What's happening
This bill requires that complete street design features be considered during resurfacing, maintenance, and pavement recycling of public roads.
Why it matters
Expands the scope of "complete streets". The bill mandates that features benefiting all road users—like safer sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit access—must be considered not only in large construction or reconstruction projects, but also during routine resurfacing, maintenance, and pavement recycling. This could lead to more frequent and incremental improvements, rather than waiting for major overhauls.
Increases opportunities for safer, more inclusive roads. By including routine maintenance work, the legislation creates more touchpoints for implementing safety and accessibility upgrades for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit riders—groups often left out of traditional road projects.
Potentially accelerates progress on transportation equity and climate goals. Regularly factoring in complete street designs can improve access for vulnerable users, support healthier and more sustainable transportation options, and help communities more quickly adapt their infrastructure to modern needs.
May require changes in budgeting and planning. Agencies and municipalities would need to plan for the possibility of added costs, design work, and coordination each time roads are resurfaced or maintained, potentially changing how local and state budgets and schedules are set.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Safer Streets for Everyone
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6029
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 26, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. RYAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the highway law, in relation to enabling safe access to public roads for all users by utilizing complete street design principles
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 331 of the highway law, as added by chapter 398 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
(a) For all state, county and local transportation projects that are undertaken by the department or receive both federal and state funding and are subject to department of transportation oversight, the department or agency with jurisdiction over such projects shall consider the convenient access and mobility on the road network by all users of all ages, including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transportation users through the use of complete street design features in the planning, design, construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation, [but not including resurfacing, maintenance, or pavement recycling of such projects] resurfacing, maintenance and pavement recycling.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02108-01-9
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.