Avella, Savino Back 25 MPH Bill — Now NYC Republicans Must Convince Skelos

6:10 PM EDT on June 18, 2014

Three men in a room: Can Marty Golden, left, and Andrew Lanza, center, convince Dean Skelos not to hold life-saving speed limits hostage? Photos: NY Senate — Do Marty Golden, left, and Andrew Lanza, center, want Skelos to hold a vote on the 25 mph bill? Photos: NY Senate

State Senator Tony Avella, who opposed an earlier bill to lower New York City's default speed limit to 20 mph, says he will vote for Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein's bill to set the limit at 25 mph. He'll be joined by fellow IDC member Diane Savino, who will sign on as a co-sponsor. So it's up to New York City's two Republican state senators to convince Senate Co-Leader Dean Skelos to bring the bill up for a vote tomorrow, the final day of the legislative session.

Skelos has been noncommittal. "I don’t know if it will be on the floor. It is certainly one of the things we will be discussing,” he said earlier today, according to the Daily News. "I know how important it is to Mayor de Blasio and he’s certainly one of my best friends.”

The "best friends" comment from Skelos refers to de Blasio's efforts to secure Democratic control of the State Senate, a goal that Governor Cuomo endorsed last month as part of a deal to earn the backing of the Working Families Party.

It's up to New York City's two Senate Republicans, Marty Golden and Andrew Lanza, to convince Skelos that this lifesaving bill should rise above party politics. Neither have responded to Streetsblog's requests for comment.

Klein is confident the bill will pass tomorrow. "This bill is a top priority of mine and I expect it to pass by the end of session," Klein said in a statement to the Daily News.

Stephen Miller @

In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation. From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.

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