Bill Text: NY A08460 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Authorizes the commissioner of transportation to conduct a comprehensive study on designation of private roads on the University at Buffalo North Campus and public roads in the town of Amherst for the purposes of autonomous vehicle technology testing.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-06-03 - print number 8460a [A08460 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A08460-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8460--A 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY July 8, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. McMAHON -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Transportation -- recommitted to the Committee on Transporta- tion in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT authorizing the commissioner of transportation to conduct a comprehensive study on designation of private roads on the University at Buffalo North Campus and public roads in the town of Amherst for the purposes of future autonomous vehicle technology testing The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature finds that automated 2 vehicle technology offers widely anticipated and revolutionary potential 3 for the transportation sector. Among the unprecedented opportunities 4 offered by this technology are inclusive mobility options to benefit 5 disadvantaged, disabled and elderly residents; congestion and emissions 6 mitigation; improved livable land use; and improved road usage. The 7 legislature also recognizes that autonomous vehicle technology is 8 unproven and requires greater testing and the State of New York is a 9 testbed for innovation that balances the safety and needs of its public 10 against the need for technological advancement. 11 The legislature also recognizes that the University at Buffalo has the 12 legal authority to test autonomous vehicle technology on certain roads 13 that have been determined to be private and therefore not under the 14 jurisdiction of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for 15 autonomous vehicle technology testing approval. In addition to testing 16 on these private roads, the University at Buffalo may also test auton- 17 omous vehicle technology in its parking lots, which are defined sepa- 18 rately in the law, and are outside of New York State Department of Motor 19 Vehicles jurisdiction. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD11862-11-0A. 8460--A 2 1 In order to increase the routes available on the University at Buffalo 2 North Campus for future autonomous vehicle technology testing, the 3 legislature recognizes that the New York State Department of Transporta- 4 tion has the knowledge and expertise to review traffic flow on the road- 5 ways within the University at Buffalo North Campus, and to identify 6 roads that could be deemed private without impacting existing traffic 7 conditions in and around the University at Buffalo North Campus. 8 § 2. For the purposes of this act, the term "autonomous vehicle tech- 9 nology" shall mean the hardware and software that are collectively capa- 10 ble of performing part or all of the dynamic driving task on a sustained 11 basis, and the term "dynamic driving task" shall mean all of the real- 12 time operational and tactical functions required to operate a vehicle in 13 on-road traffic, excluding the strategic functions such as trip schedul- 14 ing and selection of destinations and waypoints. 15 § 3. The department of transportation shall undertake a comprehensive 16 study on designation of roads on the University at Buffalo North Campus 17 and in the town of Amherst for the purposes of future autonomous vehicle 18 technology testing. The study shall include: 19 1. The creation of three future testing zones in the town of Amherst, 20 about which the department shall publish regulations relating to future 21 testing and safety: 22 (a) Zone one--Flint Road between Service Center Road and John James 23 Audubon Parkway; John James Audubon Parkway between Flint Road and 24 Service Center Road on the University at Buffalo Campus; 25 (b) Zone two--Flint Road Loop; Augsberger Road between Putnam Way 26 North, and Hadley Road; Putnam Way North between Hadley Road and Augs- 27 berger Road; Hadley Road between Augsberger Road and Putnam Way North; 28 (c) Zone three--John James Audubon Parkway Northbound between Flint 29 Road and Lee Road; John James Audubon Parkway Southbound, between Lee 30 Road and Flint Road; Lee Road between John James Audubon Parkway and 31 White Drive; White Drive between Lee Road and Hamilton Road; and Hamil- 32 ton Road from John James Audubon Parkway to Putnam Road North; 33 2. The installation of smart sensors or other technology deemed neces- 34 sary for the implementation of future autonomous vehicle technology 35 testing; and 36 3. Guidelines for compliance with the insurance requirements for 37 fleets during future testing, in line with current requirements 38 prescribed in the vehicle and traffic law. 39 § 4. At no time shall any testing of autonomous vehicle technology be 40 conducted in the testing zones defined in section three of this act 41 during completion of this study. 42 § 5. As part of the study, the department of transportation shall 43 review the ability of the Erie County sheriff, University at Buffalo 44 campus police, and Town of Amherst police to supervise autonomous vehi- 45 cle technology testing as described in section three of this act. 46 § 6. The department of transportation shall make a report to the 47 governor and the legislature of its findings, conclusions and recommen- 48 dations no later than six months after the effective date of this act 49 and shall promulgate the necessary regulations relating to section three 50 of this act no later than ninety days after delivering its report. 51 § 7. This act shall take effect immediately.
