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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1984 Legislation Town Hall, 53095 Main Road P.O. Box 728 �. ,;JA Southold, New York 11971 JUDITH T.TERRY `~ 6 TELEPHONE TOWN CLERK (516)7654801 REGISTRAR OP VITAL STATISTICS OFFICE OF THE TOWN CLERK TOWN OF SOUTHOLD January 20,. 1984 A. Barton Cass, P.E. Commissioner Department of Public Works County of Suffolk Yaphank Avenue _ Yaphank, -New York 11980 Dear Mr. Cass: • In response to your letter of January 6, 1984 relative to proposed 1984 legislation which will provide Suffolk County with full traffic control responsibility and authority on county-maintained roads, the Southold Town Board at their regular meeting held on January 17, 1984 adopted the follow- ing resolution: RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Southold hereby goes on record as supporting proposed legislation to amend the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 1645, 1654 and 1653 to assign to Suffolk County. those traffic control responsibilities on County roads which are currently under the jurisdiction of the Towns and Villages, excluding the Towns of Islip, Huntington, Brookhaven and Smithtown outside of the villages therein, whereby Suffolk County. would assume the responsibility for the maintenan�ce and electrical energy costs on all traffic control signals on County roads currently maintained and paid for by the Town and on all future signal installations on- County roads, and be responsible for, and pay the costs associated with the installation; maintenance and replacement of all traffic signs on County roads, with the exception of street name signs.. The Southold Town Board believes this proposed legislation would provide more effectively for the safe and orderly movement of traffic on County roads within the Town of Southold. Very truly yours, Judith T. Terry Southold Town Clerk y F � Town Hall, 53095 Main Road r� � syr P.O. Box 728 Southold, New York 11971 JUDITIi T.TERRY "tS'r'` TELEPHONE TOWN CLERK `^L= ` (516)765-1801 REGISTRAR OF VITAL STATISTICS OFFICE OF THE TOWN CLERK TOWN OF SOUTHOLD January 20, 1984 Honorable Joseph Sawicki, Jr. New York State Assemblyman Room 921 Legislative Office Building Albany, New York 12248 Dear Joe: The Southold Town Board at a regular meeting held-on January 17, 1984 adopted the following resolution in response to a letter from Suffolk County .Department of Public Works Commissioner A. Barton Cass relative to proposed 1984 legislation which will 'provide Suffolk County with full traffic control responsibility and authority on county-maintained roads: RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Southold hereby goes on record as supporting proposed legislation to amend the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 1645, 1654 and 1653 to assign to Suffolk County those traffic control responsibilities on County roads which are currently.under the jurisdiction of the Towns and Villages, excluding the Towns of Islip, Huntington, Brookhaven and Smithtown outside of the villages therein, whereby Suffolk County would assume the responsibility for the maintenance and electrical energy costs on all traffic control signals on County. roads''currently maintained and paid for by the Town and on all future signal installations on County roads, and be- responsible for, and pay the costs associated with the installation, .maintenance and..replacement:of all traffic signs. on•�-County:.roadsi<;wi.th-:the-: exception of street name..signs.,:_The Southold _Town .Board. believes this proposed legislation would. provide more effectively for the safe and orderly movement of traffic on County-roads within .the Town -- of Southold. I.IIC iL),-Vf) . Very truly yours, v Judith T. Terry Southold Town Clerk -'w ii 1� ` rl•,.,�.Rey'; rt:c, J „( — .,,� Town Hall, 53095 Main Road P.O. Box 728 Southold, New York 11971 JUDITH T.TERRY TELEPHONE TOWN CLERK "'" (516)765-1801 REGISTRAR 01:VITAL STATISTICS OFFICE OF THE TOWN CLERK TOWN OF SOUTHOLD Janaury 20, 1984 Honorable Kenneth P. LaValle New York State Senator Room 805 ' Legislative Office Building Albany,' New York 12247 Dear Senator LaValle: The Southold Town Board at a regular meeting held on January 17, 1984 adopted the following resolution in response to a letter--from Suffolk-'County Department of Public Works Commissioner A. Barton Cass relative to proposed 1984 legislation which will provide Suffolk County with full' traffic control responsibility and authority on county-maintained roads: RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Southold