State Legislature

For the second year in a row, a bill to bring an end to NYPD’s self-imposed ban on penalizing motorists for careless driving has passed the State Senate, but apparently won't clear the Assembly.

Families of traffic violence victims gathered with advocates and elected officials this morning to ask State Senate leadership to lower New York City's default speed limit from 30 to 25 mph. The families are hoping key Senate leaders will introduce and pass a companion to the 25 mph Assembly bill sponsored by Speaker Sheldon Silver before this year's legislative session closes out in just over a week.

Yesterday, five members of Families for Safe Streets were joined by Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg in Albany to build support for a bill to lower the city's default speed limit to 25 mph. Advocates say Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is set to sign on as a sponsor, while City Hall and advocates continue to aim for support in the State Senate, potentially from Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein.

With Mayor de Blasio, the City Council, and families of traffic violence victims lining up behind lowering the city's default speed limit from 30 to 25 mph, Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell and State Senator Martin Malave Dilan said this afternoon that they are amending their speed limit bills. Instead of establishing a 20 mph default speed limit and requiring the City Council to pass laws to designate exceptions, the bills will now drop the default to 25 mph and allow DOT to lower the speed limit to 20 mph on a case-by-case basis.

State bills to set the default speed limit in NYC at 20 miles per hour picked up several cosponsors Tuesday, including a Senate Republican, but key Senate leaders have not signed on.

New Yorkers who have lost loved ones to traffic violence are in Albany today to demand that lawmakers pass legislation to lower NYC's default speed limit to 20 miles per hour.

Two days after the Assembly passed legislation to expand the number of speed cameras in New York City from 20 to 140, the Senate followed suit this afternoon in a 49-11 vote. Since Governor Cuomo has signaled support for the bill, it is almost certainly bound to become law. The main question is whether a superfluous amendment from Senator Marty Golden will make it into the final version.

Dana Rubinstein at Capital New York reports that State Senator Marty Golden has again emerged as an obstacle to NYC speed cameras.

The Assembly yesterday passed legislation that would expand NYC's speed camera program by 120 cameras, bringing the total to 140. The bill, which also allows speed cameras in Nassau and Suffolk counties, was referred to the Senate rules committee this morning, bypassing the transportation committee. Rules is the last stop before a bill moves to the floor for a vote.