BILL NUMBER: S6711
SPONSOR: WEBER
 
TITLE OF BILL:
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
 
PURPOSE:
Authorizes local school districts and municipalities to determine and
establish school speed limits.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Subdivision (a) of section 1620 of the Vehicle and Traffic law is
amended as well as Subdivision 1 of section 1622 of the Vehicle and
Traffic law is amended to add that local school district and munici-
palities 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.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
State roads immediately surrounding a school building are especially
dangerous for both drivers and school aged pedestrians and children can
easily become targets for careless drivers. Current state law authorizes
only the NYS Department of Transportation to establish higher or lower
maximum speed limits in school zones with respect to state highways.
Experience shows that any requests by local residents, school districts
and municipalities to reduce speed limits within school zones, takes
years and in many instances there is no action until there is a tragedy.
The bureaucratic process currently in place often goes on for years, and
then, all too often, leads to no speed limit reduction being put in
place. This law must be amended to provide local input and authority to
reduce speed limits within school zones and this is what this bill does.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: A5457 Referred to Transportation
None in Senate
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately

Statutes affected:
S6711: 1620 vehicle and traffic law, 1622 vehicle and traffic law, 1622(1) vehicle and traffic law