2010 New York Code
VAT - Vehicle & Traffic
Title 8 - RESPECTIVE POWERS OF STATE AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Article 41 - (1660 - 1664) REGULATION OF TRAFFIC BY TOWNS
1660 - Traffic regulation in all towns.

§ 1660. Traffic  regulation  in  all  towns. (a) The town board of any
  town with respect to highways outside of villages in any such town,  but
  not including state highways maintained by the state except with respect
  to  subdivisions  six,  eight,  nine and ten, subject to the limitations
  imposed by section sixteen hundred eighty-four may by ordinance,  order,
  rule or regulation:
    1.  Designate  county  roads and town highways as through highways and
  order stop signs, flashing signals or  yield  signs  erected  on  county
  roads  or  town highways at specified entrances to such through highways
  or designate any intersection except those where one  or  more  entering
  highways  is  a  state  highway  maintained  by  the  state  as  a  stop
  intersection or a yield intersection and order like signs or signals  at
  one or more entrances to such intersections.
    2.  Upon  a  roadway  which  is divided into three lanes, allocate the
  center lane exclusively for traffic moving in a specified direction.
    3. Order signs erected directing slow-moving traffic, trucks, buses or
  specified types of vehicles to use a designated  lane,  or  with  signs,
  signals  or  markings designate those lanes to be used by traffic moving
  in a particular direction regardless of the center of the roadway.
    4. Determine those highways or portions of  highways  which  shall  be
  marked  to  indicate where overtaking and passing or driving to the left
  of or crossing such markings would be especially hazardous in accordance
  with the standards, minimum warrants and sign or marking  specifications
  established by the department of transportation.
    5. Regulate traffic by means of traffic-control signals.
    6.   (i)   License,   regulate  or  prohibit  speed  contests,  races,
  exhibitions of speed, processions,  assemblages,  or  parades.  Whenever
  such  a speed contest, race, exhibition of speed, procession, assemblage
  or parade authorized by a local authority will  block  the  movement  of
  traffic  on  a  state  highway  maintained by the state, or on a highway
  which connects two state highways maintained by  the  state  to  make  a
  through  route,  for  a  period in excess of ten minutes, such authority
  must, prior to such blocking, provide  and  designate  with  conspicuous
  signs a detour adequate to prevent unreasonable delay in the movement of
  traffic on said state highway maintained by the state.
    (ii)  Prohibit  vehicles engaged in retail sales of frozen desserts as
  that term is  defined  in  subdivision  thirty-seven  of  section  three
  hundred  seventy-five  of  this  chapter  directly  to  pedestrians from
  stopping for the purpose of such sales on any highway within  such  town
  or  on  all such highways. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit
  the operator of such vehicle from stopping  such  vehicle  off  of  such
  highway,  in  a  safe  manner,  for  the sole purpose of delivering such
  retail product directly to  the  residence  of  a  consumer  or  to  the
  business address of a customer of such retailer.
    7.  Prohibit  or  regulate the operation and the stopping, standing or
  parking of vehicles in cemeteries and in public parks.
    8. Provide for the removal and storage of vehicles parked or abandoned
  on  highways  during  snowstorms,  floods,   fires   or   other   public
  emergencies, or found unattended where they constitute an obstruction to
  traffic  or  any place where stopping, standing or parking is prohibited
  and for the payment of reasonable charges for such removal  and  storage
  by the owner or operator of any such vehicle.
    9.  Provide for the installation, operation, maintenance, policing and
  supervision of parking meters, establish parking  time  limits  at  such
  meters,  designate  hours  of  operation  of such meters, and, except as
  provided in section twelve hundred three-h  of  this  chapter,  fix  and
  require the payment of a fee applicable to parking where such meters are
  in  operation.  The  town board of any town may exercise these powers on

