NYC Administrative Code

§ 19-177 — Speed Limits; posting of signs; neighborhood slow zones; speed limits near schools.

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What is NYC AC § 19-177?

Quick Answer

This section establishes the official speed limit for vehicles in New York City as twenty-five miles per hour, with provisions for lower limits in designated slow zones and near schools. The commissioner is responsible for posting speed limit signs and creating neighborhood slow zones to enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Applies to vehicle operators and city traffic management.

General informational summary. Not legal advice for your situation. Consult an attorney before acting on any specific matter.

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§ 19-177 Speed Limits; posting of signs; neighborhood slow zones; speed limits near schools.

AC § 19-177

a. Subject to the provisions of paragraph twenty-six of subdivision (a) of section sixteen hundred forty-two of the vehicle and traffic law, the official speed limit for a vehicle in the city of new York shall be twenty-five miles per hour except where an official sign indicates that a different speed limit is in effect. b. No person shall drive a vehicle on any street in excess of the speed limit in effect for that street. c. The commissioner shall post a sign at each exit within the city of New York of each bridge and tunnel having only one terminus in the city of New York that states the official speed limit within the city as provided in subdivision a of this section. d. The commissioner shall establish neighborhood slow zones in which speed limits of twenty miles per hour apply on or along designated highways for the purpose of implementing traffic calming measures. The commissioner shall establish not less than seven neighborhood slow zones, which shall contain not less than five blocks per zone, annually in the years 2014 and 2015. For purposes of this subdivision, "traffic calming measures" shall mean any physical engineering measure or measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior and improve conditions for non-motorized street users such as pedestrians and bicyclists. e.

(1)Except as provided in paragraph two of this subdivision, the commissioner shall establish speed limits of not less than fifteen nor more than twenty miles per hour at fifty school locations annually, for a distance not to exceed one thousand three hundred twenty feet, on highways passing any school building, entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway. For purposes of this subdivision, the term "school" shall have the same meaning as in section 19-189 of this title.

(2)Should the commissioner determine that such speed limits will be established at fewer than fifty school locations within a year, the commissioner shall inform the mayor and the speaker of the council in writing of such determination and the reason therefore.

(3)After evaluating every school in the city for the establishment of such speed limits, the commissioner may determine not to establish any further such speed limits and shall inform the mayor and the speaker of the council in writing and shall continue to evaluate the need to establish such speed limits after such notice is given. f. Commencing on or before February 1, 2015, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall provide to the mayor and speaker of the council, and shall post on the department's website, a list of all locations established pursuant to subdivision e of this section. (Am. L.L. 2023/069, 5/29/2023, eff. 6/28/2023)

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