hereby goes on record as supporting proposed legislation to amend th"e' New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 1645, 1654 and 1653 to assign to Suffolk County those traffic control responsibilities on County roads which are currently under the jurisdiction of the Towns and. Villages, excluding the Towns of Islip, Huntington, Brookhaven and Smithtown outside of the villages therein, whereby Suffolk County would assume the responsibility for the. maintenance and electrical energy costs on all traffic control signals on County - roads currently maintained and paid for by the Town and on -all future signal installations on County roads, and be responsible for, and pay the costs associated with the installation; maintenance and replacement of all traffic signs on County -roads, with the - exception of* street nam-e'-�signs-: The 'Soi7thold Town- Board believes this proposed legislation would provide more effectively for the -sa=fe and orderly movement of traffic on County ,roads-within the Town of Southold. Very truly yours, y Judith T. Terry Southold Town Clerk COUNTY OF SUFFOLK JAI PETER F.COHALAN SUFFOLK COUNTY EXECUTIVE A.BARTON CASS,P.E.COMMISSIONER ROBERT E.WEBBER,P.E.DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS CHIEF DEPUTY COMMISSIONER DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS January 6, 1984 Honorable Francis J. Murphy Southold Town Hall 53095 Main Road Southold, New York 11971 . Dear Supervisor Murphy: Enclosed please find a copy of a bill which will be introduced in the. State Legislature during 1984. = __ The proposed legislation will provide Suffolk County with full traffic control responsibility and authority on county-maintained •roads. The dual Town/County jurisdiction for traffic control which presently exists under the Vehicle and Traffic Law on County roads will be eliminated under this legislation. With financial resources for public purposes becoming increasingly limited, we believe this consolidation of traffic control responsibility oil County- maintained roads will enable the County to optimize its capital investment in roadway and traffic safety improvements. Under the proposed legislation Suffolk County will assume the responsibil- ity for the maintenance and electrical energy costs on all traffic control signals. on County roads currently .main.tained and paid -for by ,the Town and on all future signal installations on County roads. In addition, the County will also be responsible for and pay the costs associated with the installation, maintenance and replacement of all traffic signs on County roads. (Street- name *signs, however, would remain a Town function.) We believe this legislation will enable Suffolk County to provide more effectively for the safe and orderly movement of traffic on County roads in the Town of Southold. ' vF Ii11, ? z.A DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS D YAPHANK AVENUE YAPHANK,N.Y.1 1980 File (51 6)924-4300 Supervisor Murphy -2- January 6, 1984 Your support in assisting Suffolk County in passing this legislation is respectfully requested. If the Town is in agreement with or has no objec- tion to this proposal, I would appreciate your providing me with an appro- priate letter of support. If there are any questions concerning this proposal, please feel free to call my office. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Very truly yours, �• ep A. Barton Cass Commissioner ABC:RAS:dpm Enc. �� REGULATION OF TRAFFIC ON COUNTY ROADS IN SUFFOLK SUMMARY OF PROBLEM: Although, the County of Suffolk maintains 400 miles of roads and invests millions of dollars annually in improving these, roads - to adequate engineering standards the County does not have total authority for traffic control on its* roads. The safety and efficiency' of traffic flow on County roads depends significantly on such traffic control features as traffic signals, parking, and turning restrictions. Yet,, these are traffic control responsibilities which are currently under the jurisdiction of the Towns. In many cases, C.ounty roadway improvement projects are designed and constructed without any assurance that the traffic control features , which will optimize safety will be incorporated into the completed project. From a traffic engineering and safety perspective, the .County should have sole traffic control jurisdiction on County roads. Only by consolidating all authority for traffic control on County roads with the County, can the County's investment in roadway and traffic safety improvement's be optimized. PROPOSAL: Amend