What's happening
This bill allows local school districts and municipalities to set speed limits in school zones instead of the state.
Why it matters
Empowers local decision-making. By allowing school districts and municipalities to set their own school zone speed limits, the bill gives communities more control to address specific safety needs and traffic patterns around their schools.
Potential for increased safety. Local officials, who better understand their roads and school environments, may implement lower speed limits tailored to areas with higher pedestrian activity or accident history, potentially improving child safety.
Creates variation across regions. With speed limits no longer standardized by the state, drivers may encounter different speed limits in school zones from one district to another, requiring increased driver awareness and possibly leading to confusion or enforcement challenges.
Shifts accountability. Responsibility for setting and justifying school zone speed limits shifts from state to local authorities, which could increase responsiveness to community concerns but might also require more resources and expertise at the local level.
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Who cares
Local school districts
The bill would give them responsibility, alongside municipalities, to determine and establish maximum speeds on highways in school zones.
Municipal governments
They would share responsibility with local school districts for setting school-zone speed limits.
New York State Department of Transportation
The bill would add local school district and municipal speed-setting authority to provisions governing speed limits on state-maintained highways and highways on Indian reservations.
Drivers traveling through school zones
They would face speed limits determined by local school districts and municipalities, subject to the existing minimum school speed limit of 15 miles per hour.
Headline styles
Let Locals Set School Speeds
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
8 Co-sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to transportation
- Held for consideration in transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5553
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 13, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. BRABENEC -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing local school districts and municipalities to determine and establish school speed limits
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 1620 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 563 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The department of transportation with respect to state highways maintained by the state outside of cities having a population in excess of one million, and highways on Indian reservations, may by order, rule or regulation establish higher or lower maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed on or along such highways than the fifty-five miles per hour statutory maximum speed limit. No such maximum speed 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. The local school district and municipality within which a school is located shall determine and establish the maximum speed at which vehicles may proceed on a highway located in a school zone. Absence of signs installed pursuant to this section shall be presumptive evidence that the department of transportation has not established a higher maximum speed limit than the fifty-five miles per hour statutory limit.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 1622 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 563 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08065-01-9
A. 5553 2
1. 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. The local school district and municipality within which a school is located shall determine and establish the maximum speed at which vehicles may proceed on a highway located in a school zone.
§ 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.