behalf and at the expense of a public parking district with  respect  to
  highways outside of villages but within such public parking district, in
  which  event  the  fees  from  such  parking meters shall belong to such
  district,  and  the  cost  of  operation  and  maintenance thereof shall
  thereafter be borne by such public parking district.
    10. Establish  a  system  of  truck  routes  upon  which  all  trucks,
  tractors,  and  tractor-trailer combinations having a total gross weight
  in excess of ten thousand pounds are permitted to travel and operate and
  excluding such vehicles and combinations from all highways except  those
  which  constitute  such  truck route system. Such exclusion shall not be
  construed to prevent the delivery or  pickup  of  merchandise  or  other
  property  along  the  highways from which such vehicles and combinations
  are otherwise excluded. Any such system of truck  routes  shall  provide
  suitable connection with all state routes entering or leaving such town.
    11.  Temporarily  exclude  from  any  portion  of any town highway any
  vehicle with a gross weight of over four or more  tons  or  any  vehicle
  with  a  gross  weight  in excess of any designated weight on any wheel,
  axle, any number of axles, or per inch width of tire when in its opinion
  such highway would be materially injured by the operation  of  any  such
  vehicle  thereon.  Such exclusion shall take effect upon the erection of
  signs on the section of highway from which such vehicles  are  excluded,
  and  a  notice  that  such vehicles are excluded shall be published in a
  newspaper in the county where the highway  is  situated.  The  exclusion
  shall remain in effect until the removal of the signs as directed by the
  town  board.    Upon  written  application  by any operator of a vehicle
  subject to this section, the town board may  issue  a  permit  providing
  appropriate exemption to such vehicle, if it is deemed that said vehicle
  is  performing  essential  local  pickup  or delivery service and that a
  failure to grant such permit would create hardship.  Every  such  permit
  may  designate  the  route  to be traversed and contain other reasonable
  restrictions or conditions deemed necessary. Every such permit shall  be
  carried  on  the  vehicle  to  which  it  refers  and  shall  be open to
  inspection of any peace officer, acting pursuant to his special  duties,
  or  police  officer.  Such  permits  shall  be  for  the duration of the
  restriction imposed under this section.
    12. Prohibit, restrict or regulate the operation of  vehicles  on  any
  controlled-access highway or the use of any controlled-access highway by
  any vehicle, device moved by human power or pedestrian.
    13. Prohibit or regulate the turning of vehicles or specified types of
  vehicles at intersections or other designated locations.
    14. Regulate the crossing of any roadway by pedestrians.
    15. Authorize angle parking on any roadway.
    16.  Designate any highway or any separate roadway thereof for one-way
  traffic.
    17. Exclude trucks,  commercial  vehicles,  tractors,  tractor-trailer
  combinations,         tractor-semitrailer        combinations,        or
  tractor-trailer-semitrailer combinations from highways specified by such
  town board. Such  exclusion  shall  not  be  construed  to  prevent  the
  delivery  or  pickup of merchandise or other property along the highways
  from which such vehicles and combinations are otherwise excluded.
    18. Prohibit, restrict or limit the stopping, standing or  parking  of
  vehicles.
    19. Designate safety zones.
    21. Designate a portion of a slope as a path for the use of bicycles.
    22.  Order signs or markings to identify the portion of the highway to
  be used for bicycle travel.
    23. Designate preferential use lanes for specified types or classes of
  vehicles.

24. Prohibit, restrict  or  regulate  the  operation  of  limited  use
  vehicles on any street or highway.
    25.  Adopt  such  additional  reasonable ordinances, orders, rules and
  regulations with respect to traffic  as  local  conditions  may  require
  subject to the limitations contained in the various laws of this state.
    26.  Make  special  provisions  with relation to stopping, standing or
  parking of vehicles registered pursuant to section four  hundred  four-a
  of  this  chapter  or  those possessing a special vehicle identification
  parking permit issued  in  accordance  with  section  one  thousand  two
  hundred three-a of this chapter.
    27.  Declare  a  snow  emergency  and designate any highway or portion
  thereof as a snow emergency route.
    28. Exclude trucks,  commercial  vehicles,  tractors,  tractor-trailer
  combinations,         tractor-semitrailer        combinations,        or
  tractor-trailer-semitrailer combinations in  excess  of  any  designated
  weight,  designated  length,  designated height, or eight feet in width,
  from highways or set limits on hours of operation of  such  vehicles  on
  particular  town  highways  or segments of such highways. Such exclusion
  shall not be construed to prevent the delivery or pickup of  merchandise
  or  other  property  along  the  highways  from  which  such vehicles or
  combinations are otherwise excluded.
    (b) Each such town board shall cause to be determined, for all bridges
  and elevated structures under its jurisdiction, the capacity in tons  of
  two  thousand  pounds  which  the bridge or structure will safely carry.
  Upon bridges or structures of insufficient strength to carry safely  the
  legal  loads  permissible  by  section three hundred eighty-five of this
  chapter, the town board shall  cause  signs  to  be  erected  to  inform
  persons of the safe capacity.
    (c)  Each  such  town  board shall cause signs to be erected to inform
  persons of the legal overhead clearance for  all  bridges  and  elevated
  structures on highways under its jurisdiction. The legal clearance shall
  be  one  foot  less  than the measured clearance. The measured clearance
  shall be  the  minimum  height  to  the  bridge  or  structure  measured
  vertically  from  the  traveled  portion  of  the roadway. On bridges or
  structures having fourteen feet or more of measured clearance,  no  such
  signs shall be required.
    (d) Such a town board also may by ordinance, order, rule or regulation
  prohibit,  restrict  or  limit  the  stopping,  standing  or  parking of
  vehicles upon property owned or leased by such town.
    (e) Any town with a population of seven hundred thousand or  more  may
  by  local  law  or  ordinance,  provide  for  the removal and storage of
  vehicles parked on private property upon request of the  owner  of  such
  private  property,  where such vehicles constitute an obstruction to the
  private property owner's right  of  ingress  and  egress,  and  for  the
  payment  of reasonable charges for such removal and storage by the owner
  or operator of any such vehicle. Such local law or  ordinance  shall  be
  applicable only in the unincorporated areas of such town.
    (f) No town shall enact any local law or ordinance to prohibit the use
  of sidewalks by persons with disabilities who use either a wheelchair or
  an  electrically-driven  mobility  assistance  device  being operated or
  driven by such person.