the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1645, 1654 and 1653 to assign to Suffolk County those traffic control responsi- bilities on County roads which are currently under the jurisdiction of the Towns and Villages, excluding the Towns of Islip, Huntington, Brookhaven and Smithtown outside of the villages therein. Traffic -control authority . covered by the legislation would include parking restrictions, traffic signal operation, one-way regulation and turn restrictions. JUSTIFICATION: Traffic studies and research at the local, state and national level have consistently demonstrated that the safety and efficiency of traffic flow on a highway are directly related to -two major factors: the geometric features and the traffic control features of the highway. With financial resources for public purposes becoming increasingly more limited, - institutional changes should be considered to optimize the County's invest— ment in its roadway infrastructure. With total authority for traffic control on County roads under County jurisdiction, county highway traffic planning and. programming can be done on a systems basis. This would allow the County to obtain maximum utilization of the existing county road system and more effectively allocate capital expenditures for County roads.. i It is estimated that approximately 2,000 accidents occur annually on the County roads included in this legislation. A 5% accident reduction is believedp..to be a conservative estimate of the traffic• sdfety benefits of the legislation. Based on a 5% accident reduction, and using National Safety Council Accident Cost Estimates,* it is estimated. that. approxi— mately $400,000 in annual accident reduction benefits to the community could .result from this legislation. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 1983-84 — Introduced by Senator LaValle and Assemblyman Wertz. This legislation included the establishment of speed limits by the County. The 1984 bill has removed speed limits. " 1981-82 _ A.4788 (Wertz) held in Transportation Committee. This legislation required County regulation of parades and assemblages. This provision was removed in the 1983 proposal. 1977-78 — A.6330 (Wertz) held in Transportation Committee *See Attached FISCAL IMPACT: The fiscal implications of this legislation result in the County assuming the responsibility for the maintenance and operation of approxi- mately 90 traffic signals and for the installation and maintenance respon- sibilities of approximately 100 regulatory signs annually. These costs are summarized below: Traffic Signals - $90,000/yr. Traffic Signs - $10,000/yr. Annual Cost - $100,000/yr. *1R8l National Safety Council Cost Estimates of Traffic Accidents** $7,200/injury $1 ,020/property damage accident 5% Accident Reduction = 2,000 acc. x .05 = 100 accidents 70 property damage = 70 p.d. acc. x $1 ,020 = $ 71 ,400 30 injury accidents = 45 injury x $7,200 = $324,000 Annual Accident Reduction Benefit = $395,400 **Costs to .the .community include wage losses, medical expenses, insurance administrative costs and.propert.y damage costs. AN . ACT to amend the vehicle and - traffic law, in: relation to the regulation of traffic on county. roads in.""the County of Suffolk .The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows : ' 1 Section 1. Section sixteen hundred forty-five of the vehicle 2 I and traffic law, as separately amended by, chapters seventy-eightI the laws of nineteen hundred and nine hundred thirty-four of I 3 . 4 . sixty; is hereby amended to read as follows : 5 1645 . Application of ' article. This article shall not apply P 6 with respect to state highways- maintained by the state which are ) .. 7 controlled-access highways outside of cities having a population 8 in. excess of one million, nor to highways under the jurisdiction ; 9 of the New York state thruway authority, a regional state 10 . park commission, a county park commission, a parkway authority, .authoritCo a bridge and tunnel authority, or the 11 a bridgey, C ] . EXPLANATION _ Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets is old law to be omitted. 1 county of Suffolk., except that this article shall apply to any . 2 portion of the New -York state thruway that is located within a 3 city having a population in excess of one million. 4 § 2. Section sixteen hundred sixty-four of such law, as i 5 I amended by chapter one hundred ninety-three of the laws of - is hereby amended to read as 6 nineteen hundred seventy-four, y .7 follows : . 