New York City will reduce the speed limit to 15 miles per hour in more than 800 school zones before the end of this year, with the goal of making streets safer for children in all five boroughs, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday.
During a press conference on March 16 at Flushing International High School in Queens, the mayor reported that the Department of Transportation (DOT) will move forward with reducing the limit to 15 mph in 700 school zones where it is currently 20 mph. In addition, he indicated that the DOT will do the same in another 100 zones where the limit is 25 mph.
With these changes, the number of school zones with a 15 mph limit will increase to 1,300 by the end of the year, according to the Mayor’s Office.
Mamdani also pledged to implement the 15 mph limit in the city’s 2,300 eligible school zones before his first term ends in 2029.
“No longer will the lives of pedestrians and children playing outdoors be treated as secondary,” said Mamdani, accompanied by elected officials and advocates in the school gym. “As we serve the people of this city, we will keep them safe by enforcing the laws designed to protect them,” he added.
The DOT indicated it will prioritize school zones where it will reduce speeds by analyzing data to identify the most dangerous areas.
Why it matters to slow down near schools in NYC
Road safety advocates have for years promoted the reduction of speed limits as a key measure to reduce deaths and injuries from traffic accidents. According to the DOT, pedestrians struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph are three times more likely to be injured than those struck at 15 mph.
“Everywhere speed limits have been reduced, you’ve seen an increase in safety and a decrease in people being hit and killed,” said Elizabeth Adams, deputy director of Transportation Alternatives. “The facts are clear: Lower limits work and make our neighborhoods safer. They should be non-negotiable.”
The city gained the power to reduce speed limits in school zones to 15 mph following the passage of the state law known as Sammy’s Law in 2024. This measure also allows the limit to be reduced to 20 mph on streets outside of school zones.
However, during the law’s first full year under former Mayor Eric Adams, the city only applied reductions on 2% of eligible streets, according to advocates.
The law is named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old boy who was hit and killed by a speeding driver in a Brooklyn crosswalk in 2013. His mother, Amy Cohen, is a co-founder of Families for Safe Streets, an organization that has pushed for multiple policy changes to reduce accident injuries and deaths in recent years.
Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio, the group’s New York co-president, whose 5-year-old son Brian was also killed by a speeding driver, said: “This is for every child who tries to go to the park, who tries to go to school, who tries to get around the city… this is for every child.”
Mayor and Council disagree on authority to reduce other limits
Although Mamdani pledged to expand the application of Sammy’s Law, he insisted that he cannot reduce the speed limit citywide without changing the administrative code, which must be approved by the City Council.
“According to the evaluation of our Legal Department, changing the speed limit throughout the city in one fell swoop requires a modification of the administrative code,” he explained. “It is a change that I support, but it goes beyond what the Mayor’s Office can do alone.”
However, City Council leaders questioned that statement and assured that the mayor already has the authority to reduce speed limits throughout the city.
“Traffic safety is a priority for Council Speaker Menin and the entire Council. Although a bill to reduce the limit citywide has not yet been introduced, under Sammy’s Law the NYC Department of Transportation already has the authority to reduce speeds in specific locations,” said Council Spokesperson Julia Agos.
