (a) Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or along such highways higher or lower than the fifty-five miles per hour statutory maximum speed limit. No such limit shall be established at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway.
[2.] (b) Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or along all such highways lying within an area or areas as designated by a description of the boundaries of such area or areas submitted by the county superintendent of highways of a county and the town board of the town or towns affected lower than fifty-five miles per hour stat-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00286-01-7
S. 389 2
utory maximum speed limit. No such limit shall be established at less than thirty miles per hour.
2. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this section, in lieu of making a request of the department of transportation pursuant to such subdivision, the town board of any town, exclusive of suburban towns and towns having a population exceeding fifty thousand, with respect to town highways which have been functionally classified by the department of transportation as local roads on official functional classification maps approved by the federal highway administration pursuant to part 470.105 of title 23 of the code of federal regulations, as amended from time to time, and which are outside of cities and villages, may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regulation:
(i) Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or along such highways lower than the fifty-five miles per hour statutory maximum speed limit. No such limit shall be established at less than twenty-five miles per hour, except that school speed limits may be established at not less than fifteen miles per hour, for a distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on a highway passing a school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway.
(ii) Establish maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or along all such highways lying within an area or areas lower than the fifty-five miles per hour statutory maximum speed limit. No such limit shall be established at less than thirty miles per hour.
(b) No such speed limits shall be established except in accordance with the engineering considerations and factors for speed limits set forth in the New York state manual and specifications for a uniform system of traffic control devices as such manual and specifications may be amended from time to time, certified by a licensed professional engineer who specializes in traffic operations.
(c) For the purposes of this section, the term "New York state manual and specifications for a uniform system of traffic control devices" shall mean the national manual of uniform traffic control devices promulgated by the federal highway administration pursuant to subpart (f) of part 655 of title 23 of the code of federal regulations and the New York state supplement adopted by the commissioner of transportation pursuant to section sixteen hundred eighty of this title, and the term "town highways" shall have the same meaning as such term is defined by subdivision five of section three of the highway law.
(d) Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be deemed to alter the authority of the department of transportation to establish maximum speed limits at the request of a town board with respect to all town highways within such town outside of cities and villages pursuant to subdivision one of this section, provided that no maximum speed limits have been established by such town board pursuant to this subdivision on any town highway functionally classified as a local road within such town.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the department of transportation is authorized and directed to promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date.
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 establishing speed limits in towns
Purpose
To permit towns to set speed limits on all local roads under their jurisdiction.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 This bill would amend section 1622 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law to authorize towns to establish maximum speed limits on all town highways that are functionally classified as "local roads," within limits and standards set forth in the bill. The bill would require towns electing to set maximum speed limits to do so on all local roads under their jurisdiction in accordance with engineering specifications and other factors applicable to speed limits, set forth in the New York State manual and specifications for a uniform system of traffic control devices, certified by a licensed professional engineer specializing in traffic operations. For towns which do not opt to set speed limits, the bill would retain the State Department of Transportation's jurisdiction to set maximum speed limits on all such roads, at the request of the applicable town board.
Section 2 Contains the effective date
Existing law
Under Current law, towns with 50,000 in population (approximately 24 towns), suburban class towns (approximately 56 towns), and all cities and villages (without regard to population) are authorized to set speed limits within their jurisdiction.
Justification
This legislation will allow the remaining towns (approximately 852 towns), who are currently prohibited from addressing speed limit issues in their jurisdiction without petitioning the State Department of Transportation, to set speed limits within their jurisdiction. Petitioning the Department of transportation is a long arduous process and often results with a denial.
This arbitrary distinction does not make sense. Many of the villages that are setting their own speed limits are smaller in population then the towns that seek comparable authority to set their own speed limits. And, as the population of many towns increases, the need to address road safety through speed limits in a timely fashion also increases. This bill would remedy the inequitable situation and allow town governments to set speed limits in order to ensure public safety.
Legislative history
2015-16: S.1216 Passed Senate; Referred to Transportation 2013/14: S. 1356 Passed Senate; A. 6089 Referred to Transportation 2010: S. 293 Advanced to third reading; A. 11086 Transportation 2009: S. 293 Referred to Transportation; A. 11086 Transportation 2008: S. 1137-A 3rd Reading; A. 6260-A Transportation 2007: S. 1137 Passed Senate; A. 6260 Codes 2006: S. 723-A Transportation; A. 2822-A Codes 2005: S. 723 Rules; A. 2822 Transportation 2003/04: S. 3931 Rules
Fiscal implications
None
Local fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the department of transportation is authorized and directed to promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.