8 § 1664 . Application of article. This article shall not apply 9 with respect to state highways maintained by the state which are 10 — controlled access highways , nor to highways -under the jurisdic- 11 I! tion of .the New York state thruway authority,' the office of 12 'I parks and recreation, a county park commission, --a parkway 13 'I authority, -a bridge authority, Cor] . a bridge--and tunnel authority 14 I� or the County of Suffolk outside the towns of Islip, Huntington , ) . 15 •1 Brookhaven , or Smithtown . 16 I! § 3. .Such law is hereby amended by adding thereto a new sec- ' 1� 17 tion, to, be section . sixteen hundred fifty-three, -.to read . as 18 II follows: II19 1653 . Additional traffic regulations on county roads in the 20 II county of Suffolk . In addition to other powers granted by this t s with 21 I article , the Suffolk county superintendent of highway 22 I, respect to county roads in the county of Suffolk; except in the 23 towns of .Islip, Huntington , Brookhaven and Smithtown outside of 24 II villages therein, subject to the .limitations imposed by section 25 �: sixteen hundred - eighty-four may by order, rule "or regulation : 26 I; 1 . .—Re ulate. traffic_by_means_of_.tzaffio_control._.siQnals��—__ ---------I 1 2• IProvide for- the removal and storage of vehicles parked or. 2 abandoned on highways during snowstorms , floods , fires, or other 3 public emergencies , or found unattended where ' they constitute an 4 obstruction to traffic or any place where stopping, standing or 5 parking is prohibited and for the payment of reasonable charges 6 for . such removal and storage by the owner or operator of ,any such 7 vehicle. 8 . 3`;Establish a 'system of truck routes in conjunction with other ! 9-. involved- municipalities, upon, which all .trucks , tractors, and I i 10 . tractor-trailer combinations having a total . gross-.-.weight .in ! 11 ' excess of ten thousand pounds are permitted 'to_.. travel and operate I 12 land excluding such vehicles and combinations from a11. highways 13 Ilexcept those which constitute such truck route system . Such 14 Iexclusion shall not be construed to prevent .the delivery or ; 15pickup of merchandise or other property along the highways from IP i 16 Hwhich such vehicles and combinations are otherwise excluded . Any. 17 ' such system of truck routes shall provide suitable connection 1$ `with all state routes entering, leaving or within such county. . ; 19 I ' Prohibit, restrict or regulate the. operation of vehicles on .. 4..J 20 1 lany controlled-access highway or the use of any '.controlled-access .I 21 - highway .by any vehicle, device moved -by human power or pedestrian . 22 II --=---� � i 5 Prohibit or .regulate the turning o'f vehicles or specified 23 types of vehicles at intersections or other designated locations . ' i � --- f an roadway b edestrians .- 24 6, Regulate the crossing o y y y P 25 7-.-1 Authorize angle parking on any roadway. 26 Designate any highway br any separate roadway thereof for 27 one-way traffic . 28 � .9. � ; Exclude trucks, -commercial vehicles, tractors , tractor- 29 ! - — . trailer combinations and trucks in excess of any. designated IIei ht from designated highways . . 30 ff w g , 31P10. : Prohibit , restrict or limit the stopping , standing or 32 asking of vehicles. 33 11. . Designate safety zones . 34 12 `: Prohibit vehicular- traffic facing a steady red signal from , 35 making a turn in accordance with the provisions of paragraph two i 36 ! of subdivision (d) of section eleven hundred eleven of this i 37 ,, chapter . - I 1 13. IDesignate county roads in villages as through highways and 2 order stop signs , flashing- signals or yield signs erected on. 3 county roads. or village highways at specified entrances to such 4 through highway or designate any intersection of a county road 5; with another county road or with a 'village highway as a stop 6 intersection or yield intersection and order like signs or: 7 signals at one or more, entrances to such intersections . 8 14.�, Adopt such additional reasonable .ordinances,, orders, rules 9 and. regula.tions with respect to traffic as local conditions may 10 . require subject to the limitations contained in the .various laws ' 11 II of this state . 12 _15,] Any traffic control device lawfully installed prior to the _ I 131 effective date of . this act may continue, subject - to the Iimita- I .14I tions . imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty of such law, 15 until replaced or removed by the appropriate local authority as j 16 provided by this act . _ 17 4 . This act shall take effect on the first day of January -18 next succeeding the date on which. it shall have become a law.