Bill Text: NY S08329 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the passing of stopped school buses on divided highways; provides that vehicles traveling in the opposite direction of a school bus on such highway shall not have to stop if a physical barrier is present between the different directions of travel.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-18 - REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION [S08329 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08329-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8329

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 18, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  RHOADS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

        AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the  passing
          of  stopped  school  buses on divided highways with four or more lanes
          and the location of school bus stops on divided highways with four  or
          more lanes

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivisions (a) and (b) of section 1174 of the vehicle and
     2  traffic law, as amended by chapter 597 of the laws of 1990, are  amended
     3  to read as follows:
     4    (a)  The  driver of a vehicle upon a public highway, street or private
     5  road upon meeting or overtaking from either  direction  any  school  bus
     6  marked  and  equipped as provided in subdivision twenty of section three
     7  hundred seventy-five of this chapter which has  stopped  on  the  public
     8  highway,  street  or  private  road  for  the  purpose  of  receiving or
     9  discharging any passengers, or which has stopped because a school bus in
    10  front of it has stopped to receive or discharge  any  passengers,  shall
    11  stop the vehicle before reaching such school bus when there is in opera-
    12  tion  on said school bus a red visual signal as specified in subdivision
    13  twenty of section three hundred seventy-five of this  chapter  and  said
    14  driver  shall not proceed until such school bus resumes motion, or until
    15  signaled by the driver or a police officer to proceed; provided,  howev-
    16  er,  the  requirements of this subdivision shall not apply to the driver
    17  of a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction of a school  bus  on  a
    18  divided highway which, for purposes of this section, shall be defined as
    19  a road with four or more lanes where there is a physical barrier between
    20  different directions of travel. For the purposes of this section, and in
    21  addition  to  the  provisions of section one hundred thirty-four of this
    22  chapter, the term "public highway" shall mean  any  area  used  for  the
    23  parking  of  motor vehicles or used as a driveway located on the grounds
    24  of a school or of a board of cooperative educational  services  facility
    25  or  any area used as a means of access to and egress from such school or
    26  facility.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11994-03-4
        S. 8329                             2

     1    (b) [The] Except on a divided highway as defined in subdivision (a) of
     2  this section, the driver of such school bus, when receiving or discharg-
     3  ing passengers who must cross a public highway, street or private  road,
     4  shall  instruct  such  passengers  to  cross in front of the bus and the
     5  driver  thereof shall keep such school bus halted with red signal lights
     6  flashing until such passengers have reached the opposite  side  of  such
     7  highway,  street  or  private road. Whether such passengers are crossing
     8  such highway, street or private road or discharging to the same side  of
     9  such  highway, street or private road, the driver of such bus shall keep
    10  such school bus halted  with  red  signal  lights  flashing  until  such
    11  passengers  are  at  least  fifteen feet from the bus and either off the
    12  highway, street or private road or on a sidewalk.
    13    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.