BILL NUMBER: S10623
SPONSOR: BYNOE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to establishing
a highway safety corridor on the Southern State Parkway
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to protect the public health, safety, and
welfare and reduce the number of fatal and serious injury collisions on
the Southern State Parkway by designating a highway safety corridor
along a pertion of the parkway located on Long Island between exits 17
and 31
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of this bill amends title 7 of the vehicle and traffic law by
adding a new article 34-e. This reads as follows:
"Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new arti-
cle 34- E to read as follows:
Article 34-E
Southern State Parkway Highway Safety Corridor
Section 1300. Legislative intent.
1301. Definitions.
1302. Southern State Parkway highway safety corridor.
1303. Traffic control signs.
1304. Enhanced traffic enforcement.
1305. Reporting requirements.
§ 1300. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds and declares
that the Southern State Parkway has experienced a significant number of
speeding-related crashes and reckless driving incidents, injuries, and
fatalities, creating substantial risks to motorists and the general
public. The legislature further finds that the New York State Police
have undertaken targeted traffic safety initiatives, including "Opera-
tion Southern Shield," to increase enforcement and reduce dangerous
driving behavior along the Southern State Parkway. The legislature
therefore declares that designating a highway safety corridor along a
portion of the Southern State Parkway, together with enhanced enforce-
ment, traffic safety monitoring, and public notification measures, is
necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
§ 1301. Definitions. As used in this article:
1. "Commissioner" shall mean the Commissioner of the Department of
Transportation.
2. "Southern State Parkway Highway Safety Corridor" shall mean the
portion of the Southern State Parkway between exit seventeen and exit
thirty-one.
3. "Highway Safety Corridor", or "corridor", shall mean a section of a
highway which has a dangerous traffic and accident history necessitating
increased penalties and enhanced enforcement to mitigate future inci-
dents.
§ 1302. Southern State Parkway highway safety corridor. The area of the
Southern State Parkway between exit seventeen and exit thirty-one is
hereby designated a highway safety corridor for the purposes of this
article.
§ 1303. Traffic control signs.
1. The commissioner shall install and maintain signage identifying the
beginning and the end of the Southern State Parkway Highway Safety
Corridor, pursuant to this article.
2. A sign reading "HIGHWAY SAFETY CORRIDOR - FINES DOUBLED" shall be
installed at the beginning of the corridor and after each interchange
along such corridor, pursuant to this article.
3. A sign reading "END HIGHWAY SAFETY CORRIDOR" shall be installed imme-
diately at the end of the corridor.
4. All signage pursuant to this section shall conform to the manual on
traffic control devices maintained pursuant to section one thousand six
hundred eighty of this chapter.
§ 1304. Enhanced traffic enforcement. The superintendent of state
police, in consultation with the commissioner, may provide enhanced
enforcement activities within the Southern State Parkway Highway Safety
Corridor, including enforcement initiatives consistent with the objec-
tives of the state police "Operation Southern Shield" initiative.
§ 1305. Reporting requirements. 1. The commissioner, in consultation
with the superintendent of the state police, shall prepare and publish
an annual report regarding the Southern State Parkway Highway Safety
Corridor. Upon completion, such report shall be made available to rele-
vant stakeholders, including but not limited to the Nassau County Police
Department, local police departments, and local, state, and federal
transportation authorities.
2. Such report shall include, but not be limited to:
a. the number of crashes, including the severity of such crashes occur-
ring within the corridor;
b. the number of injuries and fatalities occurring within the corridor;
c. the number and type of traffic citations issued within the corridor;
d. traffic volume and speed data, where available;
e. enforcement activities conducted within the corridor;
f. general trends observed pertaining to the aforementioned collected
data; and
g. recommendations for roadway safety improvements, where applicable."
Section 2 of this bill amends section 1180 of article 30 of title 7 of
the vehicle and traffic law. This reads as follows:
" § 2. Subdivision (f) of section 1180 of the vehicle and traffic law,
as amended by chapter 432 of the laws of 1997, is amended to read as
follows:
(f) Except as provided in subdivision (g) of this section and except
when a special hazard exists that requires lower speed for compliance
with subdivision (a) or (e) of this section or when a lower maximum
speed limit has been established, no person shall drive a vehicle
through a highway construction area or maintenance work area at a speed
in excess of the posted work area speed limit or through a highway safe-
ty corridor in excess of the posted highway safety corridor speed limit.
The agency having jurisdiction over the affected street or highway may
establish work area or highway safety corridor speed limits which are
less than the normally posted speed limits; provided, however, that such
normally posted speed limit may exceed the work area or highway safety
corridor speed limit by no more than twenty miles per hour; and provided
further that no such work area or highway safety corridor speed limit
may be established at less than twenty-five miles per hour."
Section 3 of this bill amends section 1809-d of article 45 of title 9 of
the vehicle and traffic law. This reads as follows: "§ 3. Subdivision 1
of section 1809-d of the vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter
223 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, whenever proceedings in
an administrative tribunal or court result in a finding of liability or
conviction for a violation of paragraph two of subdivision (d) or subdi-
vision (f) of section eleven hundred eighty or article thirty-four-E of
this chapter or any other statute, local law, ordinance or rule involv-
ing the maximum speed limits in highway construction areas, maintenance
work areas, or highway safety corridors, there shall be levied a manda-
tory surcharge in addition to any other sentence, fine or penalty other-
wise permitted or required, in the amount of fifty dollars. Such
surcharge shall not be deemed a monetary penalty for the purposes of
section two hundred thirty-seven of this chapter or section 19-203 of
the administrative code of the city of New York."
Section 4 of this bill provides the effective date. This reads as
follows: "§ 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it
shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
completed on or before such date."
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Southern State Parkway, located on Long Island, is known for a
significant number of speeding-related crashes, as well as reckless
driving incidents, injuries, and fatalities, creating substantial risks
to motorists and the public. Specifically, a ten-mile stretch of the
parkway between exits 17 and 31, dubbed "Blood Alley," is known for its
high number of vehicular accidents, aggressive driving, and dangerous
highway design.
To increase enforcement and reduce dangerous driving behavior along the
Southern State Parkway, the New York State Police have undertaken
targeted traffic safety initiatives including "Operation Southern
Shield." This bill would build upon this initiative by designating a
highway safety corridor along a portion of the parkway located on Long
Island between exits 17 and 31.
Highway safety corridors are special segments of highways which have
dangerous traffic and accident history necessitating increased penalties
and enhanced enforcement to mitigate future incidents. These corridors
are identified by special signs alerting drivers when they enter and
leave the corridors and of increased fines for speed violations. In
addition to signs, there are increased highway patrols and other
enforcement measures.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Legislation
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
on or before such date.

Statutes affected:
S10623: 1180 vehicle and traffic law, 1809-d vehicle and traffic law, 1809-d(1) vehicle and traffic law