A bill signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul will allow the city of Syracuse to install cameras at key intersections to enforce traffic light and school zones speeding violations.
Additionally, the Governor signed legislation which improves the existing “move over” law requiring drivers to exercise due care to avoid vehicles stopped on the roadway, including by changing lanes. The current law has been in place since 2010 and is designed to prevent collisions with emergency vehicles. In the years since, the law has been expanded to cover hazard vehicles and other responder vehicles. However, personal vehicles stopped on the sides of highways remain a safety hazard. Nearly 300 drivers are struck and killed roadside every year, and 37 people were struck and killed outside of a disabled vehicle in New York from 2016-2020. This law expands the existing move over law to cover all vehicles stopped on the road.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority, and traffic safety is no exception,” Governor Hochul said. “The legislation signed today will make streets across our state safer for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and especially for our schoolchildren. Thank you to my partners in the legislature for their work in getting these bills to the finish line – New York is better for it.”
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said, “We’re working toward a Vision Zero future for Syracuse. It’s a global effort to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. That vision includes safe passageways for children and families to school. Implementing red light and speed cameras in school zones is a critical step in that direction. I thank Governor Hochul for signing this legislation and Assemblyman William Magnarelli for his leadership in protecting our young people and for making these safety improvements possible in Syracuse.
