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A07266 Summary:

BILL NOA07266
 
SAME ASSAME AS S02422-A
 
SPONSORRosenthal L
 
COSPNSRSimone, Simon, Carroll, Seawright, Burdick, Gallagher, Paulin, Gonzalez-Rojas, Dinowitz, Epstein, Glick, Hevesi, Davila, Forrest, Thiele, Fahy, McDonough, Burgos, Sillitti, Jackson, Mitaynes, Mamdani, Kim, Giglio JA, De Los Santos, Cruz, Gallahan, Ardila, Raga, Zaccaro, Anderson, Shimsky, Reyes, Shrestha, Alvarez, Lee, Bores
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd 1642, V & T L
 
Relates to establishing speed limits in cities with populations in excess of one million people by easing restrictions so cities can establish speed limits below twenty miles per hour.
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A07266 Actions:

BILL NOA07266
 
05/16/2023referred to transportation
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A07266 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A7266
 
SPONSOR: Rosenthal L
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing speed limits in cities with populations in excess of one million people   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 of the bill names the act "Sammy's Law." Section 2 of the bill amends section 1642 of the Vehicle & Traffic Law ("Additional traffic regulations in cities having a population in excess of one million") by: - Amending sub-paragraph 26(a) to authorize New York City to set a city- wide speed limit as low as 20 miles per hour. - Amending sub-paragraph 26(b) to require New York City to provide writ- ten notice and an opportunity for public comment before a community, board if the City raises a speed limit by more than 5 miles per hour. This is an expansion of an existing statutory requirement for notice and public comment if the City lowers a speed limit by more than 5 miles per hour. - Amending paragraph 27, authorizing New York City to set speed limits on specific streets as low as 10 MPH using traffic calming measures. Currently, the speed limit can be set as low as 15 MPH using such meas- ures. Section 3 of the bill is the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: In 2014, the Legislature passed a law authorizing New York City to establish a 25 mile per hour speed limit throughout the City, with speed limits as low as 15 miles per hour in school zones and on streets where the City has implemented traffic calming measures to reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and/or improve conditions for non-motorized street users such as pedestrians and bicy- clists. The 2014 law, a key component of New York City's Vision Zero initiative, has helped contribute to a 36% decline in pedestrian deaths at priority locations throughout the City. (1) Giving New York City the authority to reduce speed limits to as low as 20 MPH citywide or as low as 5 MPH with the implementation of traffic calming measures will give the City a flexible tool for making further progress toward the important goal of Vision Zero. According to a study by AAA, an estimated 30% of pedestri- ans struck by motor vehicles at an impact speed of 25 mph will sustain serious injury and about 12% will die. At impact speeds below 15 mph, most pedestrians who are struck (about 91%) do not sustain serious inju- ries, and fewer die. (2) By authorizing citywide speed limits as low as 20 miles per hour, New York City would join other dense American cities such as Washington, DC 3, Seattle, WA 4, and Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN 5. This bill is named in tribute to Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year- old boy who was struck and killed by a vehicle in Prospect Park, Brook- lyn in October 2013.   LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: S.0524-A of 2021-2022 (Hoylimn): Died in Rules A.4655-A of 2021-2022 (Gottfried): Died in Transportation   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately. (1) https://wwwl.nyc.crov/asset.s/visionzero/down Loads/pdVvision-zero-year-6-report.pdf 2 https://aaafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2011 PedestianRi- skVsSpeedReport.pdf 3 https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/spe(lIng-laws-fines-and-safety,4:-: texteSpeeding%20Laws%2011 mph 4 httos://www.seattiorgov/visionzero/rules-of-the-road:-:text7Our%20Laws& text-in%20Seattle%2C%20the%20speedo20limit,25%2OMPH%2C2Ouniess 20otherwis:S2Oposted 5 https://www.visienzero,com/soeedlim
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A07266 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          7266
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      May 16, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, SIMONE, SIMON, CARROLL, SEAWRIGHT,
          BURDICK, GALLAGHER, PAULIN, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, DINOWITZ, EPSTEIN,  GLICK,
          HEVESI,  DAVILA,  FORREST,  THIELE, FAHY, McDONOUGH, BURGOS, SILLITTI,
          JACKSON,  MITAYNES,   MAMDANI,   KIM,   J. A. GIGLIO,   DE LOS SANTOS,
          D. ROSENTHAL,  CRUZ, GALLAHAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Transportation
 
        AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
          speed limits in cities with  populations  in  excess  of  one  million
          people
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as "Sammy's law".
     2    § 2. Paragraphs 26 and 27 of subdivision (a) of section  1642  of  the
     3  vehicle  and  traffic  law,  paragraph  26  as added and paragraph 27 as
     4  amended by chapter 248 of the laws of  2014,  are  amended  to  read  as
     5  follows:
     6    26.  (a) With respect to highways (which term for the purposes of this
     7  paragraph shall include private roads open to public motor vehicle traf-
     8  fic) in such city, other than state highways maintained by the state  on
     9  which  the department of transportation shall have established higher or
    10  lower speed limits than the statutory fifty-five miles  per  hour  speed
    11  limit as provided in section sixteen hundred twenty of this title, or on
    12  which  the  department of transportation shall have designated that such
    13  city shall not establish any maximum speed limit as provided in  section
    14  sixteen  hundred  twenty-four  of this title, subject to the limitations
    15  imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty-four of this title, establish-
    16  ment of maximum speed limits at which vehicles may proceed  within  such
    17  city  or  within  designated areas of such city higher or lower than the
    18  fifty-five miles per hour maximum statutory limit. No such  speed  limit
    19  applicable  throughout such city or within designated areas of such city
    20  shall be established at less than [twenty-five] twenty miles  per  hour,
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02070-03-3

        A. 7266                             2
 
     1  except  that  school  speed  limits  may  be established at no less than
     2  fifteen miles per hour pursuant to the  provisions  of  section  sixteen
     3  hundred forty-three of this article.
     4    (b)  A  city  shall not lower or raise a speed limit by more than five
     5  miles per hour pursuant to this  paragraph  unless  such  city  provides
     6  written  notice  and an opportunity to comment to the community board or
     7  community boards established pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred of
     8  the New York city charter with jurisdiction over the area in  which  the
     9  lower  or higher speed limit shall apply. Such notice may be provided by
    10  electronic mail and shall be provided sixty days prior to the establish-
    11  ment of such lower or higher speed limit.
    12    27. (a) Establishment of  maximum  speed  limits  below  [twenty-five]
    13  twenty  miles  per  hour at which motor vehicles may proceed on or along
    14  designated highways within such city for the explicit purpose of  imple-
    15  menting  traffic  calming  measures  as  such  term  is  defined herein;
    16  provided, however, that no speed limit shall be set below [fifteen]  ten
    17  miles per hour nor shall such speed limit be established where the traf-
    18  fic  calming  measure  to  be  implemented  consists solely of a traffic
    19  control sign.  Establishment of such a speed limit shall, where applica-
    20  ble, be in compliance with the provisions of  sections  sixteen  hundred
    21  twenty-four  and  sixteen  hundred  eighty-four of this [chapter] title.
    22  Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to alter or affect  the  estab-
    23  lishment  of  school  speed limits pursuant to the provisions of section
    24  sixteen hundred forty-three of this article. For the  purposes  of  this
    25  paragraph,  "traffic calming measures" shall mean any physical engineer-
    26  ing measure or measures that reduce the negative effects of motor  vehi-
    27  cle  use, alter driver behavior and improve conditions for non-motorized
    28  street users such as pedestrians and bicyclists.
    29    (b) Any city establishing maximum  speed  limits  below  [twenty-five]
    30  twenty  miles per hour pursuant to clause (i) of this subparagraph shall
    31  submit a report to the governor, the temporary president of  the  senate
    32  and  the  speaker of the assembly on or before March first, two thousand
    33  fifteen and biannually thereafter on the results of using traffic  calm-
    34  ing  measures and speed limits lower than [twenty-five] twenty miles per
    35  hour as authorized by this paragraph. This report  shall  also  be  made
    36  available  to  the public by such city on its website. Such report shall
    37  include, but not be limited to the following:
    38    (i) a description of the designated  highways  where  traffic  calming
    39  measures and a lower speed limit were established [and];
    40    (ii)  a  description of the specific traffic calming measures used and
    41  the maximum speed limit established [and];
    42    (iii) an explanation of the reasons for setting  lower  speed  limits,
    43  how  those lower speed limits comply with engineering standards, and how
    44  they will ensure that motor vehicles can operate at  safe  speeds  in  a
    45  manner that optimizes all road users' safety and convenience; and
    46    (iv) a comparison of the aggregate type, number, and severity of acci-
    47  dents  reported  on  streets  on which street calming measures and lower
    48  speed limits were implemented in the year preceding  the  implementation
    49  of  such measures and policies and the year following the implementation
    50  of such measures and policies, to the extent this information  is  main-
    51  tained by any agency of the state or the city.
    52    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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